Blueberry Oscars?
 

My husband came home with what our LFS called a Blueberry Oscar Friday. It's
about an inch and a half long and such a pretty blue. After watching it for
awhile I googled on it to see what I could find out. (it stays around the top of
the tank near the air bubbles and acts like it's uncomfortable or something)
What I've found is that this is an albino oscar that has either been put in a
dye tank or injected with dye. I'm guessing that could be why it acts a little
sickly...not much of an appetite, swims like it's off balance and keeps charging
the sidewall.

Is this a common practice or is there a possibility they didn't know what they
were on about when they called it a Blueberry Oscar? (if you look closely, you
can see the same markings and spots that a lot of the albinos have, or the red
ones for that matter) It sickens us to know anyone would do this just to be able
to charge double the price for them. What I've read says they usually live
around 2-4 months with some lasting as long as 6. *If* they make it to a year,
they are no longer blue. We're thinking about taking it back to the store today
and telling them what we think of this practice and why we feel it's wrong. I
doubt it'll do any good, and they will probably sell Frankensmurf (the blueberry
oscar) to someone else.

Are there any other types of blue oscars that are naturally blue and would do
well in a fresh water tank suited for the S.American (reds, tigers, ...) Oscars?
Two of my kids favorite color is blue and they've been SO excited just watching
this one. Kinda sucks that now we have to tell them how he got his color and why
we're taking him back...will probably confuse them.

noname
--
*** It's a shame society would
rather fill their time with junk
than their souls with substance. ***

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"noname" wrote in message
...
My husband came home with what our LFS called a Blueberry Oscar Friday.
It's
about an inch and a half long and such a pretty blue. After watching it
for
awhile I googled on it to see what I could find out. (it stays around the
top of
the tank near the air bubbles and acts like it's uncomfortable or
something)
What I've found is that this is an albino oscar that has either been put
in a
dye tank or injected with dye. I'm guessing that could be why it acts a
little
sickly...not much of an appetite, swims like it's off balance and keeps
charging
the sidewall.

Is this a common practice or is there a possibility they didn't know what
they
were on about when they called it a Blueberry Oscar? (if you look closely,
you
can see the same markings and spots that a lot of the albinos have, or the
red
ones for that matter) It sickens us to know anyone would do this just to
be able
to charge double the price for them. What I've read says they usually live
around 2-4 months with some lasting as long as 6. *If* they make it to a
year,
they are no longer blue. We're thinking about taking it back to the store
today
and telling them what we think of this practice and why we feel it's
wrong. I
doubt it'll do any good, and they will probably sell Frankensmurf (the
blueberry
oscar) to someone else.

Are there any other types of blue oscars that are naturally blue and would
do
well in a fresh water tank suited for the S.American (reds, tigers, ...)
Oscars?
Two of my kids favorite color is blue and they've been SO excited just
watching
this one. Kinda sucks that now we have to tell them how he got his color
and why
we're taking him back...will probably confuse them.

noname
--

It's OK to selectively breed fish for their color only, but not OK to
artificially color them? Flushing millions of undesirable babies down the
toilet, because the color isn't quite right to go to market is OK with you?
Isn't that how they eventually got red, tiger, red tiger, albino, and other
Oscars that we see now? I'm not being judgmental here, only asking your
opinion Noname. We are all forced at some point to draw the line on what is
OK, and what goes too far with fish.

--
JK Sinrod NY
Sinrod Stained Glass
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Blueberry Oscars?
 

JK:
I got the impression from "nonames" post that disposing of fry that
didn't meet color specs wouldn't be "OK" either ... perhaps she didn't
know that this was common pracice ....

NoName:
IMHO,
I think that your idea of letting the LFS know how you feel about these
practices is "spot on" the right thing to do .. however ... if you truly
have the interests of this particular little fish at heart .. why not
keep him/her .. and give it the best chance at a "normal" life as you
can ... realize though that "fish keeping" inherently .. subjects these
creatures to "unatural" conditions .. for the sake of our own enjoyment.
personally, I make myself feel better by absolutely spoiling them :)


jk wrote:
"noname" wrote in message
...

My husband came home with what our LFS called a Blueberry Oscar Friday.

