Guppy Dominant & Recessive Colour Genes?

[Jane Mac]

Hi, Where can I find out which colours are recessive?

[Caryl]

Try these two

http://www.arihood.com/azgenetics/genprimr1.html

http://www.showguppies.com/genetics.htm

[Jane Mac]

Thanks Caryl, the first link is helpful if you're wanting grounding or refreshing in genetics & for pics of colours, & the second said Yellow and Gold are more recessive, and a little on the black. While both sites are very interesting, what I am wanting is more info specifically on colour genes? ie people with blue eyes. Blue is more recessive than brown, so, if the brown eyed person doesn't have an ancestor with blue eyes, the babies eyes will be brown - simplified- but surely there is something similar for guppies like a chart or something? Jane

[Pegasus]

Hi Jane,

This is an extract from an article I am writing for the NZ Poecilia Newsletter, which hopefully might get distributed this month.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gene Selection.

Pretty confusing stuff all this, but let's try to look at it in simple terms.

Imagine we have two jars of marbles of all different colours. Now imagine that each of these marbles is a gene. We have one jar for the male, and one for the female.

Now looking at all these pretty colours we might not like some of them, but there may be a few we do like, and many will look alike in both jars, but the problem is, how do we sort them out. Now if the two jars represented fish that came from a fixed line of fish, we would see a distinct pattern, where most of the marbles in both jars were of a similar colour, but if the fish were not related, or from different lines, then the colours would be all random, with no sequence. Don't confuse the reference to the marble colour with the colour of the fish, as each gene (marble) represents a certain feature that the fish may hold... eg: Size, Vigour, Tail size, Dorsal size, Colour variation and so forth.

If we now mix the two jars together.. (breed the fish).. then we have scrambled all the genes up and made the task of sorting them out even harder, however, if the fish were related or from a fixed line, we would possibly get more of the colours we are looking for, rather than a completely scattered gene pool.

We can see by the above that starting off with fish of a known background will give you a better start, than two randomly selected unrelated fish.

Selecting a couple of fish from a local LFS fishtank and hoping they will breed true will just not happen, so obtain your starting stock from a reputable breeder if possible.

By having two similar jars of marbles (fish) in the beginning, then the gene pool is not so mixed up, and we have a better chance of seeing the genes that we want to appear in our future broods. If we reach a point where the only option is to use another un-related fish from another line because we are not getting the results we want after extensive trials and breedings, then you should only select the new blood (outcross) from a line of fish that most closely resembles the one you are working on.

Failure in doing this will be like taking your two jars of marbles and mixing them all together once more... in other words, you “could†be back to square one.

A crossing from another unrelated source will produce what are termed as a Hybrid, and the first generation of this brood will be known as F1, with subsequent generations being F2.. F3 and so on..

... Continues in the article...

http://poecilia.net.nz/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill.

[Jane Mac]

OK Bill, So what you're saying is that unless I obtain a specific strain from a breeder they will probably have every permutation under the sun and I'll take forever to get what I want. BUT :-? I don't want to risk someone's very special fish dying. Hi Jane, how are those fish I sold you? Some died....Waaaaaah....... Quite apart from getting them here in the first place!

By the way Bill here is my car...

(link removed)

Jane

[Pegasus]

OK Bill, So what you're saying is that unless I obtain a specific strain from a breeder they will probably have every permutation under the sun and I'll take forever to get what I want

Hi Jane,

You can't make a Rolls Royce from two Morris Minors

If you have a decent male and a sturdy looking female, then you may get some good looking fish, but if you are after a particular trait that is NOT present in the fish you have (that particular gene is missing).. then no amount of breeding will produce it..

Breeders have devoted their lifetimes trying to create a particular feature, so there are no short cuts in perfecting a new strain or desired feature you are looking for, so what I am saying in the above is that if you can start off with "something" that resembles what you are looking for, then half the battle is over.

The article.. (when published) explains a little about selective breeding .

Cees also has an article in the Articles Section on the FNZAS site.. (Click on the twin fish at the top of this page)

Regards,

Bill.

[Jane Mac]

You can't make a Rolls Royce from two Morris Minors

:lol: How about two 1100's? :lol:

Thanks, I await your article.

Jane

[Pegasus]

How about two 1100's?

But you only have ONE... :)

Nice pics BTW..

Are those Scottish Highland Cattle..?

Only half the pic is showing.

Bill.