Head color between Rotkeil F0 & F1

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Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2005
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Michigan's UP
Does anyone notice a coloring difference, specifically the amount of red on the head, between F0 and F1 Rotkeil severums?

I have a F0 female that has good intense red coloring on her head, but my F1 male has nowhere near the coloring she does. In fact, the F1 male could be mistaken for a green severum. I even questioned Jeff Rapps about the male when I received it because it looked nothing like the pictures of Rotkeil I'd seen, but he assured me that it was indeed a Rotkeil from wild parents.

So, do most F1 (and later) Rotkeil severums lack the intense red head of their wild parents, or does red head coloring depend more on individual fish quality, wild or not?
 
How old is the female F0 compared to the male F1? Maybe it is an issue of maturity. Other than that I would guess it has more to do with the individual specimen.
 
Both fish are over two years old, I don't know the age difference between them. I purchased the female about 6 months after I got the male.
 
I remember when you got them and questioned them.. I did too.

It makes me wonder if the red coloration has something to do with diet in the wild vs diet in captivity.. or some other underlying reason that is not re-created in captivity.

Not alot of people have bred Rotkeils.. might be hard info to find info
 
ewok;1977705; said:
this thread is useless without pictures...

just so you know...

;)

Boy, she's getting demanding...... :banher:
 
Miles;1977726; said:
I remember when you got them and questioned them.. I did too.

It makes me wonder if the red coloration has something to do with diet in the wild vs diet in captivity.. or some other underlying reason that is not re-created in captivity.

Not alot of people have bred Rotkeils.. might be hard info to find info

If it was diet then the females would have faded after being in captivity for so long, correct?

I'd say it's mostly genetics, and you possibly just got a dud. Does Jeff have any idea if any of the rest of the F1 spawn ended up with the red heads?

Are they in the same tank? Are you feeding foods high in carotene?
 
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