Hey, guys, it's been about ten years since I kept any fish, and a long time since even visiting this board. Anyway, I've been itching to get back into the hobby lately, this time as a fish breeder.
I don't really want to breed anything outlandish or monstrous, just something basic like cichlids or livebearers. However, as a sub-experiment, I was thinking of trying to breed a predatory strain of a fish that's normally not considered that. Some scientists or hobbyists must have tried this at some point in history (obviously dog breeders were successful with pit bulls and other fighting breeds), but I have yet to come across any research or results on the subject.
Most breeders out there are interested in producing exotic colors and features not normally found in natural populations. Just look at the myriad of things they've been able to do with so many animals, from goldfish and guppies, to dogs, cats, horses, etc, through selective breeding.
In theory, would it be possible to turn say a mosquito fish into something more akin to Belonesox? I use that as an example, since livebearers such as mosquito fish, guppies, platies, and mollies would be ideal for such an experiment because they have such a high turnover rate.
My proposal to you guys is: have any of you tried this, or heard of anyone trying it, and if not, how would you go about doing it? I have some ideas (such as perhaps selecting breeding pairs based on how good they are on cleaning up live food), but would like further input...
I don't really want to breed anything outlandish or monstrous, just something basic like cichlids or livebearers. However, as a sub-experiment, I was thinking of trying to breed a predatory strain of a fish that's normally not considered that. Some scientists or hobbyists must have tried this at some point in history (obviously dog breeders were successful with pit bulls and other fighting breeds), but I have yet to come across any research or results on the subject.
Most breeders out there are interested in producing exotic colors and features not normally found in natural populations. Just look at the myriad of things they've been able to do with so many animals, from goldfish and guppies, to dogs, cats, horses, etc, through selective breeding.
In theory, would it be possible to turn say a mosquito fish into something more akin to Belonesox? I use that as an example, since livebearers such as mosquito fish, guppies, platies, and mollies would be ideal for such an experiment because they have such a high turnover rate.
My proposal to you guys is: have any of you tried this, or heard of anyone trying it, and if not, how would you go about doing it? I have some ideas (such as perhaps selecting breeding pairs based on how good they are on cleaning up live food), but would like further input...
