ninoid12 Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Ok, so i was given a male redgrass guppy (looked orangey with black spots) and his sibling female, a plain girl with black looking finnage. I was told they were from a bluegrass spawn, but that you get reds in the spawn. I have since googled this and found that info to be true. Anyhow, the breeder kept all the types separate, so although i am not sure if he was the dad to this spawn, it would have been another bluegrass/redgrass. I got multicolour guppies. And some plain blues. But none are plain red. And the multicolour look funny, like funny endlers or something. I have tried selling them as i have too many to keep, but ppl keep saying there is no way they are young grass guppies. i believe they are around 2-3mths, not sure i didnt write it down, but pretty sure it was mid November sometime. Can someone who KNOWS about grass guppies PLEASE help me. (btw, i have kept the entirely-blue males and some plain girls that look like mum and have a slight blue sheen over them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillieOrCory Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Hi Ninoid, I am afraid there's been a mix-up somewhere! Your guppies; as nice as they are, phenotypically (physical appearence) do not look like blugrass guppies at all! Type 'Blue Grass Guppy' to google and click on the images. The bulk of the images on the first page should give you an idea how they are suppose to look. Sometimes people buy pairs of good quality strain guppies and without realising the irreversible damage they are doing to the fine line breeding, they house guppies from other strains (even for very short periods!) in the same tank. The damage is done, the females are 'hit' by other males and you can no longer be sure of the parentage of the offspring! Especially females are impossible to figure out what genes they might be carrying as they do not display physically. Some people are un-aware of the length of time (meaning number of generations) it takes to establish a strain. As bluegrass guppies your fish (as nice as they are) have the correct body colouring in the blue cast/sheen on the body, but unfortunately it pretty much ends there. The orangy/red blotches are wrong, tail lacks the volume and colour of the type as well as having the telltale grass marking on the tail are non-existent. All in all they are not even close to being bluegrass. They look like run of the mill hybrid strain guppies to me. It takes particular care and dedication to maintain a strain, let alone develop one. Just to give you and example, I try to dedicate at least 3 or 4 TANKS to ONE strain of guppy. No two strains of guppies get mixed in a tank ever. I know you are a really good fish keeper, but as good as you are, I don't believe you can make that genetic soup to revert back to bluegrass. The pure strains of fish people can buy places (and you have to be absolutely sure that during import, quarantine, transport and display the fish have not been housed together with other guppies!) are so worth the money. For example, that is why the fish JodiLea sells is so cheap you wouldn't believe! It is not "FIFTY BUCKS! for a GUPPYYYYY!" it is "fifty measly dollars for unadulterated throughbreds!" Like I said though, nice guppies, but those ain't bluegrass! Cheers, Serkan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 im so upset now I fear that some crossbred has gotten to her before i got her. :tongue: Ive googled the images, i knew they didnt look right, but wondered if they sometimes throw this. As i said, dad looks like the genuine deal. Nice clean black spots on an orangeyred tail. So upset (and frustrated beyond belief, as i wouldnt have had the adult pair if i'd known they werent going to make grass guppies!) Any ideas where to get bluegrass pairs/trios? I know someone, who else/where else? :( (ok, so it seems stupid for me to be THIS upset, but NOTHING is going right in my life atm and this is just another straw to add to this poor camels back, and its not going to hold on much longer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darennkj Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 These are definitely not bluegrass Nina. PM sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 :confused: :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 thanks, im not too happy and so needed that hug lilli. xoxo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Your alowed to be upset, I would be too, but I hope you feel better soon. Very glad Daren dropped in (waves to Daren), his avatar is his bluegrass, I'm sure he'll point you in the right direction. another just incase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillieOrCory Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 :confused: Sorry to upset you! Like I said nice guppies nonetheless! You should be able to get bluegrass from other people who got their original strains from a quality source. I would get both males and females from the same source and not just source a 'correct' female for your nice male. This is because there are many different 'lines' of blue grass guppies and crossing even identical lines will result in fry that don't exactly look like the parents. Getting both the male and the female will sort this problem out. Cheers, Serkan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terribletegs Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 You could try doing F1, F2, F3 spawns etc etc, but you might be going for 20+ generations before you see what you want, and even then, it may be difficult to choose your breeders correctly. They are very pretty guppies nonetheless! If I were you I would cut your losses, sell your stock and start over with a new trio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 thats what im doing sadly, selling everyone and trying again. Might be hard to find bluegrass breeders, but i'll try. ok, here are mum and 'dad' (well, the male i got anyhow) and the bluest of the fry. but they still arent showing any spots killieorcory, its ok, i did honestly want an HONEST opinion. And i had strong suspicions the fry werent bluegrass, so i just needed a second opinion. btw, i do realise mum looks horrendous. she kept hiding in the spiky plastic plants, duh i didnt even think of her getting ripped up from it! silly me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terribletegs Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 The Mum doesn't look blue grass to me?? Check out the females here: http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...