FWIU a dirty trick played by some wholesalers is to only release males of a
certain species - I am sure I have read of this happening in the USA with
Melanotaenia boesemani. It wouldn't surprise me if there is a general
shortage via the trade for this reason.
Or it could be that the fish that you are seeing in the shops are
ex-breeders - Glossolepis males are notoriously hard on their females, to
the point of killing them if left unattended (anecdotal evidence on my part
only, I find other ways to kill them ;) ).
Or it could be that they are being bred, deliberately or otherwise, in
conditions that encourage the birth/growth of males. This could be either:
a) because of pH, temperature, more male embryos are developing: or
b) crowded fry-raising conditions are selecting for the larger, male fry.
So there's a few more things to worry about! PS: I'm interested to recieve
any views supporting/disproving any/all of the above - because without
females, it's very hard to preserve the fish in captivity!
Regards, Andrew
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Andrew Boyd - andrew at pcug.org.au - http://www.pcug.org.au/~andrew
Rainbowfish Mailing List Archive: http://www.pcug.org.au/~andrew/rml.htm
"I have turned my face
To this road before me
To the deed that I see
And the death I shall die" (Patrick Pearse, Renunciation)
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