Why Create Hybrid(s)?

[James Quarterman]

I finally found myself the owner of "Dovii". Currently, I have 8 juveniles about 1.5 months old, about 1.5"-2". I am going to build an aquarium (9' x 2.5' x 2.5' viewing glass of 15mm), as I am well aware this fish has the potential to mature to 30" and 15lbs.

When I obtained them, in my excitement, I later learned my Dovii are the result of a Costa Rican Blue Dovii parent x Red Dovii parent breeding...at no fault of the fella I got them from. I'm still proud of my purchase, and I'll drive 7hr round trip to him again to purchase Black Nasty fry when they arrive.

The reason of my post?

What is the reason of creating a hybrid? Is it to create popularity with the result, ultimately taking "strain" off the pure species (of any species) to allow itbto rebound in wild? Or does it make any difference at all? I have a background breeding dogs, and this creates confusion for me as in dogs we aim to preserve natural classification, traits and characteristics. Anyhow...

Can anyone explain to me how hybrid breeding works? I'm not looking to breed, but I do plan to keep 2 (male and female), possibly 3. Why 2? Because I don't want a gigantic tank with only 1 fish. Why keep 3? Because one appears to be "fading"...possibly going to show more of the red. In that, I'm sure fry are bound to happen. And I want to do right by my fish as well as accountability and responsibility of what may leave my tank in the event of fry.

Can someone walk me thru a breeding from start to finish (if there is an end)? Explain what all this F1, F2, etc etc is?

 

[Gourami Swami]

F1, F2 means how many generations removed from the wild the fish are. F1 has wild parents but is captive bred.
Hybrid breeding "works" in the same way breeding any cichlids works, though often it's unintentional. Most cichlid species from the same or close-by regions are genetically similar enough to hybridize. Interested male + interested female = fertilized hybrid eggs.

As for why, I think it's just curiosity, lots of people want to see what will happen if you cross X with X. Personally, I wish less people were curious about this, so that gene pools would be preserved better in the hobby. We see plenty of threads here of people saying "I was sold this as a (insert cichlid here), what is it" and often the answer is, who the hell knows nowadays.

 

[duanes]

Because both parents were dovii, yours are not really hybrids, they will be considered aquarium strain.

 

[James Quarterman]

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[James Quarterman]

As for why, I think it's just curiosity, lots of people want to see what will happen if you cross X with X. Personally, I wish less people were curious about this, so that gene pools would be preserved better in the hobby. We see plenty of threads here of people saying "I was sold this as a (insert cichlid here), what is it" and often the answer is, who the hell knows nowadays.

Thank you for your honesty. Glad to see/know others see/think/feel similar.

 

[duanes]

Although a red morph dovii, occurs naturally, I suppose the most important question might be... were the ones you were sold, natural occurring morphs with known provenance,(Costa Rican, Panamanian, Lake Arenal) and actually between 2 dovii parents, or just somebody down the block, mating a dovii with say...a... motaguense believing it make the result more red.
If this were the case, with the Motagua, it "would" be a hybrid (which would then (to me worthless)) and make any fry with your Costa Rican and it, worthless as well.
Crossing a red morph dovii with a real location point individual, but the red one with lesser known provenance, could also lower its value.
This is one of the unknowns, that this kind of random crossing by Joe down the street, does.
It may not matter to average LFS shoppers, but may be very crucial, to serious a cichlid collector, and breeder.

 

[RD.]

Going only off the info the OP provided, you don't own hybrids, nor would any resulting offspring be hybrids.

Without provenance back to the wild, what you own are simply aquarium strain dovii. The fact that one carries red morph genes would be a bonus, at least to me. If you or the previous owner have provenance back to the wild, then that would be a different story. Regular morphs and red morphs live in the same waters (in certain areas) so as an example if both came from the San Juan River, then not only are they NOT hybrids, down the road you can advertise the offspring as pure dovii, with the parents (or their parents?) originating from the San Juan River. No different than if someone bred two different color morphs of Amphilophus citrinellus from Lake Nicaragua.

 

[James Quarterman]

Thank you

 

[James Quarterman]

Thank you

 

[jcarson]

I was never a proponent of hybrids until I started realizing that many of these fish I love to keep are already hybrids.
I think for me the originality and uniqueness of hybrids are the allure.

Take ob zebras, a natural occurring fish in the wild is theorized to have breed with an aulonocara species and thats how we have ob peacocks (very general and just my understanding of it) that are stunners and wanted by a lot if African cichlid keepers.

The ob gene is sought after by a lot and now there are crossbreeds of many Africans strains and beautiful and sought after.
The albino gene is another.

I think (my opinion) based on your question of why hybrids, is that for many (myself included) keep fish that are unique can almost be equated to keeping "rare" fish.

The feeling of taking care of fish that "nobody" else has is exciting for me.