Why can't you buy guppy females at petland?
- Thread starter SamNYC
- Start date
No. It's been observed by many guppy breeders. Not Scientifically documented would be more accurate.
What has been observed (as we've said before) is females taking on male secondary sexual characteristics (like a gonopodium). A fertile female has not been observed becoming a fertile male, nor vice versa. If it's been observed by so many breeders they should write a paper on it. It shouldn't be that hard, if it's been observed by so many.
On the other hand, one could take a look at the published literature, such as here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119649409/abstract - and I quote from the Abstract:
"A successful masculinization of the somatic element, which may occur prior to that of the germ cells, in androgen-affected embryonic ovaries seems to be essential for the functional sex reversal of genetic females in the guppy."
Put another way, you have to subject the mother to androgens, and then some of the female guppies will turn into males. Even then, if you read the abstract, you will find that the female internal sexual organs shrivelled, all this within 20 days of birth. In other words, the females which turned male under intense hormonal pressure had never been functional females.
On the other hand, one could take a look at the published literature, such as here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119649409/abstract - and I quote from the Abstract:
"A successful masculinization of the somatic element, which may occur prior to that of the germ cells, in androgen-affected embryonic ovaries seems to be essential for the functional sex reversal of genetic females in the guppy."
Put another way, you have to subject the mother to androgens, and then some of the female guppies will turn into males. Even then, if you read the abstract, you will find that the female internal sexual organs shrivelled, all this within 20 days of birth. In other words, the females which turned male under intense hormonal pressure had never been functional females.
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I try to be friendly to everyone I come in contact with. I've been to almost every aquarium shop in Manhattan and most of them know me by face or name. They know when I walk in the door. I've come to checkout the new plant shipment.
The mega stores need us, we make the world go round for them. They should just sell the products we want or need. If I want to buy one or two females guppies, so what. If I want them to stop selling people fish and plants that will never survive at home, they should do it. That's just me.
The mega stores need us, we make the world go round for them. They should just sell the products we want or need. If I want to buy one or two females guppies, so what. If I want them to stop selling people fish and plants that will never survive at home, they should do it. That's just me.
