White Dragon

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Brian- Beautiful fish!

I just want to say how much I'm enjoying this thread. I've often wonder about inbreeding, especially with rams. Gold rams, while cool looking, IME, are very very disease prone. I've never had one last beyond a few months, while I still have some original blue rams from when my 30 gal was first cycled. Inbred rams just don't last, which is so sad. I think its time I started to deal with only reputable breeders, a well worth it investment, IMO.
 
QTOFFER:

Yeah, you're absolutely right. Wild fish have undergone natural selection for resistence to disease, speed etc.; few aquarium fish are exposed to the same competitive forces. That's definitely a factor in fish health. It's the same sort of artificial environment that keeps ppl like me in the gene pool--I've got abysmal eyesight, and don't think I would have made it in this world without glasses and a healthcare system!

I wonder, however, if there are other forces--whether lesser exposure to pathogens in an aquarium (less than in the wild) is another serious factor in fishes' susceptibility to disease. I.e. If they're not exposed to trace amounts of the pathogens at a young age, they may be more susceptible to them when older.

As for the importers... There is definitely a lot of unethical fish treatment going on out there. I'd still rather pay $4-5 for each neon tetra I buy, rather than $1-2, for a) peace of mind about ethics and b) a greater guarantee of fish survival/health. I lost all but 3 of the 15 neon tetras I bought for my tank about 8 months ago (cycled tank, healthy). That's 12 lost * $2. $24 lost, or $30 for 3 fish ($10 a fish). I'd have been willing to pay $4 each to have fish survive!
 
This topic is getting more interesting. If you think about all the FW fish species that have been bred for specific ornamental traits, the list is very short. Goldfish come to mind as being one of the most played with.

I don't really think susceptibilty to disease is an issue as much as other odd occurences. I believe that certain genetic flaws will be pervasive. Just look at the bulldog as an example. Or the hip probs that most large dogs suffer with as an example. But these animals are not less resistant to disease.

As for neons madas..... To the best of my knowledge, all neons are imported from the wild. You take your chances when you buy certain species. How old a wild caught fish is when one buys it is a question noone can answer. As a rule, the larger the fish, the longer the life span.
 
Back
Top Bottom