# How to maintain gold?



## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

After looking closely at my two gold girls, they are very clearly not the type of gold I was hoping for (they are dragon-based, I think), and my shipment of five, clean bright yellows arrived DOA. So starting a gold breeding line rests on the lonely fins of my surprise LPS find, Tamerlane, who was supposed to be a pet. I don't like having all my genetic eggs in one basket, so to speak. Tamer is young and healthy but still only one fish. I want one spawn to carry on his genes just in case anything happens. 

*The question is: What can I cross him with to maintain the iridescence layer and does anyone in the US have some (preferably 2-3 HM or DT pairs)? *

I have a gut feeling that he carries both _splendens_ and _imbellis_ yellow iridescence, some opaque, and expresses Cambodian and NR1/NR1.

_*Young Tamerlane: *_10 December 2014









_*Mature Tamerlane:*_ 29 January 2015


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm not sure - totally guessing. Logically, breeding him to dark colors such as black would ruin the gold. But apparently many breeders claim crossing yellow/orange to black would enhance the color. I wonder if it would also enhance gold???

The only color I can think of is platinum (if you can't get another gold). It at least carries NR, blond, and Metallic. Though it carries steel blue background, but it shouldn't totally ruin the gold . . . I hope.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

indjo said:


> I'm not sure - totally guessing. Logically, breeding him to dark colors such as black would ruin the gold. But apparently many breeders claim crossing yellow/orange to black would enhance the color. I wonder if it would also enhance gold???
> 
> The only color I can think of is platinum (if you can't get another gold). It at least carries NR, blond, and Metallic. Though it carries steel blue background, but it shouldn't totally ruin the gold . . . I hope.


I have seen the results of orange to dark-bodied "chocolate" yellow...and the results included VERY intense orange. Continuing sibling crosses have included both yellow and orange with intense color, some with black scale edges and some without. It seems counter intuitive, but there you go.


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## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

Interesting info, thanks indjo and hrutan! I was debating if I was desperate enough to cross into a melano line both to enhance the gold and try to pick up more(?) _splendens_ yellow iridescence. Since the iridescence layer is structural coloration, the black underneath should (in theory) enhance gold the same way it enhances blue, if you can get enough gold expressed.

Hrutan, when you say "chocolate" do you mean literally a brown fish or do you mean a BLI/pineapple/black-scale-edge fish?

I did get an amazing piece of luck, and Atena will be sending me 4 clean, bright yellow girls. So the count for breeding lines is up to 3: gold, yellow, and either red(NR1 geno) or black(NR1 geno). (Fins/form will have to wait; color is more important until I have more golds.)

Also, when breeding yellow, I heard crossing two intense yellows results in pale yellow in F1. Has anyone done a sibling cross and generated a F2?


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

By "chocolate" I mean literally a brown/black fish with light colored fins. Black scale edges are a different thing.

I don't have data for you on the yellow question.


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