&1265027473 http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...&1265241661 My thinking is that your female isn't blue grass at all. She may have been mixed up accidentally, or she could be a throwback that appeared randomly in a blue grass spawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 My condolences on the lack of grass in your guppies I get how seemingly little things can really be not so little! Thanks for posting the pictures of the parents, I would have to agree that the mother doesn't look blue or red grass at all! It seems likely that that is the source of the problem. It's very disappointing when you don't get what you ask for and are told you are getting. It can be confronting to then offer your progeny in good faith, only to have people disagree w you over what they are. I would take Serkan's advice (Hey Serkan!!) and find another strain of grass guppies that takes my fancy. While they didn't turn out to be the variety you expected, you have some very lovely juvies there! Well done :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darennkj Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 Now it's easier to diagnose with those three pictures... Dad: definitely a red grass. Mum: hard to tell with the badly damaged fins. Fry: definitely not grass. Very interesting though, since their entire body is covered in blue, up to their heads. Considering the moscow trait is Y-linked, it would say their dad is a moscow. (happy for someone else to comment) The mum might still be grass, but the only way to find out for sure is to breed her with a grass male. But looking at her condition, I would say that might not happen anytime soon. Hope this helps. Regards, Daren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 (edited) Thanks guys, yeah mums looking terrible atm. And so is 'dad', hes all fat and mopey. Grr, not going well. Ah, thanks for those links, i tried googling female blue grass guppies but still couldnt find any images that helped much. well ive got someone buying the fry for $1ea, im sure he will be thrilled with them anyhow as he has seen photos and ive explained they arent pure. Mum and dad, well i'll try to make them better. Definitely on the lookout for bluegrass PURE pairs/trios Anyone see any fs, let me know btw, mum never had any blue or any spotting. Only plain black finnage. *frustrated* btw, I dont believe the breeder would have purposely done that to me, so im guessing she got mixed up somewhere or is a freak throwback. off to start again Edited February 2, 2010 by ninoid12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Have a look on aquabid under guppies, there are definitely some bluegrass there. This is just the first one that popped up, they are 'Japanese', I don't know guppies so I dunno what that means, but they're still blue grass http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...&1265241661 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyarlla Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 I have japanese bluegrass and the girls dont look like this sorry, although your fry are beautifully coloured anyway I would hang onto that male. Sell the fry back to the pet shop. I get credit for my "culls" at $1 per guppy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 well sad news mum and 'dad' died Damn fish Mum had been looking ugh for awhile and dad got very fat when i moved him to the fry tank. maybe he ate alltheir food? damn him. grr On the lookout for quality. emailed coburg aquarium, no grass guppies :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Sorry to hear about mum and dad! It'll be ok Are you set on grass guppies? Coburg, when we were there a month ago, had long dorsal half blacks and some albino pinks. Maybe someone? She would definitely be able to get you something, probably just a question of how long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 killimike, sadly the bluegrass bug has bitten hard. I have hifin blacks, but i am in love with those bluegrass rang coburg, they dont get grass in sadly. J-L does have them, but for the price plus post (believe its 50+25post) its a bit much for a trio. Trying other venues first, then will go J.L if all else fails (no offense to you, Jodie-Lea, promise) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 (edited) Perhaps you could do a combined shipment to coincide with the next MBG and split the costs of shipping with some other members? All the best in your hunt! Edited February 16, 2010 by Bender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 You have the blacks? That's great. It's cool to like one strain better than another just because! I would second the group buy, the folks on AL seem to do it a fair bit w different online suppliers. It could take a lot of working out, but even if only a few people bought, seeing as guppies or bettas ship in practically standing room only style, it could bring the shipping cost down to almost nothing each. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dresdendollx Posted March 21, 2010 Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 i still think your guppies look magical! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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