WoW!!! Fusion Blue Arowana!

[islandguy11]

I have seen these from at least one Malaysian vendor on FB (also in crazy purples), and was going to make a new thread titled 'Designer Arowana?', but not necessary now with this one.

But these fish are not dyed, nor are the pix photoshopped (though bear in mind lighting hugely effects the appearance of Arowana, you can make 'em look like floating Xmas trees if you wanted to) -- imo these fish are simply the result of complex hybridization.

It's pretty common knowledge that due to all the hybridization in Asian Arowana farming nowadays it's getting harder and harder to find true Arowana bloodlines -- which poses big problems if we talk about efforts to revitalize Arowana stock in the wild.

I'm not really comfortable arguing against this hybridization (as it would make me something of a hypocrite) -- and they are stunningly beautiful fish -- but what I worry about is whether or not this crazy hybridization will result in genetically weaker fish?? -- similar to like we've seen with Flowerhorn -- they're more beautiful nowadays but the indisputable fact is they have more health issues and don't live as long. Will the same happen with Arowana...?

To add to my previous comments: of course Flowerhorn are already on the slippery slope to weaker genetics given they're a hybrid combo of (at least) 3 different species to start with, so perhaps not the best analogy in this case, but again it does at least raise some questions in this regard.

 

[Leo Messi]

but what I worry about is whether or not this crazy hybridization will result in genetically weaker fish?? -- similar to like we've seen with Flowerhorn

I wouldn't say so. I'd say many Flowerhorns are so "weak" and die pretty fast-ish because of a lot of in-breeding and as you already said, many different fish species mixed together. Mixing different Arowana bloodlines together surely won't make them weaker. Thats not really how genetics work, at least not as far as I know. It's still the exact same fish. It's still a Scleropages formosus.