Cross-Breeds

[SeaWitch]

I apologoze if I have put this in the wrong section. As there are alot of breeders in this forum, I wanted to get your opinions on the cross-breeds that are being sold lately. I have seen ryukin/oranda and telescope/comet, just to name a few. What are your opinions on these types of cross-breeds? Do you like them?

[bigbettadan]

I think if there is a good reason, as to improve a line, it is not without merit. But when crossing breeds, you open an pandoras box of genes, and lots of culls.

Dan

[SeaWitch]

I think if there is a good reason, as to improve a line, it is not without merit. But when crossing breeds, you open an pandoras box of genes, and lots of culls.

Dan

When you say that a good reason would be to improve a line, I agree, but I just don't understand how a line of ryukin can be improved by mixing them with an oranda? Could you explain more about that to me?

[bigbettadan]

I don't think it could either, I was just talking generally. 99% of the time I would not see a reason to do it.....

Dan

[SeaWitch]

I don't know...I guess I am more of a "purist". I want an oranda to look like an oranda, an ryukin to BE a ryukin, etc. I think the fish are beautiful the way they are. However, to each his own.:exact:

[bekko]

All goldfish are cross-breeds of one sort or another. Oranda were crossed with calico telescopes to develop calico oranda and azumas. Oranda were crossed with moors to develop black oranda. Oranda were crossed with ranchu to produce shukin. Egg-fish were crossed with oranda to produce ranchu. Egg-fish were crossed with telescope to produce celestials. And the list goes on and on.

Wang Hong Yuan lists over three hundred goldfish varieties.... basically every known combination of fins, eye shape, head growth and color. This is not to say that any of these varieties breed true or that any batch of siblings will not contain many different varieties under this classification system.

The conundrum for the breeder is whether to cross-breed in an attempt to make something new, or to line breed in order to increase the percentage of acceptable fish. By-and-large, the goldfish keeper community is attracted to something new and the person who creates something new has a captive audience for a few years. But, as Dan says, in a cross-breed most of the offspring are deformed or otherwise undesirable so they are more difficult to produce. When line-breeding an established variety it is less difficult to get a large number of acceptable offspring, but no less challenging to get one or two outstanding offspring.

To me, the bottom line is that a good goldfish is a good goldfish. If the fish is strong, attractive and charismatic it does not really matter if the variety has a been around for a few years, a few decades, or a few centuries. But, everyone has their own tastes and everyone's goldfish passion is manifested in a different way. The diversity of goldfish is exceeded only by the diversity of ways the goldfish keeper can approach the hobby. There is no right way and no wrong way as long as it is enjoyable.

-steve

[SeaWitch]

Wow, Steve! I had no idea that all those fish were bred together like that. Somehow, when I see a black oranda, I can picture it being bred with a moor! What you said was very well-put. Thanks for your input on this!