Albino Bristlenoses

[Pete]

Okay, so it isn't my Zebras.. But it's a start - the first plecos I've had spawn for me, having had various other fishies do to do chez moi.

I guess I don't mind cutting my pleco teeth on these guys while I patiently wait and hope for the Zebras to get the hint.

[McEve]

congrats! I've heard you're not guaranteed albinos when two albinos cross. what is your experience with this?

[Pete]

I'll letcha know if daddy did his thing right

[discusbabe]

Good luck with them Pete, I had 3 huge albino males and 4 females which until recently lived with me, they have all gone to new homes now but at least one male has done the deed at last! My browns were too busy using the honeymoon suite to give them a chance! LMAO! Waiting for my veiltails to do the deed now!

[Pete]

Well, dad did his thing right enough. Rescued maybe 10 or so. Now it's my turn to do my job and keep 'em goin'.

They're almost see-through at present, it'll be a while (and assuming I don't kill 'em off) before I'll know if they're albinos too.

[Pete]

Well, they're probably at least 1/3" now - and all look albino.

That doesn't disprove the thought that some might not've been albino though.

[McEve]

Well done in getting them this far Pete, and thanks for the feedback!

I always wondered if it was true or not that you wouldn't get albinos by crossing two of them, but thought it strange. At least now we know the majority will be

[TwoTankAmin]

Hate to burst your bubble guys, but my ALFs never gave me a single albino fry. I finally got so frustrated by it that I now let the regular ones and the albinos spawn with each other. And none of them have given me any albinos either.

[Pete]

TTA, I'd happily swap you some that produce Albinos for some Zeeb fry

[Barbie]

Albino is a pure breeding genetic, as long as they are the same SPECIES . I've never had a single albino, longfin or standard have a brown fry, until I crossed my longfins with a short fin. POOF, all I got were browns, about half and half, longfin and short. Obviously I did a rethink on that breeding program . I have two breeding groups of the fish I sent to you TTA, if you just have them together you'll never get a brown one again, I promise .

Albinism is a a recessive trait, meaning that any gene for color will mask it, even if it's present. If you breed two fish that each have a gene for it, you'll get 25% albino fry, 50% fry with a gene for each, and 25% with only genetics for solid brown. If you breed a colored fish with one albino gene to an albino, you should have 50% albino fry, although it has been noted that some males will "weed out" albino fry to skew this. All of the genetic marker work in the world doesn't explain what happens when you cross the species though, which is what I think happens more often than people realize. It's next to impossible to tell the difference between two albino ancistrus species, at least it has been for me. I just keep them separate .

Barbie

[Wet Pet]

Thanks for the genetics lesson ! I have 18 bn's 10 lf's and 8 standard fin bn;s that came from albino lfbn parents none of these bn's are albino. I am expecting to have some albino fry when they spawn. They are 8 months old now so it should'nt be too much longer before they are ready.

[albino bristlenose]

Hi, just a little of what my albino BN do. I have 3 groups of 1M +2F in sepperate 10 gal. tanks and they breed regularly. Out of the 6 females (albino), I have 2 that will only through normals every time and they are in different tanks, so I know it is not the male. I believe the fry should be 100% het for albino and when bred back to an albino, should give albino fry. This is just an assumption as I have not done it myself.
Have a great day.
Mark