BN Pleco Breeding Question

[Stef]

Hi. Does anyone know what color variety is possible if you breed a brown BN Pleco with a Super Red?

[T. Payne]

Would depend on the genetics of the parents.

[Odd Duck]

On 11/10/2022 at 8:47 PM, T. Payne said:

Would depend on the genetics of the parents.

Exactly this.  Brown (wild type) is going to “cover” all other colors even if the fish is heteromorphic (mixed color genetics).  If the brown fish happens to be het for super red and bred to a super red, you should get 50% brown and 50% super red offspring.  If the brown one is het for blue-eyed lemon or really for any other color, is bred to a super red, you will get all brown.  The color genes appear to be spread out in multiple locations on multiple genes in BN.

If the brown fish is het for multiple other colors including super red, when bred to a super red, you’ll get 50% brown and 50% super red.  Both the browns and the super reds could potentially be het for the other colors in the mix.

Something that’s really interesting, is that sometimes 2 albinos bred together can potentially produce all brown babies since there are 2 different strains of albinism with the genes at different loci (I’m seeing the strains called a1 and a2)  Each type of albino can have a normal gene at the other loci that will cover the albino color in the babies.  All of those babies bred to any other albino would produce about 50% albinos and 50% brown because they would each carry one copy of each strain of albinism (they need 2 copies of the same strain to show albinism).  If you breed 2 albino fish with the same strain of albinism you get all albino babies unless you get a random reverse mutation (which can happen).  If you breed 2 of the double het for albino brown fish together you would get 50% albino and 50% brown you can’t tell from looking at the albinos which strain of albinism they’re expressing.  And all the browns would be het for both strains of albinism.

Complicated enough for you?

[Stef]

Thank you @Odd Duck and @T. Payne this was very helpful. I saw some young super reds at my lfs and was tempted to get one. I have both male and female adult browns. Their offspring (all brown) are ready to go to new homes and I have been dabbling in the idea of breeding. But sounds like I shouldn’t intentionally mix the strains. 

[Odd Duck]

On 11/11/2022 at 7:06 AM, Stef said:

Thank you @Odd Duck and @T. Payne this was very helpful. I saw some young super reds at my lfs and was tempted to get one. I have both male and female adult browns. Their offspring (all brown) are ready to go to new homes and I have been dabbling in the idea of breeding. But sounds like I shouldn’t intentionally mix the strains. 

You could. Other people have developed new color strains by selective breeding.  But I’d hate for you to be disappointed right off the bat with expectations that may not give you what you’re hoping to see.  You might see great things, you might not.  👍🏻