Category: Uncategorized

Endler Guppy Cross

Preliminary results from crossing my Rainbow guppies with Endlers (Santa Maria strain) turned out much better than I expected, especially for the male Rainbow X Endler female matings. See photos of hybrid males at 3.5 months. LOTs of color! Females are also nice in that they have plenty of pigment in their caudal and dorsal fins, which the Endler females did not have. [Progeny from reverse cross (male Endlers X Rainbow females) were not nearly as attractive.]

I did this outcross, because my Rainbow guppies have had fitness problems last 2 years, probably due to accumulated inbreeding. Hopefully, infusing genes from these hybrids into my Rainbow stock will help prevent fluke outbreaks and increase longevity. Long-term project…

Shipping Guppies

I’m fairly new to shipping my fish, so when two purchased pairs–going to Illinois USPS Priority Mail–were delayed 3 days, the buyer and I were prepared for the worst–but hoped for the best. The upshot was that guppies shipped on Tuesday didn’t arrive until the following Monday, meaning 6 days in transit. Happily, they arrived alive and in good shape. Buyer reported the fish were doing great and sent me pictures (photos). (Fish color is bleached out in photos.) Note: I have a nice selection of guppies now, but I will be selling guppies on Sept 20, 2025 at the Sustainablereef extravaganza. Will I have any left? And I’m not sure I will be shipping during winter and holidays….

Interview about Cichlids

Recently, I did an interview conducted by Scott Wells, a cichlid authority with an informative website The Cichlid Stage. He questioned me about my personal history, planted tanks for cichlids, etc. You see, long ago I kept Tanganyikan cichlids. I have maintained a fondness for these fiesty, supremely intelligent fish and included a bit about their reproduction in my new book. (The females of one Lake Malawi species choose their mates by smell–not male color–via small odor peptides released by the male’s immune system. Heady stuff!) Photo from 1990 shows my 45-gal tank with a small colony of Tropheus dubosi and a beautiful golden male Lamprologous leleupi. Because I enjoyed these fish and working with Scott, I wanted to share his website and interview with my readers.

Talk in Florida

On Saturday (noon on July 12, 2025), I will be giving a talk to the PASCO County Aquarium Society. Haven’t given a talk in a LONG time, but Grant Eder (The The Garden of Eder, a major shrimp breeder and vendor) kept after me. Talk will be on planted tanks and my guppy breeding program.

Title of Talk:  Plants for Water Quality; Genetics for Fish Quality

Talk will describe my experiences over the years with various planted tank setups:  (1) simple 1-gal bowls; (2) large planted tanks with soil substrates and filters; and (3) fish breeding tanks.  The fish breeding tanks depend solely on plants to purify the water as they have no filters or aerators.  Finally, the last part of my talk will describe my struggle in breeding fancy guppies with greater longevity.  In my opinion, the aquarium hobby provides us with mountains of advice on maintaining water quality, but virtually nothing on breeding fish that are genetically robust. 

New Book!

Announcing the publication of my new book: Aquarium Fish Reproduction.  Scientific Studies of Guppies and Other Fish (2025).  The paperback is now “live” on Amazon.com.  (Should have an eBook version within a month.) Description below:

“Reference book for aquarium fish breeding. Recent studies using genotyping, mate choice tests, and artificial insemination have revealed exciting new insights into fish reproduction. This full-color book describes the nuances of fish mating behavior, such as mate choice copying, habituation, rare male advantage, and cryptic female choice. Hobbyists learn how to balance the perils and benefits of both inbreeding and outcrossing. Book material is supported by hundreds of citations to scientific papers. Author provides simple, easy-to-understand explanations for complex, scientific concepts and includes her own experiences as a long-time breeder of guppies and other aquarium fish.”