Melody
Nov 11th 2006, 04:59 AM
I have never in my life seen Livebearers like this. Seriously - these Wild-type Mollies are built like freaking goldfish! They're several times the size of commercial strains - I'm completely blown away. Once they've settled overnight I'll post some pic's.
I can see now why this breeder cleans up at the American Livebearer Association's Convention Show. His Mollies all but swept their categories. His Limia Perugiae took the Limia Category... its amazing. Seasoned breeders go on and on about the size and health of his stock - do you have any idea how hard it is to impress an advanced Livebearer breeder with a Molly? :laugh:
And that's not all he aces either - Lyretail Swordtails, Plumetail Platy's & many other Livebearers, along with Rainbowfish and Cichlids... the man has it down to a science. He is formally educated and he put it to work for him. He devised a system in which he mass breeds by comparison to us, but he still selectively breeds, outcrosses to wild forms to improve the size, health and things like cold tolerance. He just does it on a large scale. He keeps wild strains pure, including by collection location, while still playing with the domestic lines. His domestic strains are bred to show standards, hence his performance at shows.
He breeds in vats in a greenhouse. He tells me that the reason many fish from farms are full of parasites is because they're raised out in the open. Once they're brought into our little tanks, the parasites multiply and spread at a rapid rate. Makes sense to me.
He keeps snakes to deter the disease carrying critters that contaminate outdoor operations. I can't remember how big he said the greenhouse is, but its huge. He's now in the process of building another one to match it. He has waiting lists for fish before they're born - he can't keep up.
To anyone who has ever said that there isn't any money in fish breeding, I'd like to correct you. There is no money in breeding crap, there is LOTS of money in breeding quality fish, and it isn't all that difficult. This is a family run operation. Stores that carry this kind of quality can and do make a killing. There is no way that even someone who doesn't like Mollies could walk by a tank of these babies and not have their jaw drop.
Anyways, I'm thrilled with the order to say the least. I don't think I'll ever get over the size of these fish. Even the Limia are twice their normal size. I haven't seen Platies this size in years..... These fish remind me of what I would see in the wild - big, healthy, active magestic creatures. Colors that reflect and shimmer in the light. These things were made for a planted tank, the bigger the better.
I am learning it time and time again - paying a few extra bucks for superior quality is the ONLY way to go with Livebearers. You haven't seen Livebearers until you've seen fish like this. In all my years in the hobby, loving Livebearers when Livebearers weren't cool, I have never seen fish like I've been seeing since I decided to seek out the top breeders. Kudos to Charles Slapsaddle and his champion lines :Applaud: .
I can see now why this breeder cleans up at the American Livebearer Association's Convention Show. His Mollies all but swept their categories. His Limia Perugiae took the Limia Category... its amazing. Seasoned breeders go on and on about the size and health of his stock - do you have any idea how hard it is to impress an advanced Livebearer breeder with a Molly? :laugh:
And that's not all he aces either - Lyretail Swordtails, Plumetail Platy's & many other Livebearers, along with Rainbowfish and Cichlids... the man has it down to a science. He is formally educated and he put it to work for him. He devised a system in which he mass breeds by comparison to us, but he still selectively breeds, outcrosses to wild forms to improve the size, health and things like cold tolerance. He just does it on a large scale. He keeps wild strains pure, including by collection location, while still playing with the domestic lines. His domestic strains are bred to show standards, hence his performance at shows.
He breeds in vats in a greenhouse. He tells me that the reason many fish from farms are full of parasites is because they're raised out in the open. Once they're brought into our little tanks, the parasites multiply and spread at a rapid rate. Makes sense to me.
He keeps snakes to deter the disease carrying critters that contaminate outdoor operations. I can't remember how big he said the greenhouse is, but its huge. He's now in the process of building another one to match it. He has waiting lists for fish before they're born - he can't keep up.
To anyone who has ever said that there isn't any money in fish breeding, I'd like to correct you. There is no money in breeding crap, there is LOTS of money in breeding quality fish, and it isn't all that difficult. This is a family run operation. Stores that carry this kind of quality can and do make a killing. There is no way that even someone who doesn't like Mollies could walk by a tank of these babies and not have their jaw drop.
Anyways, I'm thrilled with the order to say the least. I don't think I'll ever get over the size of these fish. Even the Limia are twice their normal size. I haven't seen Platies this size in years..... These fish remind me of what I would see in the wild - big, healthy, active magestic creatures. Colors that reflect and shimmer in the light. These things were made for a planted tank, the bigger the better.
I am learning it time and time again - paying a few extra bucks for superior quality is the ONLY way to go with Livebearers. You haven't seen Livebearers until you've seen fish like this. In all my years in the hobby, loving Livebearers when Livebearers weren't cool, I have never seen fish like I've been seeing since I decided to seek out the top breeders. Kudos to Charles Slapsaddle and his champion lines :Applaud: .