malawi sand diver Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 I have seen 2 really different yellow lines going around right now. One is a really deep yellow, almost orangy, with hardly any black on the fins. The other is the traditional yellow with solid black on the fins. Has anyone noticed this lately and are the more orange coloured ones pure but line bred to be that way? Or is there a chance there is some red zebra somewhere way back? Attached is a pic showing 2 different types. I know the more yellow ones are from a very good source. The yellow to the right is the dominant male from a good source and the yellow on the left is a male that has either been line bred to be a deaper yellow with no black or has something else in it. Both were bought from aquarium shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithoMan Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 from my experience...what happens is people like my self and many others..grow up 50+ yellows and hand pick the ones with "" no white and so on"" and try and keep breeding the all round yellow ones And some of them get a deep yellow colour...while i choose my next colony to grow up and breed i like choosing the deeper yellow colour with good black finage..... and like you know been around for a while all it takes is a different back round or gravel and these yellows change but to answer your question its people line breeding them and being pedantic about having """" the best yellows"""" """" german ones """ that has made them look more yellow than they do.....and food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Thanks for the info mate. Yeah very interesting what can be achieved through line breeding the yellows. Agree after looking at them more that they are yellows that have been bred that way with deeper yellow and these guys have a bit less black on their fins which may be a result of the breeding for the deeper yellow colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFishkeeper Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 I believe the reason the colour in fins is disappearing in some lines is that many breeders are trying to choose their breeding stock too young and relying on picking the fish with less colour in their pectoral and anal fins in order to end up with a female heavy group. By doing this they are actually breeding out colour in the fins in their line. I was doing this also for many years until I realised what I was doing and for the last couple of years I have delayed choosing my breeding stock until they are 6.5 cm or so and can be vent sexed accurately. And I have concentrated on deliberately choosing females for breeding that have colour in all their fins, including ventral and anal. This is a personal choice as I believe the fish with nice thick black bars in all their fins are more attractive. And I am starting to get females now that are hard to tell from males, some even have an egg spot and an eye bar. And I have also been breeding for the best and brightest body colour I can achieve for many years now. Cheers, Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 Hey Doug You hit the nail on the head there. Never thought of that but it totally makes sense since the easiest way for people to tell whether yellows are male is see if the fish has a thicker black line on the anal fin. Over the years weeding out those to get females would definitely have an impact. And there is no black at all in the anal fins of the females of this new line and only a slight black line in the dorsal. Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I also seem to recall hearing of someone having a deliberate attempt to line breed the colours out of the fins (going back 10-15 years) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 That would explain a lot - a deliberate attempt to line breed them by some combined with the priority of selecting fry with no black on their fins to get females. I also remember back about 5 years my mate said he saw a guy with yellows with no black on the fins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucem Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Have you noticed a difference in size as well? Electric yellows don't seem to get as big as they used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 Hey mate, the ones i have are still juvies but in with the other line of the same size. I have had them in around a month and i think its true the ones with no black could be smaller. Will be interesting to watch the growth rate side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 It would make sense along the same lines of ppl remove the dominant 'half' of a batch assuming they are all/mostly male. The remaining (maybe) female heavy group will also be somewhat runtier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithoMan Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 yep ducksta thats exactly it people assume its a male and get rid of it Some of my main females have nice black markings looking like males. i have currently another batch of 40 or so growing oput for my next colony..Everytime i see a female holding i remove from group and by then they will be 5-7cm and start to handpick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.