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Wild Caught vs Captive Bred coloration


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#1 Guest_AMcCaleb_*

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Posted 01 May 2014 - 03:55 PM

This is just something that I've been curious about for a while. When you go to the pet store and buy a fish, they typically are the same color that they will continue to be for the rest of their lives. Except for a few species, their color doesn't change a whole lot during their lifespan. Now, wild caught natives on the other hand, go through some of the most incredible color changes throughout the year in relation to spawning times. This is something you don't necessarily see in store bought tropicals. Is it due to selective breeding that most tropical, aquarium-trade fish keep their coloring year round?
Then a side question would be, are the changes based on environmental conditions? In other words, if a native fish is kept at a consistent temp year round would they keep their brighter spawning colors continually or would they still go through the changes?

The phrasing of this question is kinda raw. I'm not sure I formulated my thoughts clearly. Let me know if you don't understand what I'm asking.
It's just something I've wondered about. To me, one of the coolest things about natives is the transformations they go through, its just amazing.

#2 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 01 May 2014 - 04:55 PM

Plenty of tropicals have seasonal or age/size-induced color changes too, especially cichlids. The tropicals that are popular as aquarium fish are, not surprisingly, the ones that are colorful all the time. There's plenty of other dull-colored tropicals that only color up for fighting and spawning -- they're not imported much, of course. Some of the sand-dwelling Tanganyikan cichlids come to mind.

IME natives kept at room temp year round still change between breeding and non-breeding color, but it's more related to water changes, live food, addition of new fish, and other things that affect their mood (and hormones).

#3 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 01 May 2014 - 09:47 PM

I have a pair of Cryptoheros nanoluteus, and while they're always yellow and black, when the spawn they're YELLOW and BLACK. I can tell from across the room when they're guarding eggs.

#4 Guest_Erica Lyons_*

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Posted 01 May 2014 - 10:23 PM

This is just something that I've been curious about for a while. When you go to the pet store and buy a fish, they typically are the same color that they will continue to be for the rest of their lives. Except for a few species, their color doesn't change a whole lot during their lifespan. Now, wild caught natives on the other hand, go through some of the most incredible color changes throughout the year in relation to spawning times. This is something you don't necessarily see in store bought tropicals. Is it due to selective breeding that most tropical, aquarium-trade fish keep their coloring year round?

The species chosen to stock pet stores are picked because they don't stress blanch. A pet store is very stressful for fish and many die there If they blanched, they wouldn't sell Gray fish don't sell Therefore, the species chosen by pet stores are the ones incapable of fear blanching Add a little bit of selective breeding, for example cross a few xphophorus maculatus with hellerii (both species incapable of stress blanching who when crossed go from slghtly red to solid red), and now you've got a permanently red fish to sell people, even in the harsh conditions of a pet store.




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