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Re: Opal borellii... or false fish





Dujardin Colin wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I'm wondering...
>
> I trust Mike Wise when he says that this blue head fish is a domestic
> hybrid designed to produce a nice fish, for commercial purpose I think.

Colin,

I am not absolutely certain that this is a hybrid species. It may be a
domestically enhanced species like a Black Angelfish or Turquoise Discus. Other
authors in Japan & Germany claim it is a hybrid, but I see no scale or fin
deformities seen in other hybrid species. Some claim that it is also not very
fertile (as an indication of hybridization), but heavy inbreeding & hormone use
cause the same problem. A. sp. Bluehead may be the same as the "improved" dwarf
gourami color varieties, merely a highly line-bred domestic form of some known
species.

> The true question is :
>
> for Apisto and cichlid lovers, is this fish worth the interest ?
>
> a false fish is for me a false fish and should not be bought ( unless by
> unknowing people ) bred (unless for research purpose) and sold (always)
> by cichlidophiles.

To me a Turquoise Discus is not worth having (give me a Tefe Green any day), but
this is only a preference. I prefer keeping wild caught species rather than
domesticated color forms. Most other hobbyists prefer highly colorful species,
whether hybrid, line bred, or otherwise. Both are preferences. Neither is right
or wrong.

> In France the AFC is hardly fighting versus money seeking breeders who
> are designing colourfull hybrids made from rift lakes fishes and so
> loosing rare fishes genes. Selection of fish sold in the cichlids
> convention are drastics, no fishes of (even slightly) uncertain purity
> are accepted for selling.

The ACA has taken similar efforts in North America. It will not knowingly accept
ads for hybrids, & hybrids are not allowed in any ACA sanctioned show. I remember
judging an ACA convention show where a "new" Malawian species was up for best of
show with a known species of Central American cichlid. The Central American
cichlid won best of show because the African cichlid judges were not certain that
the Malawian wasn't a hybrid.

> So why seeking for catei or resticulosa females to cross with blue-head
> males of uncertain origin ?

I totally agree. But we both know the reason => money. Colorful fish sell.

> There's is no personnal arttack in this post, as I'm not an Apisto
> breeder, and that i'm still wondering how can i know if my Pv taeniatus
> "moliwe" strain is really a "moliwe" strain ;-).

Pv. "taeniatus" Moliwe (I side with PVL on this one - it should be Pv.
callipterus) females are a rich violet color and have the dark callipterus dorsal
band). Males are hard to tell from other callipterus populations (Dehane &
Lokoundje). If you are unsure of your source, don't buy. We all have to rely on
the truth of others, unless we collect our own.

Mike Wise

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