# dragon scale genetics?



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

my new male is a dragonscale. sometimes he looks a perfect silver color except for the outerband of his fins which are a translucent black (im pretty sure hes a butterfly but he would be faulted for the jagged edge of his bands) other times he shows teal and copper coloring. does anyone know anything about dragon scale genetics? and are they always metallic or is that just an extra feature?


----------



## thisismydesign (Jun 22, 2013)

I don't know. My dragon scale is a light blue but rigt now has a gold sheen (that's not velvet) and red spots on his scales (that aren't sores). He's iridescent so maybe it has something to do with that. Does your guy shimmer in the light too?


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Yea that's the metallic. It's kinda like when u look at a piece of metal and it has several different colors in it


----------



## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

The dragon scale actually came from breeding Splendens show types back to the wild types, Smaragdina and Imbellis.
There is quite a lot on the internet about the crosses.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Varies.. some dragons have it, some don't.. it's just the layering above the scales there that varies and you'll get some like yours and there will be some who don't have that and don't change colors depending upon the light.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Thank u both! Can't wait to see what I get when I breed him


----------



## thisismydesign (Jun 22, 2013)

I wish mine didn't have the flakes or the sheen on his body. He's prettier without it. Oh well. I love him anyway.

Do you have a female(s) in mind for your guy?


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

yea she is a butterfly with a yellow body and inner band and a white outer band and she has purple iridescence on her body


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Though dragon scale's genetics are more complicated, but put in easier terms, it is said to be double metallic (this may explain the metallic look). And from the sound of your dragon, it seems he is of the black dragon line (copper base). These dragons usually have silverish bodies instead of white like the red dragon.

Irid based dragons show irid colors on their whole body and fins. The turquoise or blue-ish dragon may show two colors from different light angles - ssometimes more blueish, sometimes more greenish. The royal blue and steel blue usually only shows one color.

Could you show side view pictures of him flaring? . . . and the female too.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Here


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Galahad


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

I believe he is indeed copper. When I shine a light on him he's copper colored and in certain lights he's a white silver color or turquoise. I know dragons originally come from crossing species but any info u have on their genetics I would love to hear. I don't mind complicated.im very new to breeding but I love biological sciences and genetics. I'm breeding and researching just for fun now but once I get the hang of it I am going to breed more selectively and eventually enter some shows


----------



## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

To get full dragon you need the gene in both parents also, that is a copper and a very nice one at that!! I love coppers with this color rather than the bluer and greener types.
Sometimes the scales that are dragon, won't cover the complete fish so its only a partial expression this can happen even in F1, the hardest ones to find are solid colored types but they are also the most attractive on AB they call them full mask that is when the dragon scales cover the face also.
If you can find a copper and red dragon this will produce some very nice fry and then you can cross to yellow to remove most of the red, try not to get a marble which unfortunately is in a lot of coppers.
Also avoid butterflys.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

I don't want solid dragons. I want dragon butterflies


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm sorry, could you get another picture of the female? I can't see her yellow except for her anal fin. She looks more blue - don't know what to call it. Might be from a lavender line . . . . unsure. . . . but they do have white outer fins - butterfly. Considered as poor BF because the bands are not 50-50.

Galahad in my country would be called a black copper - copper body with black fins. He is almost full masked and probably from a dragon line. But he is not dragon. . . . I could be wrong. Pictures often don't give the actual colors enough credit.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Lily


----------



## Darth (Nov 19, 2012)

I she lavender? Try to get a female with similar color OR you can cross to yellow, Yellow is a big fixer to get rid of unwanted red but if you want the copper the red must stay.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

For now I'm just experimenting. I have a red female but my blue male beat her up pretty bad so I'm letting her recover fully before I try her again


----------



## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Darth: no she is not lavender but she might have came from a lavender cross. Her patterns suggests it. At least her first picture suggests it. Her second picture is confusing - very different color. . . . suggesting a MG cross.
The irid reflection in the first picture suggests she has irid background.
The yellow fins suggests she has MG background
Her pattern suggests lavender background
Perhaps she is a result from MG x Lavender cross . . . . not sure

Black copper x that female will give you a rainbow of colors
copper, multi ccopper, turquoise, MG patterns. Depending on their background, may even produce cambodian pattern, cellophane.

I bred a light green (unknown background) x red washed turquoise (irid, no metallic background ) = platinum, cellophane, cambodian patterns, copper, turquoise, wild type multi, royal blue, steel blue . . . . quite surprising but interesting none the less.


----------



## stichez (Mar 15, 2013)

Yea I can't wait to see what I get! And lilys whole body is yellow the purple looks more like a wash over the yellow that's why she looks so different in the 2 pictures
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

