Getting back into livebearers/Intrested in HLA

[black_knight]

Hi,
I'm wanting to get back into livebearers. I 'm thinking guppies and gambusia. I use to breed mollies and swordtails over 20 years ago. I've since got into nanoaquariums and developed a facination for smaller fish.
Is anyone out there a member of houston livebeaers assoc.? I'm intrested in possibly joining, maybe if any of you know a good source for swordtail guppies and black moscows, I'd like to get some

[Mzungu]

The HLA has a forum here on HFB, and also a website that you might wanna check out.

http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/forumdisplay.php?f=101

http://hla.fotaswebsite.com/

Not sure how active their website is currently, but I know some members frequent HFB, so I'm sure someone will get back to you with more info. :)

[PhishPhreek]

I have some lyertail endlers

[black_knight]

I looked on their sites. No activity. lyretail endlers, those are pretty cool. Will they breed with regular guppies (reticulata) to produce fertile offspring?
I had some endlers several years back in my discus tank. Very prolific pretty fish. I got them from Village Tropical Fish ( now Fish Gallery) . Bobby and DOn were keepin a colony of them at the shop. I lost them when my tank crashed.

[PhishPhreek]

Endlers

These were described as hybreds when I got them, so I think there is some guppy DNA in there somewhere but I have kept them in a species tank this past year. My guess is that they would cross,

[Mzungu]

Yes, they will cross. Many Endlers keepers are adamant about keeping them "pure," although I'm not sure if they're actually a separate species as was once thought. Don't remember what the latest verdict is on that one.

[guppymax]

The HLA is pretty inactive. If you want to make it active let me know how you want to go about it and maybe I can help.

guppymax@msn.com

[PhishPhreek]

unfortunately like some other houston area fish groups, there is just no really good place to meet. No matter what side of town you try to schedule for, some interested parties have to drive all the way across town to get there. If only there were a good central location.

[black_knight]

yeah, pretty far drive from texas city, crosby and porter, ect...
Don't know how to solve the distance problem. But what about group breeding projects. Everyone complains they don't have enough tanks, but dedicating 1-2 tanks to a select strain we would like to develope as a group might work. However, getting everyone to agree on those strains is another matter. or maybe keeping a goup of wild types from diffrent sources so they can be traded to freshen up bloodlines. Of course I'm thinking about guppies. There are others out there that may be thinking of mollies, swordtails , platies, ect. Just brain storming.


I had an idea of breeding solid colored swordguppies (solid black, and solid red). I need to find good stock to start with. I also need to find some good literature on sword inherritance. I'm newbie to guppy selective breeding.
I had a project years ago, breeding wild strains of mollies caught from the San Marcos (high fins- not sure if it was an invasive species from south of the border)area with a population I found in the Northwest Houston area that had hyperpigmentation. I had a smoke colored molly with vey high sail fins. Low fertility but very large 6 inch males. I had to give up livebearers when I went off to college 20 years ago.

[guppymax]

There are some interesting people in the HLA y0u could discuss livebearer genetics with. GuppyJohn used to show the swordtail guppies in the IFGA but I haven't seen him around lately.

max

[lilmissruffcountry]

I have some interesting strains of guppies, platties, swordtails, and endlers if you are interested, or I have a few out of state breeder/show friends with stock I do not have I could get you in touch with. What are you looking for in swords. I have a friend with Blood Albino swords, they are spendy, and the fertility sucks, but they are awsome to look at. Just LMK

[black_knight]

There are some interesting people in the HLA y0u could discuss livebearer genetics with. GuppyJohn used to show the swordtail guppies in the IFGA but I haven't seen him around lately.

max

Yeah, I'll have to ask him some questions. Once I get more time in late Jan. I'll be setting up some tanks. I had to teardown some.

[black_knight]

I have some interesting strains of guppies, platties, swordtails, and endlers if you are interested, or I have a few out of state breeder/show friends with stock I do not have I could get you in touch with. What are you looking for in swords. I have a friend with Blood Albino swords, they are spendy, and the fertility sucks, but they are awsome to look at. Just LMK

I love the albino sailfin blood red swordtails (one of the most beautiful fish on earth). I was trying to get some 1 year ago. No luck with getting anything ALIVE. Right now , the only tanks I keep are nano sized aquariums so , I don't have room for them. Thanks though. I use to keep wild swordtails along time ago. I think I'm going with sword guppy project. I want to develope a full back sword guppy. I don't know if I'd need to start by getting a group of Moscow Black guppies, and some sort of sword guppy (prefer bottom swords- look like swordtails). I'm not really a fan of broadtail strains of guppies. I'm looking at ordering some from Swampriver Aquatics, but would prefer to get some locally.

[villa1973]

happy to see

hello everybody, i am really happy to see that many people start to pickup in guppys it was about time.
yes the hla is kind of dead that doesnt mean that we cant do anything about it.
there was once an attemp to do a genetics class, but i didnt work.
we should try to do something next year, i think that the real problem is more a thing about planification and good will.
people lets get together an make this club happen.

[fishhog]

If you get that guppy genetics class back going, let me know. I had to flake out last time due to a last minute issue.