Crossbreed...

[Piscineidiot]

What does that mean artificially inseminating the fish?

No. Most fish don't practice internal fertilisation. Only the livebearers do. In all other fishes, the eggs are released by the female and the male releases his milt (sperm) over the top. Exactly where the eggs are at the time of fertilisation and preferred courtship/mating rituals varies, but simply put, that's what happens.

"Stripping" is the act of removing eggs and milt from mature adult specimens.

Generally, these eggs are then mixed together in a container and some such, and can then be treated in a manner that will allow maximum hatching i.e. tumbled, spread evenly over java moss etc.etc.

 

[King-eL]

They look good, I guess we're lucky bichirs aren't easy to breed like cichlids or we'd end up with a heap of unidentifiable 5th generation hybrids...

It's actually easy to tell hybrids from pure breeds. All you need is to know are the existing pure breeds and anything that looks odd especially if it captive breed then you will know that it could be a hybrid.

I have seen some hybrid bichirs from my supplier but I don't have pics of them. I only able to post pics of them if I buy it from him which I'm planning to do in a near future.
sene x polli
sene x del (Looks like a palmas)
sene x ornate
polli x del
polli x ornate (Looks like a short body tuegelsi)
polli x endli (Looks like a palmas)
ornate x endli
ornate x del (Looks like a weeksi but with more mottle pattern)
del x endli (Looks like a lower jaw brown weeksi)
endli x lap
endli x cong (Looks like an endli with a nigerian lap head)
endli x ansorgii (I'm against this kind of hybrid as it just look like a regular guinea endli)
endli x bichir
bichir x lap (I'm against this kind of hybrid as they look very similar from the parents)
bichir x cong
bichir x ansorgii (You can tell by the head shape and with a some patterns on the gill plate)
ansorgii x cong (Looks like a lap with wider head)

I even have my doubts on polypterus sp. "dabola" that it could be a wild hybrid.

Guinea lap x nigerian lap

 

[King-eL]

nice King El were they expensive or little more than regular species

They are not expensive, Just the same price as their captive parents. $40 for 7". Also depend on which bichirs species is being hybridized.

 

[King-eL]

King, I know on some forums the debate rages between "pure breed" and hybrids.

All I will say are that those are some MIGHTY impressive fish you have!!!!!
Thank you for sharing, I would love to see more pics posted of them.

Don't really like to post pics and show off but you requested them and I will post pics of them soon.

 

[King-eL]

What does that mean artificially inseminating the fish?

Most of them are being done in a Petri dish or hormone injection. Some are just accident from bichir comm tank.

 

[uting]

its nice to know not everyone is against hybrids in MFK. anyway.. Nice hybrids I hope I can see some in my LFS soon.

 

[King-eL]

its nice to know not everyone is against hybrids in MFK. anyway.. Nice hybrids I hope I can see some in my LFS soon.

Reason why I got into hybrid is that there are some LFS out there that might sell them with a very high price and let a buyer especially if they are new to bichir of thinking that they are a new species. I'm planning to get all of every known hybrid so the the newbie bichirs keeper will know which one is a hybrid and which one is a pure breed. Also to compare them to wild caught hybrid bichirs. One of the possible wild hybrid is the polypterus sp. "dabola". It could be a wild hybrif bichir as I've seen some captive breed hybrid bichir that look very similar.

 

[let_fish]

hey i have a silly question... how do you post a new thread???

 

[Hao]

just wished ur supplier sells to me

 

[King-eL]

just wished ur supplier sells to me

He's a close friend of mine. He doesn't sell it to anyone or any part of the country. We are only doing this for experimental use and also to prevent the fish from going anywhere as he doesn't trust anyone who might just sell it sooner or later. This is to prevent other people from getting rip off.