hybrid tetras?

[super tetras]

can there be hybrid tetras?

 

[Wyomingite]

I'm sure there can be and have been. It's not something I've ever heard of in the hobby; there are no commonly available hybrid tetras available in the trade that I know of. One reason there aren't hybrid tetras (or characins in general) available is probably because tetras aren't typically easy to breed in captivity when trying to spawn with their own species, let alone with a different one.

WYite

 

[Sprinkle]

So like neon tetras, since hard to breed in captivity they must be imported, wild or.?

 

[dougall]

there have been at least a couple of cases of, I think tetras, hybridizing in nature, because of erosion causing water to be more turbid, the fish cannot tell colors well enough between species, and breed together.


too busy working to look for a reference, but it has happened.

 

[Wyomingite]

there have been at least a couple of cases of, I think tetras, hybridizing in nature, because of erosion causing water to be more turbid, the fish cannot tell colors well enough between species, and breed together.


too busy working to look for a reference, but it has happened.

The other avenue for hybridization I would expect is the presence of a hybrid zone at the confluence of two rivers/watersheds. Hybrid zones for peacock basses (Genus Cichla) are common at the confluences of major rivers/river basins throughout the Amazon. Like I said, I'm sure there are tetra hybrids; I'm just not aware of any off the top of my head. I'm guessing it's almost a given, and maybe even natural, with some species even without human influence or as a consequence of human actions.

So like neon tetras, since hard to breed in captivity they must be imported, wild or.?

They're imported from several Southeast Asian countries, where they are bred in large man-made ponds on fish farms and then harvested for the aquarium trade. I'm not positive, but there may be a number of the fish farms in Florida that are breeding tetra species as well. I know there are a lot of cichlids and livebearers bred in Florida.

In your case, Sprinkle, the UK and other European countries may have indoor facilities that breed tropical fish, possibly including tetras, but I doubt there is anything on the scale of Florida or Southeast Asia simply because of the cooler climate and the inability to breed species in large outdoor ponds.

WYite

 

[dougall]

The other avenue for hybridization I would expect is the presence of a hybrid zone at the confluence of two rivers/watersheds. Hybrid zones for peacock basses (Genus Cichla) are common at the confluences of major rivers/river basins throughout the Amazon. Like I said, I'm sure there are tetra hybrids; I'm just not aware of any off the top of my head. I'm guessing it's almost a given, and maybe even natural, with some species even without human influence or as a consequence of human actions.

I agree,

but this is a relatively recent observation... if I get bored I'll try to find a reference for you.

if's honestly not something I'm terribly interested in... but these were fish that had been living together for the longest time, and had suddenly started to hybridize.

 

[Wyomingite]

I agree,

but this is a relatively recent observation... if I get bored I'll try to find a reference for you.

if's honestly not something I'm terribly interested in... but these were fish that had been living together for the longest time, and had suddenly started to hybridize.

I did a quick search and found a reference to the potential for hybridization in Astyanax, but nothing definite. I'm trying to make excuses for not shoveling snow, but I'm about out of excuses at this point, lol. If you find that reference I'd enjoy it, but now that the seed is planted I'll probably be looking myself.

WYite

 

[dougall]

it was originally from some hobbyist collector, observing that there had been hybrids in the past fw years... likely from some talk at one of the local clubs.


will see.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Sprinkle

I lifted this from The Progressive Fish-Culturist Volume 60, 1998 - Issue 1

Controlled Spawning of the Neon Tetra
Frank A. Chapman , Douglas E. Colle , Roger W. Rottmann & Jerome V. Shireman
Pages 32-37 | Received 22 Jul 1996, Accepted 28 Jul 1997, Published online: 09 Jan 2011


Abstract
The neon tetra Paracheirodon innesi is one of the most valuable species in the ornamental fish trade. Most neon tetras available in the United States are imported from Southeast Asia, where they are farm raised, or from South America, where they are collected from the wild. In this study, we describe a method for artificially breeding the neon tetra that can be adapted to domestic commercial production...............
The described method can be adapted for domestic commercial production of neon tetras.

from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/1548-8640%281998%29060%3C0032%3ACSOTNT%3E2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=uzpf2

 

[Sprinkle]

I heard to breed them actually in captivity you need to have soft water, low acidic pH and tannins, black substrate and low lighting with some floating plants. Weird.