Endler/Cobra

[flame_fish]

I started a thread a while ago about cross breeding endlers & cobra guppies. I got sorta of a negative response but I kinda want some other thoughts, my LFS gets endlers almost every week & they are heathy and whatnot so the thought of ruining this strain isn't all that big to me but I need some thoughts would breeding a endler with a cobra be a bad thing? If they do have offspring I obviously wouldnt try to give them back to my LFS, just an experiment? Thanks..

 

[Andy Sager]

Cross breeding

I started a thread a while ago about cross breeding endlers & cobra guppies. I got sorta of a negative response but I kinda want some other thoughts, my LFS gets endlers almost every week & they are heathy and whatnot so the thought of ruining this strain isn't all that big to me but I need some thoughts would breeding a endler with a cobra be a bad thing? If they do have offspring I obviously wouldnt try to give them back to my LFS, just an experiment? Thanks..

You always need to approach cross breeding certain fish carefully. What you have to keep in mind is that you only know what the fish looks like on the outside but you don't know what the fish is genetically made of. In the case of a Cobra Guppy, it is most likely very far modified (genetically) from it's wild ancestor. So the fact that you breed a cobra guppy to any other guppy does not guarantee you having fish that look like Cobra Guppies (unless the second fish contains the cobra guppy gene). They will, however, have the gene for Cobra Guppies and with more interbreeding, this would bring that trait out.
That all being said, some of today's fish available for sale to the hobby are the results of hybridizing two similar members of the same species so, as an experiment, you lose nothing by trying. Keep in mind tho that none of the offspring may be what you hoped to get, all might be sterile, or might be disfigured. If you can handle this outcome, I see no reason to not try. It all might just work out. OR, you could wind up with a "FrankenGuppy."

Keep us posted