# hybrids



## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

i was wondering what kinds of fish could be mixed bred. and is it true that guppies and platys could hybrid?


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Not sure about the guppies and platies, but guppies and mollies will interbreed. Endlers Livebearers will hybridize with guppies as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

thanks. anymore?


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

nobody?


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

Practically any type of livebearer can interbreed, guppies with Endlers, mollies with platies, platies with guppies, etc.
Not sure about other fish, other than as long as they are the same species even if it is a different breed its possible


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Ender/guppy is actually a desirable hybrid, it is how the fancy colored endless were originally produced. I believe swords and plates can hybridized.


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

i know that B.splendens can by mixed with several other species, such as B.imbellis, B.mahachaiensis, and B.smaragdina. hybridisation with B.imbellis is actually the most likely hypothesis for how we got metallic bettas today.


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

thanks!!! :-D


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

A lot of the African cichlids will hybridize. So will goldfish and koi. But all of these fish need large tanks.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

platies/swordtails

edit oops


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

mostly livebearers. hmmm...


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## osromatra (Jan 9, 2013)

I don't think mollies and platies will have viable offspring. They are totally different genus. It might happen, but it would be rare, and not something I'd count on.


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

osromatra said:


> I don't think mollies and platies will have viable offspring. They are totally different genus. It might happen, but it would be rare, and not something I'd count on.


it'd be like trying to mate a human with a chimp or gorilla: there are stories of viable offspring, but those are mostly folklore or anecdotal in nature, and can't be taken seriously without backing evidence. mollies and guppies are both members of the genus Poecilia and therefore can have viable, though usually sterile, offspring, much as a modern human and, say, a neanderthal or possible **** erectus could, were either of them still alive.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

South American cichlids too


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

can bettas and gouramis?


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

blu the betta said:


> can bettas and gouramis?


bettas are gouramis, and there are many species in the betta genus that can interbreed (such as splendens with imbellis, imbellis with mahachai etc), but only within their species complex. mouthbrooders cannot interbreed with bubblenesters, and many species have courtship rituals that are nothing like others, so they may never get the "cue" to breed, and instead see each other as just a territory threat.


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

what about paradise fish and bettas?


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

blu the betta said:


> what about paradise fish and bettas?


Probably not but they will act aggressively towards each other.


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

any saltwater fish?


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## FeatherStone (Mar 6, 2013)

Breeding isn't the issue for most species, its when the sperm and egg come together and the number of chromosomes don't match or "correlate" with each other. The closer relate they are the more likely the chromosomes will "match" to an extent enough to produce live young... though even then they wont match enough in order for _those_ offspring to have offspring.

Behavior is another issue, like homegrown said. Its like someone from the US going to another country and trying to flirt with someone. Their version of flirting can be EXTREMELY different than ours (such as most people in the US are much more blunt


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Then there's also an issue of geography - while species may be able to reproduce and bear the offspring to term, the species may live in two completely different areas that make the cross extremely unlikely in the wild. And while we can introduce these species to each other in captivity, we face an ethical dilemma... Is it right to hybridize and "muddy the gene pool" when the specimens we have in captivity could someday be the only ones left or the hybrid fish could somehow escape/be reintroduced into the wild? For a non-aquatics example, humans once bred cattle and bison together and now there are only two herds of pure bison left in the USA (not sure about herds in the rest of North America).


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Aka the "liger".


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Aka the "liger".


Yup... Same principle. And there are times where hybridization can cause health problems for the mother and/or the fry - a male platy or mollie that mates with a female guppy could produce young that are too large for the guppy to give birth to - while I don't know exactly what would happen to the mother, I can't imagine that it would be very good.

And please note - I'm not trying to discourage hybrids (although I am somewhat morally against them, personally). It's just good to point out the issues that can arise and allow others to make their own decisions.


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

I wonder if you could artificially inseminate an egg of one species with the sperm of another, then you wouldn't have to worry about the different courtship and mating rituals


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

You could if the genetics are compatable.


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

True true, there have been examples of animals hybridizing outside of genus so I wonder if we could at least do a B. macrostoma x B. splendens hybrid artificially since both are the same genus.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

That would have to be done in a lab but would certainly be interesting.


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

I wonder what theyd look like and if the males would try to make bubble nests or not. I wish we had a bunch mad scientists cackling away in their labs trying to find out. I'd probably buy a macrosplendens or 2


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

trilobite said:


> I wonder what theyd look like and if the males would try to make bubble nests or not. I wish we had a bunch mad scientists cackling away in their labs trying to find out. I'd probably buy a macrosplendens or 2


unfortunately if someone figured out how to make a viably reproducing macrosplendens they'd probably be eaten up by the fighter circuits...they extra wide mouth and splendens aggression would be too temping for unsavory breeders to resist.


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## jag14 (Sep 23, 2012)

I not too long ago, lost a very large hybrid cichlid. A Jaguar/Dovii mix. "Jag" was 14inches, going on 15 when I lost him. Very aggressive, bit me anytime I put my hand in the tank. Would not leave the filter tubes on the filters. He would take them off and move them around the tank like toys. He was my first real "monster fish" and I still miss him and his attitudes very much.


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## FeatherStone (Mar 6, 2013)

Sounds like one beast of a fish. Where on earth did you get him? Sounds like a wonderful fish with personality though


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## blu the betta (Dec 31, 2012)

do you still have him?


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## jag14 (Sep 23, 2012)

Wish I did still have Jag. I got him at a LFS. Previous owner got tired of having the tank constantly torn up and rearranged. Aggression was probably also an issue. I think the 75 gallon I had him in was probably too small. I was making plans for a 125 or 150, when he died. A bacterial infection took hold and I couldn't afford to buy medicine till payday. He's buried out in my yard. If I get a big enough tank, I can try to get another through another fish forum. There are people breeding jag and doviis on another site. I truly loved his personality.


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## jag14 (Sep 23, 2012)

I love my little betta, too. The current one has a lot of attitude and seems smart to be such a little guy. I have him trained in a few simple tricks. Might be that I am the one who is trained, not him. I'm just a fish nut, that's all there is to it.


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