If the dominant fish grow the humps & you intend to breed sub-dominant fish wouldn't that be spreading around the fry of weaker gened fish?
I think anyone breeding with the intention to sell/distribute the fry has an obligation to produce the highest grade of juvies they possibly can & cull heavily for any weaknesses, deformities, or or its a disservice to the hobby.
Not intended as a shot at the OP, I know youre choosing what to breed based on a personal aesthetic choice & I understand that. Just something to think about if you choose to pass on fry.
I would have to argue that sub-dominance isn't a genetic weakness and possible has little to do with genetics at all. There is simply a physically stronger fish in the tank. The LFS that has these white saums in stock (and I haven't seen any of them yet) are all from the same location, so I am making the assumption that all the fish being sold have the same parents. If this is true, then all the variance on genetics can't stretch too far between individuals. I would choose the brightest, most colorful male I could find that simply doesn't display a hump (likely the beta male). And if the display of a hump is mostly environment (due to dominance, breeding, diet, etc), which a sub-dominant male would be an indication of, then the presence of a hump has very little to do with genetics.
In football terms, the comparison I am trying to make is like saying that Patton Manning is the top genetic choice, but I don't like the way he looks and I want to go with Elli Manning instead. He might be a slightly weaker genetic choice, but he still has good genes.
As far as culling goes, I have 4 years of experience breeding and raising angelfish, which requires a series of culls to get the fish with the good genes and even then, the few who survive still carry genes for deformities the others were eliminated for having. But people still love them and buy them in droves. So I am no stranger to culling those that display genetic deformities and I wouldn't put a deformed fish out on the market (and I have sold very few fish in my years of breeding).
Having said all of that, I totally understand what you mean I would never intentionally do this hobby a disservice. I am usually a snob when it comes to genetics as all the fish i currently own are either wild caught or F1. I also may not end up breeding at all. I might just keep a single male as a wet pet and leave it at that. Only time will tell. But if I do breed and if I do attempt to sell/give away some fry, I will do a culling being I put anything out into the market.
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