Re: [RML] Looking for bright Rainbows

Mach Fukada (tuhoitc at aloha.net)
Tue, 7 Oct 1997 17:50:20 -1000

I have been meaning to ask the same question. I have noticed that many of
the Pseudomugils comming in from the east (Singapore and Indonesia) seem
to be washed out. I see poor color, bent spines, and other deformities.
Of course I have this perspective having seen the Ps. furcata a few years
back when they were $14 each and very bright, yellow, and social (they just
begged for attention). The ones I see now are drab and unattentive. Have
the stocks in the east been degrade this much via mas breeding? I know
that the Pseudomugils are less likely to hybridize, but under mass reared
conditions, I suspect that we are selecting for drab fish (the bright,
active, good courtship ability, etc are no longer an advantage) and hence
we are seeing washed out Ps. furcata. A simmilar phenomenon was observed
here in Honolulu with the USDA's mass reared Med Flies (for setrile
release) the captive mass reared flies could not compeete with wild
files......

MTF
>Hi Matthew,
> I will let others (who are so much more qualified ;) ) talk to you
>about store bought 'bows. I just wanted to welcome you to the list,
>enjoy :)
>
>Bjorn
>
>
>Matthew J. Kelley wrote:
>>
>> Friends,
>>
>> I'm new to list and glad to have found you all. Just sent off my
>> club check and a request for back issues.
>> After reading a bit from the rainbow web pages I saw my first rainbows in a
>> fish store this weekend. They are very hard to find here in Northern
>> Arizona.
>> I had read that many species of rainbow were beautiful and often very
>> bright. I'm looking for schooling fish for my new planted tank. Rainbows
>> sound great with their hardiness and color. But where are the colors? The
>> healthy looking Turquoise-lacustris were just a nice silver. I must of
>> missed something, where is the Turquoise? The picture of the Turquoise on
>> the rainbow web paged looks pretty good in color but was not the fish at
>> the store. The Praecox displayed was nice but very subtle. None of the
>> other three displayed species on display were very colorful either. Maybe
>> Rainbows are bright and beautiful in the eyes of a specialist with a
>> refined eye? I'll probably get all the answers with the club magazine but
>> am a bit disappointed now. My wife was surprised that I drove so far to see
>> these relatively plain fish. Maybe my expectation were too great.
>> Maybe this is another pet store problem? What are the brightest
>> species? Where can I get some? Any of you out there sell any? Today I would
>> rather not take the time to raise some from eggs but will if I have too. I
>> have raised Betta's but remember it as quite involved. Can someone restore
>> my faith?
>> Matthew
>>
>>

Mach Fukada, Computer Specialist
Information Technology and Communications

Tokai University at Honolulu

"You need it, I'll make it. You break it, I'll fix it.
And I will love every minute of it"

Voice: 808-983-4160
Fax: 808-983-4135