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
xiphophorus
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
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
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
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
Montreal Aquarium SocieT Talk
In May, David Banks (our host), Susie (my wife), and I drove up Lake Champlain to Canada where I spoke at the Montréal Aquarium SocieT monthly meeting. Dave’s wife, Janine, couldn’t attend due to water board meeting where she was apparently put on the board to inhibit her rabblerousing; I don’t ... Read More