Balloon Rams

[eranu]

It's the first time I've seen reference to balloon rams whilst reading on this forum recently. Personally I was saddened to read it. I've come across balloon mollies in the UK shops now quite often and I can only decribe them as deformed abominations.

Could someone enlighten me on how this body shape has been acheived? I can't help seeing it as a an ugly form.

 

[Rey82]

They are rounder than a regular ram. Plus a bit more attractive compared to the regular ram. I have a pair of the reg rams as well. I will try to post a pic of this form in a few days.

 

[Cathy G]

I don't find them a bit more attractive at all... they are deformed. Do a search here and you'll see some of the physical aspects of their 'ballooness.' Some think their form comes from a shorter back, others say they were bred to isolate a gene causing a mal-formed swim bladder. Some here say they are just as healthy as the regular ram... the ones I've seen bob around in the water like corks. (Same as the balloon molly). What I want to know is how the ballooness impacts the fecundity of the fish. Are they more likely to bear stronger, healthier offspring, and more of them? Doubtful. My guess is that this 'form' will just lead to the further degradation of the species.

Cathy

 

[retro_gk]

All balloon forms are line-bred derivatives of chance mutations. There is a rumor going around the mutations may be chemically induced but, there is nothing to back this up.

 

[Mike Wise]

With regards to attractiveness, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let's just leave it at that - no one is right, no one is wrong.

 

[tjudy]

I had a 'balloon' krib pop up in a spawn of albino P. pulcher. I let him grow up to almost 2 inches, then got curious and took some measurements compared to a normal krib the same length. Without cutting him open and counting, I think that the ballon fish either had a reduced number or a reduced size vertebrae in the caudal penduncle region. This gave the fish a stubby look that accentuated his belly like a 'balloon' fish.

 

[eranu]

I think this is something that really needs airing. Serious hobbyists opinions should matter. I agreee of course that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how can it not be? Peoples opinions on aesthetic matters are just that, opinions. The physical deformity, and thus welfare, of the fish should not be ignored. If someone where to (and they they probably are) selectively breedings rams/apisto's with a double tail, bobble eyes, balloon belly and no dorsal fin would that still be acceptable? After all isn't that what has happened with so called 'fancy' goldfish?

 

[tjudy]

I do not really care what the fish farmers in SEA do (that is where the vast majority of these 'varieties' come from). The only practices I have a problem with are dyeing, painting, hormone treatments for color and clipping caudal fins to create those poor blood parrots with no tail. None of those are naturally occurring mutations that can be selectively bred for.

 

[retro_gk]

You do get the odd fish with missing tails or fins. I don't know if these are a mutation or the result of trauma, though.

 

[Lisachromis]

You may want to see how they get those "heart shaped" parrotfish etc. I don't like the mutant fish, but they don't deserve this treatment either.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=957

 

[eranu]

I think that tail cutting and dyeing are alot different from selective breeding, not really the same argument.

 

[Rey82]

Well guess someone cursed me. My pair of balloon rams died by getting stuck between a breeding net and the aqaurium wall. I had just moved that net with my male apisto borelli to clean. Guess I was unlucky for that to happen. Oh well guess I will stick with reg strains of dwarf cichlids.

 

[Apistomaster]

Fish can sure get themselves in some strange situations. I have two incidents that stick in my mind:
1. I came across a new to me Peckoltia species and bought the three they had, a reverse trio. I found my female dead when she became entagled in the thread I had used to lash the Javea Moss to a piece of driftwood.

2. More recently I set up an aging pair of A. macmasteri for what I hoped would be the spawn to keep the species going in my collection.
I use a lot of waterlogged bamboo sections as caves. I found her dead where she had tried to exit from the small hole that had formed in the joint in the end section of the bamboo cave. Her head made it all the way past her gillcovers but the fat body did not.

Just goes to show you can't anticipate every potential hazard but if there's a way to do it the fish will find it.