Is there inbreeding in fish?
Is there inbreeding in fish? Because if you buy fish from a pet store and purchase a whole shoal at once, you never know if they are brothers and sisters, do you?
Hello,
Concerning "inbreeding":
yes, this occurs with virtually every animal species.
Concerning "shoal from a pet store":
A close relationship is rather likely at least if they are bred fish from one shipment, even if they are not necessarily brothers and sisters.
Recently, research results have indicated that inbreeding does not necessarily harm the offspring, and that some fish even prefer partners they are closely related to if they have the coice between related and non-related partners. Pedigree breeding (e.g. with Guppies) even requires targeted inbreeding as to breed desired characteristics (e.g. colors or fin shape).
Best regards
sera GmbH
Dr. Bodo Schnell