Double Red Varients

[Hassles]

Earlier this year I was fortunate to source a pair of A. cacatouides double reds (German) which bred soon after arriving. The off-spring are simply beautiful fish. However, I then sourced another pair (also German) to match up with those I had bred so I would not be in-breeding. The new additions are vastly different to my original fish. The new comers are paler in the body and the red in their finnage is, well. looks like its been painted on. On 1 occasion, some weeks back, I stumbled upon an adult speciemn in a LFS and noted that it had a broader head and thicker lips to those I originally sourced & bred. Can anybody offer an eaboration upon the 2 distinctly different fish ?

Thanks

 

[ed seeley]

I bought a trio of agassizi 'Double Red' and lost the male so ordered a new pair from a different source to replace the male. It is a markedly different coloured fish, and the female is less colourful too, but they are both agassizi and both very red fish, just in different ways. I assume they are simply different strains of Double Red and possibly you have the same in you cacs. I'm hoping mine will breed together and then the more colourful females may pass their colour on to stronger offspring.

 

[Mike Wise]

All of these are domestic forms, line bred to emphasize the red in the unpaired fins. Other features commonly are not selected as being important. Thus body shape & color and particularly length of the male dorsal fin lappets will vary among strains. This is why we see such variation in these features.