It's

about an inch and a half long and such a pretty blue. After watching it

for

awhile I googled on it to see what I could find out. (it stays around the

top of

the tank near the air bubbles and acts like it's uncomfortable or

something)

What I've found is that this is an albino oscar that has either been put

in a

dye tank or injected with dye. I'm guessing that could be why it acts a

little

sickly...not much of an appetite, swims like it's off balance and keeps

charging

the sidewall.

Is this a common practice or is there a possibility they didn't know what

they

were on about when they called it a Blueberry Oscar? (if you look closely,

you

can see the same markings and spots that a lot of the albinos have, or the

red

ones for that matter) It sickens us to know anyone would do this just to

be able

to charge double the price for them. What I've read says they usually live
around 2-4 months with some lasting as long as 6. *If* they make it to a

year,

they are no longer blue. We're thinking about taking it back to the store

today

and telling them what we think of this practice and why we feel it's

wrong. I

doubt it'll do any good, and they will probably sell Frankensmurf (the

blueberry

oscar) to someone else.

Are there any other types of blue oscars that are naturally blue and would

do

well in a fresh water tank suited for the S.American (reds, tigers, ...)

Oscars?

Two of my kids favorite color is blue and they've been SO excited just

watching

this one. Kinda sucks that now we have to tell them how he got his color

and why

we're taking him back...will probably confuse them.

noname
--


It's OK to selectively breed fish for their color only, but not OK to
artificially color them? Flushing millions of undesirable babies down the
toilet, because the color isn't quite right to go to market is OK with you?
Isn't that how they eventually got red, tiger, red tiger, albino, and other
Oscars that we see now? I'm not being judgmental here, only asking your
opinion Noname. We are all forced at some point to draw the line on what is
OK, and what goes too far with fish.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"noname" wrote in message
...
My husband came home with what our LFS called a Blueberry Oscar Friday.
It's
about an inch and a half long and such a pretty blue. After watching it
for
awhile I googled on it to see what I could find out. (it stays around the
top of
the tank near the air bubbles and acts like it's uncomfortable or
something)
What I've found is that this is an albino oscar that has either been put
in a
dye tank or injected with dye. I'm guessing that could be why it acts a
little
sickly...not much of an appetite, swims like it's off balance and keeps
charging
the sidewall.

Is this a common practice or is there a possibility they didn't know what
they
were on about when they called it a Blueberry Oscar? (if you look closely,
you
can see the same markings and spots that a lot of the albinos have, or the
red
ones for that matter) It sickens us to know anyone would do this just to
be able
to charge double the price for them. What I've read says they usually live
around 2-4 months with some lasting as long as 6. *If* they make it to a
year,
they are no longer blue. We're thinking about taking it back to the store
today
and telling them what we think of this practice and why we feel it's
wrong. I
doubt it'll do any good, and they will probably sell Frankensmurf (the
blueberry
oscar) to someone else.

Are there any other types of blue oscars that are naturally blue and would
do
well in a fresh water tank suited for the S.American (reds, tigers, ...)
Oscars?
Two of my kids favorite color is blue and they've been SO excited just
watching
this one. Kinda sucks that now we have to tell them how he got his color
and why
we're taking him back...will probably confuse them.

As far as color goes I have never heard of a blue Oscar.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

The same thing happened a few years back with the "blue Jack Dempsey."
Personally I think it is fraud. It may look blue but it is not blue. One
lie may be harder to prove than another, but a lie is still a lie.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

I haven't seen the oscar, but our local LFS has albino catfish with green
and purple ends, and I heard they are injected as well, so have stayed away
from them, I can see the color fade every time I'm in the store. They were
charging double the regular price as well, and I agree it is sick. I'd tell
your kids what happened and why so they know to research on thier own before
buying the "pretty" fish. If you want blue fish, try some african cichlids,
or bettas, every color blue you can think of, and they are wonderful to
breed :)

Blueberry Oscars?
 

It's OK to selectively breed fish for their color only, but not OK to
artificially color them? Flushing millions of undesirable babies down the
toilet, because the color isn't quite right to go to market is OK with
you?
Isn't that how they eventually got red, tiger, red tiger, albino, and
other
Oscars that we see now? I'm not being judgmental here, only asking your
opinion Noname. We are all forced at some point to draw the line on what
is
OK, and what goes too far with fish.

Eh??? Did I miss something in the post from noname? I didn't see anything
about flushing fry down the toilet or even disposing fry due to undesirable
coloration.

