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LEOPARD / MARBLE HYBRID ANGELFISH aka "LEOPARD SMOKY MARBLE" These are the offspring of an unlikely pair of fish. The female is a very nice standard tail leopard. She's about 3 years old, and has never paired with anyone before. She's just been a pet. I had some marble angels in her tank awaiting being sold. Two of the marbles paired, and nipped at the others in the tank to chase them away. My leopard got a cloudy eye from being nipped at, so I put her in a hospital tank along with a couple of marbles who suffered similar mishaps. Well, by the time her eye had healed, she and a small standard tail marble male took a shine to each other, and she has been spawning every 8 or 9 days since then. She seems to have discovered her biological destiny late in life, and is trying to make up for lost time. The little male has been trying to raise the babies, but the female eats the eggs every time he relaxes his vigilance. Mom is starting to get more maternal and is caring for the eggs some, but still isn't too reliable.
I have looked through all the literature I can find, and I do not know how this combination of genetics will express itself. I have swiped the last of the eggs from them a couple of time to hatch them, out of curiosity to see what they would look like. Leopard angels are the result of carrying one or two zebra genes and two smoky genes. They tend to have lots of blue iridescence. Marble genes are on a third and different locus. Thus the offspring will carry all three types of genes. Below are pictures I have taken of them. I will post additional pictures as they grow, so that you can watch them develop. I'm predicting that they will be very attractive fish with lots of iridescence. According to angel fish naming conventions, these guys would be called "smoky leopard marbles." (Click on photos below to see larger view.)
KOI ANGELFISH Check out the beauties in the pictures below. These guys are about 6 months old. I bought them from a fellow named Bob Earls in Pennsylvania when they were a little shy of 3 months old. Kois carry 1 or 2 gold marble genes and 2 stripeless genes, and are strains that have been specially bred to select for good development of the orange crown. The double genes for stripeless cause the pink circle in the gill area that is often called "blushing." The pink often disappears by adulthood. I chose the kois to bring a nice fish to the Fairbanks area, with striking colors to contrast with the darker color of my marbles. These come from show quality stock. The picture below is a koi veil tail male at age 5 months. Photo taken on August 29, 2001.
The fish in the forground is a koi superveil, age 5 months. Photo taken August 29, 2001. The pink circle, or "blush," is clearly showing in the gill area. He was the same size as the others when I got him, but hasn't grown as fast. He's very beautiful, but his tail and fins are fuller and more prone to damage. Also, I think he growing a little more slowly because more energy goes into swimming from the drag caused by his fins and tail. Two of the kois starting to hang out with each other at the beginning of October, 2001 and have started to become territorial. On October 23, I came home and found that two other kois had paired and spawned on the filter tube! (picture below) Looks like at least 300 eggs, which is great for a first spawn from such young fish. These guys and gals are only 6 1/2 months old! Looks like I'll end up with two pairs of kois. Here are the proud young parents watching over their first spawn. (October 23, 2001) The male is in the foreground, and the female is fanning the eggs, which she laid on the filter tube. Alas, because there are 7 other kois in the pairing tank with them, someone ate all the eggs the first night. However, this pair now has a tank of their own. I'm really excited about these fish. They have striking color, beautiful round bodies, nicely defined fins, and they have grown rapidly and vigorously. I can hardly wait to see how the babies turn out! Keep watching for future updates.
How to contact me: Tamar Stephens Mailing address: P.O. Box 83495, Fairbanks, AK 99708 Street Address: 1229 Bunnell Street, Apt. B, Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: (907) 451-9357 e-mail: tstephens@gci.net
Last updated December 9, 2001. |
This is the marble male caring for newly spawned eggs, while the female
leopard hovers nearby.
