# Genetics?



## Bloodeath (Aug 22, 2010)

I probably didnt do enough trolling to find a legit list/idea of how they work, but...

In a nutshell, how do betta's genetics work when spawning? Like does the male carry more Dominiant genes (meaning the fry will look more like him than the mother)? Or is it just kind of mixed?

Like, currently im working on spawn #2, which is a Male CT Super red, and a Female CT Red finned/black standard looking body(dont know the official name for that)

And im just curious as to what are my chances of ending up with more Super reds, Or even ending up with all CT's. i mean i know what CT's look like (i should i have like 5) But if i breed a ct with a ct, will 100% of the babies be ct? or is there a possibility that a recessive gene could be there and i could end up with a VT or something like that?

i guess what im asking, is there some general guideline you guys use for mixing and matching pairs? Like your past experiences with breeding and the parents coloration/fin type and how the fry looked upon being fully mature (and colorized)


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Color genetics is complicated. Certain colors are actually a mixture of several genetic codes. The common red is (I think) the cherry red - a dark red color. The bright red color needs other genes like blond and or extended red.

IME, red x any color (non red) = non red body with red fins. You may also get a few solid cherry red and non red color. But you are unlikely to get that bright red, specially in F1. I don't know how to get that bright red color because I haven't used red in a very long time (ask MrVampire- I think he breeds reds).

CT x CT = CT. The question is, what kind of CT are you using (single ray, double/more rays, crossed rays, etc). If you are using 2 different types of CT, you may get both types in offspring (I think single rays are more dominant). Theories I've read says both male and female genes are equal. But IME, females are stronger in finnage. Then again, how strong are the actual genes in each individual fish you're breeding.

Hope this helps


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Breeding a super red with a bi-color is going to decrease your chances of getting super red. Reds are extremely hard to work with because you have to try to avoid blond genes (cambodian) as it will make it harder to get the extended red you want.

As for tail type genetics you really won't know unless you know the background of the fish. CT is a strong tail type so I would say you'll get CTs and Combtails and very few to no fish without web reduction. The best way to ensure the most CT in the spawn is to get a nice pair with 50% ray reduction on both the male and female.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Generally you want to pick fish that complement each other in terms of finnage. If the male has an anal fin that's too long, you'd pick a female with a short anal fin to help balance this trait in the fry. CT is partial dominant over all other tail types and is a longfin trait, so if you mix a CT with a PK you'd get VT-looking combtails. 

As far as reds go, it depends if you're talking about normal red or extended red. Extended red is a mutated form of red that's dominant over other types of normal red, including non-red, and red multicolors. If the red encounters the blonde (cambodian) gene, though, the red color will be washed out. Lots of breeders are tempted to combine red and blonde genes because blonde fish usually have less pigment in their iridescent layer. The elimination of iridescent color is usually a high priority when working with reds, but when you make progress on reducing iridescence you run into issues with color quality. This is why reds are difficult to maintain.

If your male CT is extended red, and the female is "traditional" (red/black with blue-green iridescence), you should get extended reds with iridescence--they'll probably be pretty dark because of the female's influence on the black layer.


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