# Ethical question on hybridization



## cranetech (Feb 1, 2006)

It stands to reason that one should try to prevent hybridization of species if the hybrid result is fertile.
I have a tank with various "algae eating shrimp". while im not having much luck positively id'ing these, i am relatively certain i have 2 different species. ill post pictures when i get some decent ones. 

I reluctantly put the two together feeling like i am doing something wrong in terms of the possiblity they might interbreed. i dont know why. If i end up with too many for the tank, i would probably trade or sell some. I suppose it should be known that they are possible hybrids.

How do you all feel about hybridization?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I think what you do with the population in your own tanks is nobody elses business. But, when you start sending products of your tanks to others, the ethics question comes in. I wouldn't want to give/sell hybrids to anyone, for that reason. Just remember, the shrimp you give to others may breed and produce still more hybrids even further removed from their native species, and who knows how they will be given away or sold. Just my opinion.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

IMO wild-type fish are almost always superior to the various hybrids, crosses, mutants, and strains that now exist. Of course, if everyone shared this opinion they'd have never become popular in the first place, hehehe.

The real worry to me is that the wild-type will eventually be impossible to find. When was the last time you saw a wild-type angelfish or discus in a LFS? Maybe I'm just unlucky, but around here you can usually only find mutts of questionable quality.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I see no problems with hybrids as long as you do not try selling/trading them to others. If you plan on selling them I would separate the species into their own tanks.


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

I'm trying to hybridize a cherry female and a snowball male just to see what happens. I have them seperated in tiny tank so hopefully they mate....


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## [email protected] (Jul 18, 2005)

*hybridization*

Hybridization is every where to some point, I think it is hypocritical to judge and say that it is wrong if you do not like a hybrid species SIMPLY DO NOT BUY IT. My tank is full of hybrids. Look at how many of us are hybrids so to speak. If you think it is wrong in the "aquatic kingdom" what are your veiws in the "human" society. I hope Jersey's shimp breeding works, if so and you become over whelmed with them I will be happy to buy/take them off your hands.


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## jude_uc (Feb 7, 2006)

I'm not sure why it would be an ethical concern. I think the only thing that you need to remember is that if you sell them, you sell them as what they are. Wild type aren't intrinsically better than hybrids, just different.

As for hybrids being of questionable quality, the only reason why that may be true is because species are inbreed mercilessly to highlight interesting color mutations. Of course, the danger with excessive inbreeding is always the accumlation of harmful recessive genes. The pursuit of an all blue discus, or whatever you are trying to breed, requires the continual remating of a small stock of animals. That is very often detrimental to animals. In many way, true hybidization, where you mix two very closely related species (which can produce fertile offspring) will often produce hardier offspring than the original because of the widening of the gene pool. 

Many of these species natural range overlap. With that in mind, if they are capable of successfully mating, they almost certainly do in nature. Endler's and guppies are different species, but there ranges overlap. Even though people grip about hybridization of them, it probably happened in their natural habitat. If not, it's hard to imagine why they would still be capable of hybridizing. Normally, the ability for the offspring of a mating to fertile is seen as a definition of speciation. These animals which can hybridize but aren't the same species live in that gray zone between subspecies and species. 

-Adam


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I prefer not to go down the hybrid route....if the species were meant to interbreed in nature they would without our "help".

My shrimp tanks are kept so no mutants occur.


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