Albinos

[corrosionjerry]

Here is my question... If a person purchases an albino cichlid and breeds it with a regular specimin of that spiecies is there a higher rate of fry that will be albino if the albino is male or female.

Or do both parents have to be Albino to get a greater percentage of albino offspring?

[Toirtis]

There will only be albionos if the 'normal' looking fish already carries the albinism gene recessively...otherwise, all the babies will appear normal (but be heterozygous for albinism). Only be breeding an albino to an albino do you have the opportunity to produce a great percentage off albino offspring.

[TheGr8Blade]

There will only be albionos if the 'normal' looking fish already carries the albinism gene recessively...otherwise, all the babies will appear normal (but be heterozygous for albinism). Only be breeding an albino to an albino do you have the opportunity to produce a great percentage off albino offspring.

Definition of Heterozygous :thumbs:

Heterozygous: Possessing two different forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent. A person who is heterozygous is called a heterozygote or a gene carrier.

Heterozygous is in contrast to homozygous, the possession of two identical copies of the same gene.

Now I am more confused than before.

[corrosionjerry]

I am a little confused as well... So Toirtis you are saying that the male and female is the only that there will be a percentage of Albino fry for sure.. if only one parent has the gene chances are slim. Is that correct?

[kristarockstar]

From what I remember about the whole recessive gene thing it works something like this:

Lets say the regular colour gene is represented as B and the albino (recessive) gene is represented as A. Each fish has two genes that they got one from each of their parents.

So your albino would be AA and lets say its mate is AB (one regular colour gene and a recessive albino gene, but since the albino gene is recessive. the regular colour gene takes over so the fish is regular colour) Then they have more of a chance of having albinos as the offspring could be AA (albino), AB or BB(regular colour)

If one albino fish is AA and its mate is BB (no recessive albino gene) then I don't think you can get any albino from this pairing (if what I remeber about getting one gene from each parent is true)

If you had a pair that are both regular colour but have the recessive albino AB and AB, then there is a less chance of getting albino but it is still possible as the offspring could be AB, BB (regular colour) or AA (albino).

At least that is what I remember from science. But I think there should be something else in there about random mutation or something.

[Toirtis]

Krista has is more or less correct.

Both parents are albino, then all of the offspring should be albino.

One parent is albino and the other parent normal-looking (yet carrying a recessive gene for albinism), then at least half the offspring should be albino, with the others carrying the recessive gene for albinism.

If both parents are normal looking, but both carry recessive genes for albinism, then ¼-½ of the offspring should be albino, with the rest carrying the gene for albinism recessively.

If one parent is albino and the other parent normal-looking (and not carrying any recessive genes for albinism), then all the offspring will look normal, but carry recessive genes for albinism.

If both parents appear normal, but one carries the recessive albinism gene and the other does not, then all offspring will look normal, and some will carry the recessive gene for albinism.

If neither parent is albino, and neither carry a recessive albinism gene, then all the offspring will appear normal, and none will carry albinism genes.

As far as fish carrying the albinism gene recessively, there is no way to know if they do (because they look normal) unless you are familiar with the genetics of the fish that sired them.

Generally, the gender of the single albino parent in a pairing makes no difference in number of albino offspring.

So, to answer the first part of your question, if you buy an albino cichlid and pair it with a 'regular' specimen, there is little chance that you will get any albinos, unless you luck out and that 'regular' cichlid just happens to be carrying the gene for albinism. However, you can guarantee that all the fry produced from such a pairing would be carrying the gene for albinism.

[corrosionjerry]

That about explains all..

Thanks.