blue belly photos

[Fishdork]

Can someone please move these photos into a response to the second blog titles "photos" on 2/13?

[small_ranchu]

Whose blog are you refering? I don't see the one you are talking about. :)

[thomasn]

this one ;)
(http://goldfishkeepers.com/forum/blog.php?bt=130#comment130)

[Fishdork]

Thank you Thomasn!

[Virginia ranchu]

Hey Norm,

Can you explain for me the difference between a blue belly and a mock metallic. Also, is mock metallic strictly a Bristol shubunkin phenotype, or do you see them in all calico strains?

thanks,

Rob

[Fishdork]

Rob, I tried to explain the difference on the blog those photos are for. I'm not an expert. For years I just wanted to see a photo to know what people were talking about. I think of the orange and white fish in the photos as a blue belly. Almost no surface guanine except part of the gill covers. Mock metallics are more like ginrin koi, with part of the scales covered with really shiny spots. Some mock metallics increase thier guanine coverage with age so after a year or two they look like regular metallics.
Mock metallics are traditionally only in Bristols. Like other genes, an outcross can transfer it into any line of fish.
Sometimes blue bellies are present in commercial lines of fish in small numbers, but most people don't notice them. They look a lot like some sort of calico (nacreous) fish without the speckled color.
Orange fish without guanine often make me wonder if they are bb or calico. Mystery fish in photo at Gary's house (2000) had nice color.
Norm

[bluebelly]

This fish is not a blue belly. It is a calico fish possibly a matt .