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Re: OT. bettas

Well, as a breeder of show bettas I would hardly say that my bettas "cannot
swim" or "cannot reproduce by themselves".  Of course they wouldn't survive
in the wild... and neither would your average oranda goldfish or blue Jack
Dempsey or probably dozens of other types of selectively bred fish.  I
personally got interested in bettas because I love genetics and pretty much
the only fish you can selectively breed are bettas and guppies.  I also
cannot complain about the prices they fetch since I have a few rather
expensive strains going myself LOL.  And anyone who has seen a true halfmoon
betta knows that there is QUITE a difference between a $2 pet store fish and
a champion show betta!  Whether it is worth several hundred dollars is
another matter entirely but obviously if people are willing to pay it then
the price must not be completely unreasonable.  Hey, they let this poor
college student make the rent and have some fun so who am I to complain!  I
love my killies, but they definitely don't pay the rent.  Although I'd let
them if they wanted to.

The inbreeding comment seems rather harsh when I would be willing to bet
that two killifish of the same species from the same locale are more closely
related (i.e. show less genetic diversity) than two show bettas from the
same line/strain.  Show bettas probably originated from a few pairs that
were initially "domesticated" but saying they are therefore all inbred is
like saying all goldfish or Arabian horses are inbred because they
originated many hundreds or even thousands of years ago with a few
individuals.  Inbreeding is often looked upon as being bad due to the fact
is taboo in our species, but the reality is that while inbreeding may
produce individuals possessing undesirable traits there will also be
individuals that possess more desirable traits than either of their parents.
 Through inbreeding a hobbyist can actually produce a fish that is healthier
and more gentically sound than a fish that is not inbred.  Anyway, I will
get off of my genetics soapbox but I thought I had better defend my bettas
LOL. ;)

Denise
Shangri-La Bettas

Denise R. Archambeault
Animal Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

----------
>From: Frauley Elson <fraulels at videotron_ca>
>To: killietalk at aka_org
>Subject: Re: OT. bettas
>Date: Fri, Feb 1, 2002, 6:24 PM
>

>
>
>John Pendergrass wrote:
>
>> 
>> My first thought was to regard this as fluke or something but then I saw
>> another one selling for the same price.  Both had multiple bidders. Both
>> were pretty but do not compare to killies.
>> 
>> Gee if we could sell our fish for half the price we would all be rich.
>> 
>> So what am I missing are these 'Show bettas' that impressive and if so why?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> John
>
>John,
>I'm on a soapbox, so everyone, be warned or hit delete...
>
>I think this is a fundamental question. Personally, I have never seen a
>show betta that compared to a wild betta. Show Bettas can't swim, and
>wouldn't last a minute in the wild. I even prefer wild guppies to
>veiltails. Veiltails ARE pretty, but once they start to "behave" it's
>time to go watch killies eat. Wild guppies are different, like short
>finned Bettas. Those fish tell you a story, while show fish just offer a
>lineage.
>
>With selected fish, there's none of the wonder of watching a killie that
>wears its evolutionary history, its adaptations to its environment and
>its history all over its form and behavior. Show bettas wear human
>cleverness, hard work and the tastes of their keepers. There are some
>fine artists in the field, but. 
>
>Killies just happen. And as long as we avoid hybridizing and selecting
>for our tastes, we'll get to see more of what happened in the forests of
>Gabon or Cameroon, and by extension, spend less time admiring what was
>produced in John Doe's basement with John Doe's hard work and exquisite
>taste. John Doe may be a great guy, but I want to learn about killies,
>the places they come from and how they have survived so beautifully.
>
>Plus I'm too cheap to spend $305 US on an inbred fish... 
>-Gary Elson
>---------------
>See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe
>Join the AKA at http://www.aka.org/AKA/Applic.htm
>
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