- J

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Pete" wrote in message ...
The same thing happened a few years back with the "blue Jack Dempsey."
Personally I think it is fraud. It may look blue but it is not blue. One
lie may be harder to prove than another, but a lie is still a lie.

Blueberry Oscar is an albino that has been injected, but the blue
Dempsey is a legit color strain. For more information on the dempsey,
get hooked up with the SACSG (South American Cichlid Study Group)
which converses at Yahoo groups. They seem to discuss it frequently,
although Jack Dempsey is Central American and not South - -

--Mark

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"jk" wrote in message v.net...

It's OK to selectively breed fish for their color only, but not OK to
artificially color them? Flushing millions of undesirable babies down the
toilet, because the color isn't quite right to go to market is OK with you?
Isn't that how they eventually got red, tiger, red tiger, albino, and other
Oscars that we see now? I'm not being judgmental here, only asking your
opinion Noname. We are all forced at some point to draw the line on what is
OK, and what goes too far with fish.

You may have a point about selective breeding, if indeed "millions of
undesirable babies" get flushed. But I'm not certain they are. The Red
Oscar and the Red Tiger Oscar are the same, and were bred by Charoen
Pattabongse in the late 1960s in Thailand in what I understand to be a
small shop. It's hard to see how "millions" of Oscar babies could have
been "flushed" by this one businessman. The Tiger is the naturally
occuring color in the Amazon (both the orange and olive var.). I don't
know where the Albino came from. As far as I know, people that breed
species for color variations don't wantonly murder all the rejects.
People that I am acquainted with that breed Millions Fish and Bettas
for color for shows are not cruel at all. If millions of Oscars are
being killed for the sake of breeding specific colors, we'd like to
see the evidence.

However, dying fish for sale is a very cruel process, where dye is
injected under a layer of skin with needles. These specimens rarely
grow and live beyond a year, and lose their color within weeks. This
is a very cruel way to market live animals.

--Mark


Mark Stone tractorlegs at msn dot kom
OSCAR Lovers! http://www.geocities.com/cichlidiot_2000/oscar.html
The ".Edu" meens i are smart.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Thanks Mark!

I do have to say though that I have seen injected Dempseys. Not at all a
pretty sight.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"D Perri" wrote in message
...
JK:
I got the impression from "nonames" post that disposing of fry that
didn't meet color specs wouldn't be "OK" either ... perhaps she didn't
know that this was common pracice ....



I was simply comparing their distaste for coloring vs selective
breeding. My point was that our LFS stock has very often been "made" to look
a certain way, to generate interest and sales. It may be color, size, shape,
etc. Where do we draw the line in terms of our anger? For some purists,
only natural caught stock is acceptable. For others the quest for that new
look, justifys almost anything. Most of my lifetime experience is with live
bearers, and specifically guppies. Serious breeders flush millions of fry,
in attempts to perfect or maintain a strain. You can't afford to feed and
store all your babies, especially if they aren't what you are looking for.
Maybe it's different with Cichlids?

--
JK Sinrod NY
Sinrod Stained Glass
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Most colour mutations ,occur by pure chance, be they Fish,. Birds, or White
Tigers,
Its up to the breeder to spot the difference, and over time develop the
colout fault, until it
has developed into a self sustaining strain, of that colour mutation..
The poster that commented on , how many fish fry, are flushed, due to
colour variation
being wrong, is having himself on, Totally.. Any young // small fish does
not develop it,s colour until it's grown beyond the fry stage. So to look
at fry and say there the wrong colour , is a joke.. As for the Albino
strain, Again there are Albino mutations in every living thing,
[even people] Its up to the breeder to spot the Pink eye's , and go from
there..
As for "Noname" with his coloured Oscars, Why not name the LFS concerned,
if you feel
so strongly, about the subject.. We as fellow readers // subscribers only
have your word, for what goes on at your local LFS, But if local subscribers
to this group personal know of the LFS concerned , they can give the place a
wide berth.

bassett


Kelly wrote in message
I haven't seen the oscar, but our local LFS has albino catfish with green
and purple ends, and I heard they are injected as well, so have stayed
away
from them, I can see the color fade every time I'm in the store. They were
charging double the regular price as well, and I agree it is sick. I'd
tell
your kids what happened and why so they know to research on thier own
before
buying the "pretty" fish. If you want blue fish, try some african
cichlids,
or bettas, every color blue you can think of, and they are wonderful to
breed :)

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Actually, I do believe there is something incredibly different between
breeding in desired traits and artificially forcing them on a fish. Just
look at the life lifespan estimates she give. you are lucky for one of these
to live a year when a non-dyed Oscar can live for 5 no problem. That should
tell you something about the difference between breeding in some blue and
chocking the fish full of dye that dissapears over time anyway just to make
a quick buck off the uninformed. Huge difference.


