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Frank says:
Hey Matt, Is it advisable to keep Lemon and Sapphire Damselfish together in a 100 Gal reef, or do I need to choose? Thank you.Matt Pedersen says:
Trey, I believe you're making a false equivalency between the "Parrot Cichlid" and this fish. The Parrot Cichlid is a hybrid between at least two rather disparate cichlid species, which features numerous physical deformations, although nothing nearly as severe as something like a Bubble Eye or Celestial Eye Goldfish. Meanwhile, this "Zombie" Black Albino started as pure Darwin Black Ocellaris; the original foundation stock simply had a hidden recessive gene. This is a single gene mutation, which can easily be understood and controlled by any breeder who understands high-school level genetics. Nevermind that forms of albinism are rather routine mutation found in the wild on occasion, and even in our human species.Jeff W. says:
I don’t have a problem with the production of new color strains through selective breeding. I prefer to own the wild types, but that’s just me. But I agree that the propagation of fish with known health concerns is irresponsible and casts a shadow over the hobby. We already don’t know what other health problems some of these mutants may have involving systems that are not externally evident (e.g., immunological issues, skeletal malformations), or if their life spans might be adversely affected. This is similar to knowingly breeding deaf Dalmatians for profit.Trey Tabb says:
I suppose it's a nifty experiment to make fish like these, but to mass produce half-blind fish is just cruel & stupid beyond measure. Congratulations; you've created the Red Parrot Cichlid of the Clownfish world.Matt Pedersen says:
Bob, those sentiments are very appreciated, thank you my friend!Corals says:
My apologies...I should have read all the messages in entirety before leaving my comment. I didn't realize Orlando voluntarily chose not to renew his membership and wrote about it. I assumed Jeff shared Orlando's personal info to the readers..Sorry, Jeff!