Recommended site for Swordtail breeders?

[Aquafinatic]

Hello to all of you! I wonder if someone could make a recommendation...

I've kept various livebearers in the past, and as would be expected, they often reproduced while I had them. During those times, I made no efforts to encourage them, or to purposefully place particular males with particular females, in order to achieve any kind of breeding goals.

Recently, I purchased some swordtail breeding stock, with the intention of challenging myself, and trying to develop a line or two of superior fish. They cost a pretty penny, so I intend to accomplish something worthwhile with them. I have seen that there are many websites and "forums" in existence, where a person can discuss the breeding of livebearers. But I "browsed" a few of them, and the content appeared to be more appropriate for beginning aquarists, and I couldn't find any threads that got into more advanced or challenging areas of the hobby.

Allow me to say, at this point, that I am NOT criticizing any beginning aquarist. I am pointing this out so I don't get "scolded", or reminded that we ALL had to begin somewhere, with our first tank. I understand that, and I'm quite pleased that any beginning aquarist would be on the web, searching for answers and advice.

But I'm searching for the "Planet Catfish" of swordtails. I'm wondering if there is a site with swordtail breeders who are as knowledgeable with swordtails, as some of the aquarists on THIS site are with various catfish. I would surely appreciate any suggestions. Cheers, everyone!

[MatsP]

From my brief experience with the site, I'd say the Practical Fishkeeping forum is pretty good for generic knowledge, and there are people there who know their stuff in just about every subject. Unfortunately, if you follow many threads, it can get a bit hectic, and I stopped it because it was using up too much of my time.

--
Mats

[Bas Pels]

Only catfish are blessed with a good forum - this one

Cich lids have to moke do with less, the cich lid room companion is the most scientific I know, but it is definitely less

lifebearers - and I agree they are a challenge, struggling to keep my Xiphophorus nezuhucuatl (ignore my spelling in this name, please) highfin group alife over the years, for instance - is another matter. I don't even know any forum with a daily posting - let alone a weekly posting which is really interesting

Personally I think it is a pity, because many life bearers are intersting and all but starters' fishes (anybody got Jenysia for me?).

[Richard B]

you could always email the nice people at http://www.britishlivebearerassociation.co.uk/ who might provide specific contacts or details

ps - i saw some pike top minnows the other day circa 15-17 centimetres - what a fantastic fish (except for the price!)

[Dave Rinaldo]

I'm not familiar with this site, but a seach offered this....
http://livebearers.org/

[ricefish]

ps - i saw some pike top minnows the other day circa 15-17 centimetres - what a fantastic fish (except for the price!)

Hi Richard
can i ask where these were?
thanks

try the ALA as you're in the US
or
http://www.xiphophorus.txstate.edu/

[Richard B]

Ricefish - it was last Friday at Aquatic Design Centre or whatever the place is called on Gt Portland Street in central London. I managed to pop in after a visit to Wholesale Tropicals with Mats, nothing major to report but these were a bit special & were really impressive.

[Aquafinatic]

THANK YOU guys, for all the suggestions.

I'll get to work, and see what I can learn.

Bas Pels --- good point! I have seen many people struggle to have success with livebearers, in general. Also, no fewer than 5 or 6 successful breeders (of egg-layers) have told me that they failed miserably, in their attempts to work with livebearers.

Cheers!

[MatsP]

My wife has convinced me on a few occasions with words like "Look at those guppies, can't we get some" to keep guppies.... Every time it's ended with dead guppies... And this is from reputable stores and well settled and maintained tanks... Other live bearers such as mollies and platies I've never had any problem with (except when I tried to use very soft water on my mollies at one point - that wasn't good!)

--
Mats

[RIPbiglad]

Mats,

A lot of shop guppies tend to be rubbish. They Import them in salt to keep them better and then the shops put them in normal water and they die after about 2 weeks. If you get them from local breeders etc they are much better quality. I currently have a breeding trap with about 60 fry in it.

Not had any losses of the adult fish since I got them

[MatsP]

That is probably true.

--
Mats

[Aquafinatic]

Just another thought on this, in response to certain of the comments...

I suppose that most of us have known at least one aquarist who has had trouble keeping certain livebearers. So inasmuch as that is the case, there is an element of "challenge" there, to keep them alive and healthy.

But when I decided to purchase these fish, I was thinking about a different KIND of challenge --- which is available to everyone, including those who find it quite easy to keep them alive and healthy.

When pursuing the BREEDING of livebearers, there are all kinds of challenges to be taken on, depending upon how one approaches it. In the case of the fish that arrived at my house yesterday, they are NOT fixed/perfected strains. Yes, they are high-quality stock: healthy, vigorous, fertile, with beautiful flowing fins, and so on.

But in a sense, they are a "blank canvas", waiting to be created. The genetics are there, and are available as building blocks, so to speak, from which the creative aquarist can seek to create something beautiful and wonderful.

I am NOT an accomplished breeder of livebearers myself, but I sure intend to have fun working with them, nonetheless. Good day!

[trag]

But when I decided to purchase these fish, I was thinking about a different KIND of challenge --- which is available to everyone, including those who find it quite easy to keep them alive and healthy.

I'm looking for the same thing and found your posting in my search, but have not found a good site.

I had already found the livebearers.org site someone else referenced, but they didn't seem to have the in depth information I was looking for and seemed more focused on the wide variety of less common livebearer species.

Specifically, I'm looking for a site that lays out what is known about swordtail genetics. Things such as which color qualities are recessive or dominant or sex linked. And pictures showing examples of the various color varieties and listing their genetic labels would be nice too.

Okay, I'm not asking for much. But surely that information is out there somewhere. My old "Enjoy the Livebearers" (Or something close to that) book from the 60s actually has a little genetic information in it, but not much and I think there are some new color varieties now.

Anyway, if you found anything useful, I'd sure appreciate it if you'd report back.

[mummymonkey]

You might find something useful here: http://www.xiphophorus.txstate.edu/

[PeterUK]

Have you tried here . . . . http://livebearers.tripod.com/

[trag]

You might find something useful here: http://www.xiphophorus.txstate.edu/

Thank you. I've checked that site over and if they have the kind of information I'm looking for it's beyond my ability to find. They have some genetic information, but it seems to be sequencing information and all the articles with a genetics topic seem to be oriented towards melanoma studies.

I just posted my question in the forums at livebearers.org so maybe that will turn up something, but they don't seem very active.

[trag]

Have you tried here . . . . http://livebearers.tripod.com/

I had not. Now I have. It's a good resource but doesn't have the variety info I was looking for either. They have a nice diagram of guppy tails and the associated names though. That was handy to find. Thank you.

[PlecoCrazy]

IMO, Most livebearer breeders I know are about keeping pure strains and not cross breeding. They are passionate about keeping the pure strain. Secondly, I would suspect that someone who was knowledgeable in crossing strains looks to make some money quite possibly from it and therefore is less likely to share information.

Having said that, I remember a couple of years ago reading about platy genetics and crossing strains in a TFH or AFM article. I have so many years of both I wouldn't know where to start looking but I am positive there was a good article on it in one of them.

The ALA had a convention in Detroit in April. Too bad you missed that. I would suggest you go to next years convention as there would be plenty of people there to talk to.