"jk" wrote in message
et...

"D Perri" wrote in message
...
JK:
I got the impression from "nonames" post that disposing of fry that
didn't meet color specs wouldn't be "OK" either ... perhaps she didn't
know that this was common pracice ....



I was simply comparing their distaste for coloring vs selective
breeding. My point was that our LFS stock has very often been "made" to
look
a certain way, to generate interest and sales. It may be color, size,
shape,
etc. Where do we draw the line in terms of our anger? For some purists,
only natural caught stock is acceptable. For others the quest for that new
look, justifys almost anything. Most of my lifetime experience is with
live
bearers, and specifically guppies. Serious breeders flush millions of fry,
in attempts to perfect or maintain a strain. You can't afford to feed and
store all your babies, especially if they aren't what you are looking for.
Maybe it's different with Cichlids?

--
JK Sinrod NY
Sinrod Stained Glass
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Good point Bassett, the injected catfish I saw are at Pets Unlimited here in
Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have purchased fish from them in the past, and will
in the future, and I usually buy all my food there, and some africans, but
the prices are outrageous for cichlids! ($20 for a baby) Anyways what I've
learned from the whole experience is not to impulse buy, if I see something
I like, I'll ask the people there, and as that is usually pointless (most
stores, not just pets) I'll go home and do some research on the net before
going back to purchase.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Not to mention that the needles they use to inject the fish is the
equivalent of a human getting injected w/ billiards cue. only a fraction of
the ones injected actually survive to make it to market,and only a fraction
of those survive to actually loose the color.

"Keester" wrote in message
. net...
Actually, I do believe there is something incredibly different between
breeding in desired traits and artificially forcing them on a fish. Just
look at the life lifespan estimates she give. you are lucky for one of
these
to live a year when a non-dyed Oscar can live for 5 no problem. That
should
tell you something about the difference between breeding in some blue and
chocking the fish full of dye that dissapears over time anyway just to
make
a quick buck off the uninformed. Huge difference.


"jk" wrote in message
et...

"D Perri" wrote in message
...
JK:
I got the impression from "nonames" post that disposing of fry that
didn't meet color specs wouldn't be "OK" either ... perhaps she didn't
know that this was common pracice ....



I was simply comparing their distaste for coloring vs selective
breeding. My point was that our LFS stock has very often been "made" to
look
a certain way, to generate interest and sales. It may be color, size,
shape,
etc. Where do we draw the line in terms of our anger? For some purists,
only natural caught stock is acceptable. For others the quest for that
new
look, justifys almost anything. Most of my lifetime experience is with
live
bearers, and specifically guppies. Serious breeders flush millions of
fry,
in attempts to perfect or maintain a strain. You can't afford to feed
and
store all your babies, especially if they aren't what you are looking
for.
Maybe it's different with Cichlids?

--
JK Sinrod NY
Sinrod Stained Glass
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"bassett" wrote in message ...

[snipped]
As for the Albino
strain, Again there are Albino mutations in every living thing,
[even people]
[snipped]

Just to clear up any confusion, the "albino" Oscar is not a true
albino, but is a color strain. --Mark

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Mark Stone" wrote in message
om...
"bassett" wrote in message
...

[snipped]
As for the Albino
strain, Again there are Albino mutations in every living thing,
[even people]
[snipped]

Just to clear up any confusion, the "albino" Oscar is not a true
albino, but is a color strain. --Mark

What makes them "not true albinos"? Do they have some black pigment?

Blueberry Oscars?
 

