Yeti

Ive never heard of a "Hybrid" fish.. so is this basically crossbreeding of fish? how the heck do you manage this? I saw a koi molly?? is that like molly eggs fertilized by a koi or vice versa? Im very interested in this.. may have to turn a 10g into a hybrid breeder tank!! muahah...

sirdarksol

I'm not sure how that happened, if it was actually a cross between a koi and a molly. One is a livebearer, the other an egg layer. I was under the impression that the koi molly was just a long-finned molly (perhaps a cross between a lyre-tail and a long-finned guppy).
If two fish are close enough in DNA to breed, anything's possible. Because the eggs and sperm are pretty much just left to mix in the water, it's possible that they'd fertilize. If the result is viable, it may then breed again, giving birth to a hybrid species. Several Minnesota lakes have a hybrid of the Muskie and Northern Pike, creating a real fighter of a fish. I think it was created, either on purpose or by accident, by the DNR in the fish-stocking facilities.
In some cases, hybridizing is even necessary. Asia has been breeding specialty animals for centuries. Unfortunately, the constant inbreeding necessary to maintain the wanted traits of these animals has caused problems in many of them. For example, the pug is susceptible to asthma, hip problems, respiratory illnesses (worse than asthma), and even their eyes popping from their sockets.
In a similar line, Koi developed health problems to the point that the species was losing its ability to survive. A breeder had the idea to reintroduce common river carp blood to the species. It worked, Koi became hardier than they ever had.

Chief_waterchanger

It is probably a hybrid of poecilia latipinna and poecilia mexicana, those are the two sailfin mollies. A koi and a molly can not crossbreed. That's like if your dog and horse crossbred, its not gonna happen. Egglayers and livebearers of any type known to science can not crossbreed.

That'd be like a human and a bird crossing (birds lay eggs, humans have live offspring) there is no compromise.

lyndatu

Flowerhorns are hybrids, too, but they are artificially bred by scientists.

Chief_waterchanger

Flowerhorns are also bred by Asian fish farms, that is where they originated, infact.

Butterfly

Actually I think it is referring to the color (what color was it). For example Koi angels are not a crossbreed of a koi and an angelfish it is a color and type specification.
carol

Allie

Yup it's the coloration not the species...lfs need to be specific don't they.

Butterfly

Sure do Right now "Koi" is a popular tag to put on fish that are orange,black and white or any mixture of those colors.
carol

swords3711

there are also koi swords, which have beautiful colors and awesome spikes, but are one of the ugliest things i've ever seen

Butterfly

Yep they are pretty, and the name refers to color not the fishes genetics.
carol

Rbacchiega

Aren't Parrot fish a hybrid as well? Hence the reason that they never will truly spawn? They drop eggs, but never hatch? I think its a sevrum and something else isn't it?

metal_fish

There are many Hybrid fish in the high mountain lakes around where i live including tiger muskie witch is a cross between Muskie and Northern Pike There are also Splake witch is lake trout and brook trout and Wiper is a striped bass and a white bass im not sure why it is rarer to find hybrids when it comes to the home aquarium