Photo: Male Sunset Variatus I’ve recently begun blogging about the Variatus-type Platies we raise. For a discussion about the meaning of “Variatus-type,” check out an earlier blog I wrote about our Redtail Blue Variatus. This blog concerns our Sunset Variatus strain, which we developed ... Read More
livebearers
Redtail Blue Variatus
Photo: A very nice male Redtail Blue Variatus either challenging another male or displaying for a female. We raise a variety of Variatus-type Platies. I say “Variatus-type” because while they look like Xiphophorus variatus (Variegated Platy), they are commercial strains and might have genes from ... Read More
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
Xenotoca eiseni, Rio Tamazula (the Redtail Goodeid)
Photo is of a pair of Xenotoca eiseni, Rio Tamazula (the Redtail Goodeid). This is a nice little fish we’ve had since 2004 when we bought them at an American Livebearers Association auction. They were originally collected from the Rio Tamazula in Mexico by Rusty Wessel prior to that time. This ... 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
Red Sailfin Molly
The photo shows two juvenile Red Sailfin Mollies (above) and a red Swordtail/Platy hybrid (below, for color contrast). I continue to work on new molly strains. For a long time now I’ve wanted to develop a Red Sailfin Molly. I’ve tried various crosses with no discernible progress. Then, about a ... 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
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
April 2015 Photo Contest
Photo: Female hifin lyretail redwag sword In our April 2015 newsletter we ran a photo contest (refer to the photo above). Here’s what the contest stated: “The winner of this photo contest will be the first to correctly identify the two dominant fin genes expressed by the female redwag ... Read More
Gambusia Road Trip – Day 5
Photo shows San Felipe Creek in Del Rio, Texas, home of Gambusia clarkhubbsi. The dogs, Tally, Gus, Oso, and Maya enjoyed romping in the creek. Day five started early because it was going to be a long haul. From Marathon we would follow US 90 to Del Rio, TX past Seminole Canyon State Park, a ... Read More