Could you please explain further,, how is it that a Pink eyed, White skinned
fish, with fins that have a pinkish tinge, are not an Albino
While I don,t doubt for one minute that there my be a White Oscar,
or a White anything for that matter. There is a very big difference between
White and Albino, The main one being that the Albino strain has a recessive
gene, and in some cases are infertile.
It is also thought that in some cases the Albino strain is sex linked..

bassett

Mark Stone wrote in message
Just to clear up any confusion, the "albino" Oscar is not a true
albino, but is a color strain. --Mark

"bassett" wrote in message
[snipped]
As for the Albino
strain, Again there are Albino mutations in every living thing,
[even people]
[snipped]

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"bassett" wrote in message ...
Could you please explain further,, how is it that a Pink eyed, White skinned
fish, with fins that have a pinkish tinge, are not an Albino
While I don,t doubt for one minute that there my be a White Oscar,
or a White anything for that matter. There is a very big difference between
White and Albino, The main one being that the Albino strain has a recessive
gene, and in some cases are infertile.
It is also thought that in some cases the Albino strain is sex linked..

bassett

Hi Bassett --

The white colored Oscars that have become very common at LFSs and even
at chain pet stores are not albinos, but nevertheless are called so
(perhaps as a marketing ploy). They are strong, aggressive, grow
rapidly (in my experience a bit faster that orange Tigers) and breed
like gangbusters. When and how they got the name "albino" even though
they are not is a mystery to me (although I can assume it's the
color), but they're stuck with it! I've heard that true albinos are
available, but have never actually seen one in a local shop.

The "Albino" (so called) Oscars available in my area have stunning
gold colored eyes and very bright orange pigment in the eyespots and
the "tiger" markings on the sides. My understanding is that these
white Oscars are the ones victimized by the Dye predators.

--Mark


Mark Stone tractorlegs at msn dot kom
OSCAR Lovers! http://www.geocities.com/cichlidiot_2000/oscar.html
The ".Edu" meens i are smart.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Sarotherodon" wrote in message ...


What makes them "not true albinos"? Do they have some black pigment?

They're simply white fish that have been given the name Albino,
although they are not. -- See my response to Bassett --

--Mark

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Mark Stone" wrote in message
om...
"bassett" wrote in message
...
Could you please explain further,, how is it that a Pink eyed, White
skinned
fish, with fins that have a pinkish tinge, are not an Albino
While I don,t doubt for one minute that there my be a White Oscar,
or a White anything for that matter. There is a very big difference
between
White and Albino, The main one being that the Albino strain has a
recessive
gene, and in some cases are infertile.
It is also thought that in some cases the Albino strain is sex linked..

bassett

Hi Bassett --

The white colored Oscars that have become very common at LFSs and even
at chain pet stores are not albinos, but nevertheless are called so
(perhaps as a marketing ploy). They are strong, aggressive, grow
rapidly (in my experience a bit faster that orange Tigers) and breed
like gangbusters. When and how they got the name "albino" even though
they are not is a mystery to me (although I can assume it's the
color), but they're stuck with it! I've heard that true albinos are
available, but have never actually seen one in a local shop.

The "Albino" (so called) Oscars available in my area have stunning
gold colored eyes and very bright orange pigment in the eyespots and
the "tiger" markings on the sides. My understanding is that these
white Oscars are the ones victimized by the Dye predators.

--Mark


Mark Stone tractorlegs at msn dot kom
OSCAR Lovers! http://www.geocities.com/cichlidiot_2000/oscar.html
The ".Edu" meens i are smart.

Hmm, you've restated your position that these fish are not albinos, but with
no explanation. If they lack melanin due to a genetic mutation, then they
are albinos.
These fish were not selectively bred for a gradually increasing trait, like
hi red or gold fish sometimes are. Being strang, aggressive and prolific
has nothing at all to do with being aalbino. Many albinos have these
traits. Some are weak to start with, but many are weak because of continued
inbreeding to quickly produce a pure strain of albinos. Outcrossing can
restore vigor and fertility to these strains (usually) but if the are
homozygous for a mutation that prevents melanin formation, then they are
still albinos.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

..

Thank you for explaining , the difference in your country, between white
and albino. But if that is the case, how gullible are so-called fish
enthusiasts, in your country. that can't determine between a Gold [yellow]
and a pink eyed fish, Frankly you would have to be Blind Freddie.
It would seem that the "Albino" fish, is like all albino's a rarity, As
for breeding, This would need to be a long protracted process, firstly the
albino's parents would need to be located,
and then the albino would need to be sexed, surgically or by whatever
means, one had at one disposal, and then breed back to the opposing parent..
Off cause if the thing was infertile,
which is quite likely, this opens up a completely new can of worms..
And like all things , thought to be impossible, the theory always outweighs
the practical.

