Re: mutation

Posted by Melody on 2010/8/10 1:41:05

Is there a specific strain that you're referring to? Your questions certainly are not dumb, but they are general enough to have the answers fill a book...LOL.

Generally speaking, an initial mutation like lyretail or albino shows up out of the blue in someone's tank. They're then selectively bred for that trait. Some are also brought into another domestic strain, as with red Platy's being crossed with Swordtails to produce a red Swordtail.

It's impossible to say how many mutations occur in the wild, as many are gobbled up. Theoretically, they can occur more often in captivity due to the smaller breeding pool, which allows for recessives to sneak into the population. That's a tad over-simplified though.

There can be highly variable outcomes when crossing domestics. While some strains may breed true, it depends on what you're dealing with.