German Super Red Bristlenose Plecos

[Forester]

Hi everyone,

I am facing a dilemma, I need to add some new broodstock to my super red bn line to improve the genetic pool, but I want to get nicer fish than can be gotten in the US. Mine are German and a great deep red/orange and I just don't see that in most US fish.

Where in Germany (or anywhere else in Europe) are they breeding them?

Who developed them in the first place?

Thanks for the help,

Lucas

[Jobro]

I got some, they are quite common in germany. I guess you can find them easily here. Shipping to US will be another story though. You want to import some?

[Barbie]

They are a line bred species. "Opening" the gene pool is really going to still be a line breeding, isn't it? I know a few people with really good clean red lines of Super Reds in the US. Are you having an issue with your group that makes you think they need a gene infusion?

Barbie

[Forester]

They are a line bred species. "Opening" the gene pool is really going to still be a line breeding, isn't it? I know a few people with really good clean red lines of Super Reds in the US. Are you having an issue with your group that makes you think they need a gene infusion?

Barbie

I guess technically it would be, but they would not be as closely related.

For the first time I am getting some deformities, which is one issue that I think may be coming from inbreeding.

I bought all of the stock from the person who I got them from originally, and they have been inbred at least 1 or 2 more generations then mine. They are noticeably not as colorful as mine, and I think that the inbreeding could be the issue.

Could you put me in contact with them? My issue has not been finding a clean strain, but didn't one as red as mine.

Thanks

[Barbie]

I'll forward this thread. I have nice super reds, but I'm not as close to you. I could bring a mature male or two to CatCon this fall though, if you don't have luck before.

Barbie

[Forester]

That would be great. I have some nice young males I'd like to get some females for if possible.

Would one or two fish with deformities is in each batch be consistent with inbreeding? That is about what has been happening to me.

Thanks.

[pleconut]

No expert, but I'd estimate a guess if the fry are coming from the same two parents-very possible. If its from a larger breeding group outsourcing some new bloodlines might help reduce it slightly. Also may depend on what the deformities actually are.

[Forester]

Deformed tails have been the main issue, with one or two with pectoral fish issues.

[pleconut]

Couldn't say for certain that inbreeding could be the cause of these kinds of deformities, I will look into it though. But now you've specifically said what they are, maybe someone with more experience could advise on this. Not always clear cut, may be worth adding some in, depends on how many generations its gone back for.

[Forester]

Seems that it has just been this last generation, and it's not even in every brood, maybe one deformed fish every 3 broods.

[bekateen]

How big are your broods? There's a big difference between 1 in 50 babies and 1 in 300 per brood.

[Forester]

I normally get 30-60 from my adult females, but I only have about 5 deformed ones out of around 500 fish from those pairs. So 1/100 have some sort of deformity.