Gambusia (Mosquito fish)

[Velatelen]

There is lots of talk about crossing within the live bearers so I wonder is anyone had done any work with the Bahamas version I read through an article claiming humans have helped to alter the colors of the Gambusia there don’t really understand most of it but living in Florida I’m very familiar with the fish and have never seen on with color as pictured. Any thoughts?

 

[JuiceBox52]

I have not, some other members may have though. Good luck!

 

[Retired Viking]

The guy to talk to is @emeraldking he is an expert when it comes to live bearing fish

 

[fish48]

natural wild species should be kept pure we have enough man-made and messed up fish in the fish hobby

 

[Colin_T]

Most people don't keep Gambusia because they are aggressive. Some of them are peaceful but some are just plain annoying with their fin nipping.

 

[emeraldking]

There are multiple Gambusia species and they occur in the wild in multiple areas. The phenotypes (more based on the coloration than bodyshape) at several areas can differ. Most of the time color mutations occur by the composition of the water they're in and how preditorial the area is.

 

[Barry Tetra]

There are multiple Gambusia species and they occur in the wild in multiple areas. The phenotypes (more based on the coloration than bodyshape) at several areas can differ. Most of the time color mutations occur by the composition of the water they're in and how preditorial the area is.

How long have you been a livebearer expert? you seems to know everything about them.

 

[emeraldking]

My parents started keeping fish back in the 1960's. Me myself have started keeping and breeding fish as a young boy back in the 1970's. All because of my parents, huh...
I always had a fascination about livebearers and specifically wild species. Since I've started with livebearers back in the '70's, I've never stopped keeping and breeding them and that's still going on these days. I've also been to Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia to observe fish (and mainly livebearers) in free nature.
I'm an editorial board member at Poecilia Netherlands (our national society of livebearers where wild species do have a special focus). I do write articles for Poecilia Netherlands (Poecilia nieuws-livebearer magazine) and for VDA-AK (Viviparos livebearer magazine). VDA-AK is one of Germany's largest societies of livebearer keeping. And every 6 months a year they'll publish the livebearer magazine "Viviparos". And one of my articles have been published in the french livebearer magazine "Le vivipare".
I've also judged livebearers (both fancy and wild species) at shows in Germany and Holland. And I do run my own website regarding livebearers. It's an informative one and not a commercial one.

And oh, I don't know everything about livebearers. I do have a certain serious knowledge about them. But it would be arrogant of me to say that I do know everything about livebearers. Even a very experienced aquarist has still a lot to learn...

 

[Velatelen]

I live in Florida where you can all buy find these fish in puddles. If the water is there longer than 6 months these fish show up. I have seen the rare Melanistic males in the wild but nothing of any other variation. Brackish, pond, canal, Bodies of water that are hard to imagine large gene pools and still no difference in appearance. It make me very curious about the process of breeding traits. A it would seem the Gambusia has very strong genetics