Hybrid Cichlids

[nebelhund]

It is basically a moot point. Every hobby has something that divides it. Mixed fish tanks will have hybrids pop-up at least occasionally.

As long as people are honest about what they have when they give away/sell fish people should be happy. Of course that is an opinion as well. ;-)

[jtrotter77]

I remember a few years ago when all hybrid cichlids were look at like a disease. (especially africans) IF you had hybrids you culled them. People wanted pure blood lines. The same was true for dogs even. Look at all the mutts being sold as designer dogs now days, most cost more than purebreds. but years back if i was a mutt you gave it away for free.

Being selective about what breeds you mixed and giving a cute name (yorkiepoo) ect.. Made these dogs looked at as a different breed not a mutt.

even the akc and ckc have classified some of them as pure breds now and you can get papers for them. (that in my opinion is all about extra money for them though)

To get back to my point. the same thing has happened to cichlids now. They are designer fish.People have selectivly hybridized different ones (mostly peacocks) to make something new. I prefer a pure F0 ngara flametail to any Hybrid peacock anyday. However the hybrids sale better and through selective hybridization and then selectivly line breeding those hybrids some really beautiful fish are emerging.

[allierw]

Hybrids can be a really hot topic. It is hard to cull but I think in the case of most rift lake cichlids, culling is best when hybrids are suspected. Same with barred fish that are mis-marked. When so many of these species are endangered it is important for fishkeepers to maintain the best lines they can. I've gotten fish before that were substandard and it is very disappointing, especially when you think you are dealing with a reputable vendor. I think line breeding for a specific trait and hybridization are a bit different. The problem occurs when you sell something under one name but it really is something different.

[jody]

I am sorry but this is the beef producer in me, line breeding is the same as inbreeding. When it works its line breeding, when it goes wrong its inbreeding.

[jtrotter77]

line breeding can be done using different bloodlines though. Inbreeding cannot.

[sirknight]

Line-breeding, the way I understand is, breeding two fish that are from two different lines but the same species (but maybe distant cousins). For example two yellow peacocks from two different lines but the same species. Note: this is not hybrids, which would be breeding yellow peacocks with regal peacocks.

In-breeding is breeding brother to sister as an exmaple.

With in-breeding you need to out cross to a different line after a few spawns or you will have very weak fish, a lot of deformed fish and if continued sterile fish.

Joe Wall

[jody]

Your right but most of the time line breeding is not using distant cousins unless you are keeping great records of everything. Dairy producers, use 'line breeding' which is still inbreeding because you are using relatives. Line breeding is used to breed out genetic problems(ie in cows mule foot) So basically if the breeding works and lets say the cow produces more milk and her offspring isnt muke footed then its line breeding, if the cow produces less milk and her and her offspring are mule footed then its called inbreeding and looked down upon. In my dairy production class, we talked about inbreeding and line breeding for a month. But going on every animal has had to have some kind of inbreeding in its life to reproduce the strains that we know.