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Evaluating Young Fish


shadoh

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Hi everyone. I found this video that was put together by US breeder, Sherolyn Craig, IBC member and owner of Basement Bettas.

It is on how to choose young fish from your spawns for showing and breeding. Some of you out there already know what to look for, so just sit back and look at the pretty fish :P

Edited by shadoh
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Excellent video Jarrod!

I'll admit it's hard at early stages to pick my keepers - there's often a "rockstar" that's completely inappropriate for showing or breeding, but when they are the fast sprouters, it's hard not to be endeared to them...I have a bit of a rule that I let myself keep as many females as I like from each spawn (into the sorority) and one breeder and one frilly display fish (at the very least) from each spawn...

But form rules, and good form should be evident from the get go... well... at least 8 weeks-ish

that MARBLE gene however - always makes things a bit tricky - who KNOWS what bloody colour it'll be in 3 months!

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With marbles, especially if you are choosing breeders, I guess you just have to be confident in the genetic background of your fish. A little tricky when starting a new line from scratch, as Sherolyn is currently trying to do with her blue/yellow marble line. You have got me thinking though... I might flick her off a message and ask how she makes her choices when it comes to marble patterning...

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It'd be great to know.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a non-expert on marbles, but have had several BF spawns with them, and there's a lot of "junk" marble that (for my taste) comes out cello with a real gravel.

If my marbles have no iridescence around the darker parts, and if the dark parts are a bit half hearted, they often don't get much of a look in for my keeping barracks.

(however I'm not inclined to have a dedicated marble spawn as yet)

x

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She says that with solid colours and established marble lines, she always work on form first, then on improving the colour. "There is a saying.. build the house then paint it..."

With starting a new marble line, she works 2 parallel lines - 1 for colour and 1 for form. "Always go for best form and work on improving the color. If you are creating some wild new color.. try to work a little each direction so you don't have beautiful new coloring and horribly built fish." "I have a female with the color I wanted crossed to a a magnificent royal male with white fringe.. he carries marble. I am hoping that cross will give me some better form I can cross into this spawn in the video. Will work parallel. One for color and one for form each generation."

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  • 5 months later...

Hold on mate. Didnt mean it quite like that.

I am mainly comparing stomach size. Mine always look like they are ready to pop, as you know, but I do get SBD issues. These normally sort themselves out once pellets introduced and most have no long term negative effects so I am just wondering if that's my cause of good growth. Maybe I am right on the tilting point of overfeeding and have just been lucky so far.

Another point, those 3mth old fish look better than mine. Maybe I will see a difference now using live blackworms once jarred but mine seem to stall not long after jarring.

Again, just thinking aloud.

I would hate anyone to get the wrong idea and think I believe I am the "Best Breeder in the World ". As we both know, that tag is already taken. Would hate to upset the black bucket man. LOL.

Really just trying to understand so I can duplicate it each time.

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All good mate, I know that isn't what you meant and I responded humorously and certainly wasn't trying to cut you down to size. Everyone that reads you posts knows you aren't full of yourself when it comes to bettas and fish in general.

The world is only big enough for one betta breeder with an over-inflated ego, and as you mentioned, that role is taken...

...BTW - I'm the one with the black buckets... <_<

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