German blue ram - interbreeding

[ezbandrea]

Hi all, I've successfully raised several batches of fry and now have around 50 young fish. Can these be paired off to breed further fry or will I need to introduce 'outside' GBR to continue the spawning success I've achieved. Will pairs form from the same batch of fry I've raised?

 

[Andy Sager]

Hi all, I've successfully raised several batches of fry and now have around 50 young fish. Can these be paired off to breed further fry or will I need to introduce 'outside' GBR to continue the spawning success I've achieved. Will pairs form from the same batch of fry I've raised?

Usually inbreeding problems come to light after many generations of brother to sister breedings. If you are dealing with wild rams, this should not be a problem just yet. If you are dealing with tank raise rams, the way to tell when it's time to add some new blood is when the fry are mostly deformed or die young unexplainably. Genetic inferiorities come into play leaving a much weaker fish.
So can your fish pair off?, Yes. Will they pair off? Most likely, if given the right circumstances. Should you pair them off? Only if the first spawning produces highly viable fry or non deformed fish.

Hope this helps