Brenton Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 (edited) A bit of background for those new to the game...or for those reading this somewhere down the track... Starting a CTPK line from scratch: HMPK (sfsf) x long fin CT (LfLf or Lfsf) = long or mid fin combtails in F1 (Lfsf) or possibly some short fins if the long fin is a short fin gene carrier. Crossing F1: Lfsf x Lfsf = 25% short fin (sf); 25% long fin (Lf) and 50% mid/long fin (Lfsf) because the long fin gene is dominant over the short fin gene...so 75% of the spawn could look mid to long fin, and, if you're lucky, 25% may be short fin. So...it has dawned on me recently that there is only 25% of the F2 spawn who may be plakats...so a 4:1 with the same ratio of long fin, and then 50% of the spawn being carriers of both long and short fin genes like their parents - as shown in the above background info With this in mind, it has also dawned on me, probably later than it should have (but better late than never), I need to better be able to spot a female plakat among a bunch of female long fins... Thinking about it, I don't really have the first clue, and my research isn't turning up a lot of useful information. In general, plakats tend to be stockier fish and have shorter fins than the, commercially more fancied, long fins. I was given a female HMPK to use in my black Orchid CTPK line, but other than a little stockier than her long fin counterparts (and she was a lot feistier), I didn't notice much difference. Any suggestions on helping me improve my chances of picking a female plakat to go with a chosen male plakat, and hopefully shorten my CTPK journey by a generation or two? TIA BT :ctpk: Edited July 8, 2014 by Brenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayM Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Very good question. I will need some help with this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 I would compare the shape and length of the anal fin. Look for the shortest and most square. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted July 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 I found this link (which also talks about the anal fin - thanks Razz): http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/betta-fish/168549-how-tell-tailtype-your-female-betta.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilobite Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Yeah I always go by the anal fin too. Although when all the girls are still young their anals look similar whether they are long finned or pk, so I guess just wait until they mature or jar and card the ones you like and see if they start growing their fins, if they stay short then they are probs pk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted July 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 Space becomes the issue with hanging onto all of them to wait and see what they grow into come maturity...and I don't like, or have the space to keep, a sorority tank. Stoopid females plakats need to come out carrying a name badge Some close scrutiny will be happening this weekend...and than I'll take an educated guess 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted July 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 ok - so the more cross-eyed at get from staring at these females the more I'm second-guessing myself... Possible plakat Probable mid/long fin And this one I'm hoping is a plakat...or it's identical sibling... But I'm thinking unfortunately not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 I think that's probably as good a guess as you're going to get. Breed em and see what happens. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted August 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Dem's the plans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddzvk Posted August 10, 2014 Report Share Posted August 10, 2014 some beautiful ladies BT!!! I have your pair conditioning as we speak theyve been fed up for about a month (ive been busy) but next week they should be having a spawning sesh for me to brag about anyway i agree definately look for some square anal fins they are a good way of judging plakat. I also agree with your guesses although the last one is very hard cause im struggling to see its fins but also make sure you are looking at the fish as a whole as well as the anal. I know sometimes i tend to look for a trait (you know, copper, short anal fin in longfinned fish, big wide dorsal etc) and ignore other things (dippy top lines, small based dorsals, wash, split ventrals etc) and constantly need to reign myself and say hold up COLOUR AND FORM and form is more than just one fin so definately weigh up each perspective breeder for traits besides the squarest anal. hope that makes sense and best of luck (although i seem to recall you have an F2 from this line already ) !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Hey Maddie - long time no hear Definitely need to consider all traits when picking breeders. No point in progressing one area while regressing another! And yes, I have F2's: I'm looking for plakats from F2 to get 100% plakats back with webbing reduction in F3. I'd then be looking to improve form and colour without having to worry so much about midfins popping up and crashing the party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddzvk Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I reset my password like 4 times in a row cause i kept forgetting my log in. BUT I am back sort of.. i really want to find my camera too...but im not even sure which house its at i knew youd be on to it but i thought id chuck in the reminder. i'll also note alot of the ctpks ive seen havent been very consistant with webbing reduction across the three fins so thats another thing to look at in the next generation as they grow up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Very few of the true CTPK's I've seen anywhere in the world have consistent reduction across unpaired fins - it's one of the goals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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