genetics

Giant Redtail Blue Variatus

Photo: Pair of Giant Redtail Blue Variatus and male regular Redtail Blue Variatus Xiphophorus species, which include swordtails, maculatus platies, and variatus platies, hybridize readily. A while back I wrote, when I was writing for Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, an article about some hybrids ... Read More

Non-Gold Dragon Blood Peacock

The photo is of two Non-Gold Dragon Blood Peacock Males. A couple of days ago, I released a blog on Dragon Blood Peacock cichlids (see: http://goliadfarms.com/dragon-blood-peacock-cichlid/), which I had written months ago and had failed to post. This blog is an update on the genetics of the ... Read More

Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid

Photo is of a Dragon Blood Peacock Cichlid male, one of our breeders. A while back, we processed two breeding vats of dragon blood peacocks. This is a strain we got from www.livefishdirect.com in November 2012. The photo shows a typical male of this strain. We grew the fish to maturity and set ... Read More

Midnight Blue Sailfin Molly

Photo shows a shoal of Midnight Blue Sailfin Mollies. This molly, the Midnight Blue Sailfin Molly, is a relatively new creation of ours, but it has a long pedigree. I’ll quote myself in an article published in Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. “In October 2008 I set up a test cross of ... Read More

Orange Sailfin Molly

About a year ago, I was sorting through some Peaches & Cream Sailfin Mollies when I noticed a very orange young male. I set him aside for breeding, giving him seven young Peaches & Cream females. Today, after a couple more generations, I’m approaching my goal of an orange sailfin. The ... Read More

Poecilia reticulata, McCauley Spring, New Mexico

Photo shows a group of Poecilia reticulata from McCauley Spring, New Mexico Across the Rio Grande River from Santa Fe, New Mexico are the Jemez Mountains. Nestled in the canyons of these mountains is a warm spring named McCauley Spring. McCauley Spring feeds a mountain stream about a yard ... Read More

Giant Marble Liberty Mollies

Back in 2013 I set up a cross of Poecilia mexicana, Campeche males with P. velifera, Campeche females. I didn’t expect much from this cross because earlier matings between P. mexicana and P. velifera hadn’t produced anything spectacular, but I often keep trying despite lack of good results. Being ... Read More

Red Lyretail Swordtail Experiment

One problem with raising lyretail swordtails is that the males are functionally sterile. While they produce viable sperm, they have an elongated gonopodium (a penis-like modified anal fin used to inject sperm into the female), which prevents them from mating. Lyretail in xiphophorines (members of ... Read More