Inbred fish?

[Eaglebarret]

Just need a bit of advice, for when i buy fish, is there anyway you can tell if a fish is inbred?

I would like to think most LFS and people dont inbreed there fish, but would just like to know for piece of mind.

Regards

David

[nannat]

a rounded off nose is a sign.usually a rounded nose has a twisted head.

[GTR73]

There's a 2nd head attached. Oh wait, that's the inbreds from Ipswich

Seriously however, inbred fish in my experience are usually dull in colouration. Hence the term "washed out" for fish that have been spawned from too many inbred generations, with the weakest colour genes being passed on (as well as all the other weak genes). That's one reason why people try to view the parents of fry for sale. If the parents look fantastic chances are the fry will also look fantatsic once matured.

So if you can, view the parents of the fry, or more mature siblings. Otherwise it can be a gamble with what you end up. Failing that, at least ask for details on the quality of the parents - are they wildcaught, F1s, F2s?

Good luck. It can be tricky.

[Ducksta]

I don't think there are any tell-tail signs of a fish being inbred. I have a brother-sister pair of fish that produce incredible offspring time and time again. I also inform all buyers that this is the case and they should not be looking for a pair from my batch alone. And I also don't raise many fry of the species and keep the pair more for my own enjoyment, and use their fry as feeders for other fry.

I think you have to know what you are looking for, having done your research, and know what constitutes a quality fish before you hand over any money.

I don't think it will be obviously seperable if a fish is inbred or just badly bred from poor quality parents, but it should be easily determinable if a fish is good or poor quality. If you avoid all the suss looking fish (better yet avoid whole batches if there are any suss fish) and try your best to source multiple lines of fish to form your own breeding group, then you should negate or at least minimise any problems wth future generations of fish you are producing.

If you are buying all your stock from one place, or even 2-3 places in the same area, chances are they are going to be related, so look hard for quality stock initially and you will be rewarded in the long term. At least this has been my experience.

Impulse purchases will happen I know but then you have to be strong enough to make the right decision about fish which you bought on a whim which aren't quite right.

[BlakeyBoyR]

IMO the only way to spot what is wrong with a fish is to have a fair idea of what would be considered "right". If youve done your research and know what to look for in a particular species then you can most certainly narrow down your chances of purchasing substandard fish

[YeW]

I agree with Duck - there are 1000's of deformities that can result from too much inbreeding. Often, fry from related parents arent at all deformed. Occassional inbreeding is fine - its prolonged inbreeding thats bad - and in some species its worse than others.

The easiest way to avoid the problem is to simply know what you are buying. Be prepared to knock back fish that arent up to the standard you've set yourself, based on prior knowledge of the fish.

[ViS]

Also once you have bought your colony, find out who else has the same fish (and are good quality), and periodically swap a male for a male or some fry for some fry. This way, you'll break up the bloodlines and decrease the risk of breeding offspring back to the parents. Most aquarists will be happy to do this, as long as you have a reputation for keeping healthy fish.

[Paulochromis]

Crusts?