I'm afraid in Oz, If you attempted to pass of albino fish, that where
clearly non-albino, you would be facing a riot, and the aquarium concerned
would not last long..

Tropical fish in Oz are far from cheap, if available at all, And in the
event of a large Oscar turning up at an aquarium for sale, By large we
would consider anything that was 6 inches and over from Nose to tail. The
first question is always , What's wrong with it , The price would also be in
the Hundreds . and the chances of finding albino anything, or any size,
would be near impossible.
In the country area, where I live [ Coffs Harbour area NSW ] even finding
an aquarium
is an event, and if they have anything bigger then a few Guppies, or a tank
of show Cichlids,
anything else is a bonus..
Regards bassett



Mark Stone wrote in message
om...
"Sarotherodon" wrote in message
...


What makes them "not true albinos"? Do they have some black pigment?

They're simply white fish that have been given the name Albino,
although they are not. -- See my response to Bassett --

--Mark

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Sarotherodon" wrote in message .. .


Hmm, you've restated your position that these fish are not albinos, but with
no explanation. If they lack melanin due to a genetic mutation, then they
are albinos.

You're correct that I have no explanation, because I don't know the
history of the color variation. The breeding of the Red Oscar and some
other varieties is well documented, but these white Oscars (from my
viewpoint) suddenly appeared, and no one in the newsgroups or any
aquarists I am in contact with can trace their beginning. So, you
might be right that they are true albinos. I don't *think* they are,
but I may be wrong. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has
bred an "albino" Oscar with another color to see what color(s)
resulted ---
[clipped]

--Mark

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Mark Stone" wrote in message
m...
"Sarotherodon" wrote in message
.. .


Hmm, you've restated your position that these fish are not albinos, but
with
no explanation. If they lack melanin due to a genetic mutation, then
they
are albinos.

You're correct that I have no explanation, because I don't know the
history of the color variation. The breeding of the Red Oscar and some
other varieties is well documented, but these white Oscars (from my
viewpoint) suddenly appeared, and no one in the newsgroups or any
aquarists I am in contact with can trace their beginning. So, you
might be right that they are true albinos. I don't *think* they are,
but I may be wrong. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has
bred an "albino" Oscar with another color to see what color(s)
resulted ---
[clipped]

--Mark
I do think they are albinos produced by a mutation, total lack of black
pigment is tough to get without a mutaion. Their sudden appearance without
any intermediates,like progressively lighter or more white oscars supports
this idea. Also, other albino cichlids are known to have been produced this
way. At any rate, I am curious about crosses too. I don't know anyone who
has crossed them, but since the first ones were albino "tigers" and albino
"reds" became availble not too much later, the red albinos were probably the
result of crossing tiger albinos to normal reds, then backcrossing for the
albinism. Would have taken quite a while to selectively breed the albinos
for full red. They are cool fish. A lot of albinos aren't too colorful, but
I really like the albino oscars.
I posted a while ago about albino rift lake cichlids and the lack of
history for many. It still seems odd to me that in the herp world a new
albino is big news and breeders take pains to prove their origin. Albino
fish do seem to mysteriously appear. Perhaps because they are produced by
huge fish farms in other countries who don't want to give away theri trade
secrets, or maybe they just don't see any advantage to publicizing it.

Blueberry Oscars?
 

"Sarotherodon" wrote in message ...

I do think they are albinos produced by a mutation, total lack of black
pigment is tough to get without a mutaion. Their sudden appearance without
any intermediates,like progressively lighter or more white oscars supports
this idea. Also, other albino cichlids are known to have been produced this
way. At any rate, I am curious about crosses too. I don't know anyone who
has crossed them, but since the first ones were albino "tigers" and albino
"reds" became availble not too much later, the red albinos were probably the
result of crossing tiger albinos to normal reds, then backcrossing for the
albinism. Would have taken quite a while to selectively breed the albinos
for full red. They are cool fish. A lot of albinos aren't too colorful, but
I really like the albino oscars.
I posted a while ago about albino rift lake cichlids and the lack of
history for many. It still seems odd to me that in the herp world a new
albino is big news and breeders take pains to prove their origin. Albino
fish do seem to mysteriously appear. Perhaps because they are produced by
huge fish farms in other countries who don't want to give away theri trade
secrets, or maybe they just don't see any advantage to publicizing it.

I'm going to post over at SACSG and see what those folks have to say,
then report back --

--Mark