Breeding Tuxedo's

[SkiFletch]

Hey all, I'm just wondering if any of you have ever experimented at breeding tuxedo guppies of different color variants and seeing what you get. My LFS just got stocked with a whole bunch of tuxedo guppies of 3 different tail colors, red, blue, and lime green. They all look really beautiful and I was debating stocking my 20 gal with some. Now since inbreeding is a concern, I was going to get 3 different colored males (one of each), and breed them with a group of females. If my logic and knowledge of genetics are correct, the different colored males are probably the result of 3 distinct inbred lines. Thus mixing them with perhaps related or unrelated females could prevent serious inbreeding?

If that is the case and anyone has tried interbreeding different colored tuxedos, what happens to the offsprings colorations? Do they retain their black? Do their tails maintain a uniform color (as the current ones have)? Or do they marbalize in some way?

Your help is always appreciated

 

[sylvia]

I think, if I remember correctly (I actualy looked into guppy genetics quite in-depth a while back), that the gene responsible for the tuxedo black is actualy sex-linked and carried by the females (on the X chromosome). Males show it but you need tuxedo females to get tuxedo males. I'd also expect the fry to be primarily red as that's the most dominant of the colors you mentioned. Some colors will be somewhat less even in shade but you shouldn't get mixtures (that's not how genetics work). There are plenty of books and sites concerning this. Do a google search.

 

[SkiFletch]

sex linked? well that makes sense with the drastic differences in color patterns between males and females of the species. I'll look around a bit but if anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it

 

[Annastasia]

I'm not quite sure what you want to do here. Do you want to breed each male with a different group of females? Or the three males with the same females? Could you explain this to me again...because I'm kind of lost.

Usually, if you breed Tuxedos together, you try to get a male and female of the same color. However, if you get different colors, the dominant color in the males and females are going to be the color the majority of the fry are. The non-majority could have some mixing. If you just breed a Tuxedo male with a non-Tuxedo female...who knows what you'll get, it all depends on the genes of the fish.

 

[SkiFletch]

I'm thinking 2 males, 4 females, all tuxedos, all different colors to try and minimize the negative effects of inbreeding. If I understand things correctly that'll yeild more tuxedos with a tendancy towards the dominant tail color (probably red in this case) and a lesser likelihood of inbred genetic conditions. Is that true?

 

[Annastasia]

Yes. If I am understanding correctly. Sorry, I have a cold so I'm a little slow.

If you get different colored Tuxedos, they will still be pretty inbred already. Just to get that coloring. If you breed different colors with different colors, it will be better, which is what it sounds like you are going to do. However, just be aware, you are still making weaker fish by breeding two inbred colors together. But then again, you can't get stronger fish unless you are willing to breed with Feeders or something and have duller fish.

Oh yes, and get a few more females per male. Maybe 1-2 more females. So 2 males, 6 females.

 

[SkiFletch]

Thanks, thats what I thought. I'm still not sure if I want to have these guppies or the gorgeous creamsicle mollies I was thinking of before. Stupid LFS had to go get new stock and make my decision harder got prolly a week left to make the decision anywas as my tanks still cycling...