unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

Lionheart · Post by **Lionheart** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 5:58 pm

Hello everyone,

I've attached a photo of a discus I've been successfully breeding, but I'm having trouble pinpointing his exact strain. The seller initially said he was either cobalt or turquoise, but to be honest, I'm not entirely convinced. I'm now selling his offspring and I'd love to know his likely strain so I can give potential buyers a better idea of what to expect from his progeny.

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Nehpets

Deepsea · Post by **Deepsea** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 10:32 pm

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

That's a nice discus you've got there, Nehpets. The blue snake skin pattern is quite striking. To help narrow down the possibilities, can you tell me more about the other fish in the pair? It's crucial to know that when considering the characteristics of the offspring. You see, BSS can produce both turk and snake skin types, as was evident in the grow out challenge where Al's FLSS pair yielded a mix of turks, BSS, and RSS. The genetic lines used to create the strain can often result in a varied batch of fry.

sonyx · Post by **sonyx** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 4:01 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

Rotated.

FishNe · Post by **FishNe** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 5:19 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

That discus is quite a pretty blue SS, nice coloration.

Lionheart · Post by **Lionheart** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 6:17 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

Thanks for the input everyone. The discus in question has been doing well with our blue tiger, so that's a plus. Now I'm looking at another fish we got as a blue snakeskin and I'm having second thoughts - could this one also be a blue SS?

Deepsea · Post by **Deepsea** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 9:04 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

I'd say this discus is more likely a turk type, possibly a tiger turk given the vertical pattern visible above the lateral line behind the gill plates. The pattern on this fish doesn't quite match a standard snakeskin.

The cross between a Blue Turk and a Blue Snakeskin would indeed produce a mix of snakeskins and turks in the offspring, so it's no surprise to see a variety in the young.

Lionheart · Post by **Lionheart** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 9:54 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

Thanks for the insight, much appreciated. I'm curious to know what to expect from a blue snakeskin and orange melon pairing. Would the offspring have a mix of characteristics, possibly resembling a pigeon snakeskin? Any thoughts on this combination?

Thanks again,
Nehpets

Deepsea · Post by **Deepsea** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 10:40 am

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

I recall you mentioning the BSS was successfully breeding with a blue tiger. Now, crossing a BSS with an orange melon will likely result in heavily peppered fry, given the melon's pigeon blood and the BSS being non-pigeon blood. It often takes several generations to produce clean fry when crossing PB to non-PB, typically requiring the introduction of an intermediate or albino to clean up the peppering.

Jumper · Post by **Jumper** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 2:15 pm

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

Originally posted by Deepsea

I thought you mentioned the BSS was breeding successfully with a blue tiger? Crossing a BSS with an orange melon will produce heavily peppered fry as the melon is pigeon blood and BSS non-PB. It can take many generations to produce clean fry crossing PB to non-PB...usually requiring the genes of an intermediate or albino in the mix to clean up the peppering...

I don't think the blue snakeskin x orange melon would produce a pigeon snakeskin. The result would likely be a mix of characteristics, but the peppering would be a major issue.

FairyFish · Post by **FairyFish** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 6:34 pm

Re: unidentified discus strain - assistance required !

If you're thinking of a blue snakeskin x orange melon, I'd say look into the yellow tiger pigeon - they're available on the market. Check this video out: https://youtu.be/S6mrohLpeRk. You might find some similarities.