Electric Blue X Blue Gene Rams

[Chard56]

I shined a light in the tank with these Rams I got from jlgeorge a while back and there was a 3" flat stone covered with eggs. I think they may have spawned before and since there are 4 others and a few cories in with them I pulled the stone and put them in a small bucket with an airstone. They went free swimming the day before yesterday and I've been feeding them infusoria and baby brine shrimp. I almost want to be surprised but does anyone know if I'll get Electric Blues back in their offspring? The parents have a lot of Blue iridescent specks all over and are very good looking as they are but I wouldn't mind having some Electric Blues either. I am now witing on my tax ID number application to be approved so I can open my Thrift/Fish store. I'll be hitting you all up for any extra fish you'd like to sell or baby fish and plants to stock the store with. I'm sure some of you have saturated the stores in your area by now. I've tried to sell my Bettas and Angelfish to the Springfield are with poor results. I traded two nice $30 Adult Angels for a couple cories and a 6" featherfin and got taken. The featherfin was sick and I'm sure they knew it. It died in less than a week. Another guy traded me two 30 gallon tanks for 40 nickel sized Veil and WIFI Angels. That wasn't too bad. I've got tank stands and racks for dry goods to build yet and organize the mound of you-name-it in the front room so keep me in mind to furnish me with fish and plants in the near future. I'd like to specialize in local breeders. ~ Richard

[dennysfishroom]

I don't know what the genetics are for the Rams, but for Jack Dempseys the EB gene is recessive. That means if you breed 2 EB together (which you can't do with the Jack Dempseys - fry don't survive) you should get 100% EB's. An EB x a regular should give you 100% carriers (look regular, but carry the EB gene), but none that look like EB's. Breed the carriers together, and you should get 25% EB. Breed a carrier with an EB and you should get 50% EB, and 50% carriers. That's a short course in genetics, but it may give you an idea of what to expect. The problem is for people breeding the normal appaearing offspring of the carrier x carrier cross. Only 2/3 of the normal appearing carry the EB gene. You won't get any EB's unless you happen to pick 2 carriers by chance from that group. Good luck with your store. Denny

[fishbit]

Hey Richard. I am Mike Hollingsworth & I believe you got those Rams from me. I have some of the F1 fry coming up, but not old enough to see color yet. The ones you have came from a German Blue female,& a Electric Blue male. I will also be interested in seeing what percentage, if any, carry, or turn out to be Electric Blues.

[dennysfishroom]

I would think that with those parents, you'd get 100% carriers but no electric blues unless the regular female was a carrier. In that case I would anticipate 50% EB's. Denny

[Chard56]

Sorry Mike, I was corn fused¿?¿? And still am. Are you saying the F-1 will be 100% carriers and if so that would be what I have. If I remember correctly, Mike said they were fry from a cross between an Electric Blue Ram and a Blue Ram. So the fry I got from him that are adults now would be F-1 and carriers while the fry I have from them would be F-2 and 50% Electric Blue? I also noticed 5 of the 6 I have in the tank are about the same size while one of the pair is almost twice their size. Am I correct in assumimg that would be the dominant male? I don't get much of a good look at them what with the tanks being lengthways side by side and plants in the way so I can't judge by finnage.

[dennysfishroom]

F2's would be 25% EB's, 50% regular looking but carrying the EB gene, and 25% regular with no EB gene. Not sure in rams, but in Jack Dempseys, if you don't separate the EB's in the first 4-6 weeks, you will lose them to more aggressive regular Jack Dempseys. Denny

[fishbit]

I don't know what they will be. I have some f2 fry, but too young to see color yet .Denny is right on E.B. fry being a lot weaker. I am curious to see what they look like.

[Chard56]

Well here's what they look like. Ha ha! (for now) I feel bad, I haven't even taken pics of the adults yet. I didn't realize how tiny they were going to be either. They are almost as small as my newly free swimming Betta fry. Bellies full of BBS!

[fishbit]

That's about the size of mine also. The runts will be the E.B.s if there are any so I will separate them from the others as they show up. Joe Gargas in Fla. has this cross & it produces a strain he calls Powder Blues; not as blue as E.B.s, but a lot more blue than G.B.s

[Jackielee]

Do you guys use RO water or is the AR water just better for these guys? My rams ever thrive here in MO.

[fishbit]

My eggs won't hatch without using R.O. Water. I mix half & half with tap water.

[Chard56]

My tap water is 7.0 and I use Aquasafe conditioner. These guys have been in the same ten gallon since I brought them home and I may have changed 10 % two or three times. I took the eggs out and put them in a little bucket of water out of my 75 gallon stock tank reserve. I don't know what would have happened had I still been up in the Branson/Hollister area. The tap water was about 8.0 there.

[Chard56]

I put the rock back where I got it and was rewarded with another batch of eggs. I got them to let me take a few photos this time and I think I'll leave these with the parents and see how they do raising them themsleves. I don't know what color you would call them but they are gorgeous.

[fishbit]

I still have some more of these E.B. X G/B. crosses for $6 each If anyone is interested.