# black bettas and genetics.



## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

i'll
start off with traits. Dominant trait - this means that if a betta 
carries a gene for a dominant trait, no matter what that trait will 
always show. 
Recessive Trait - this means that even though a betta may carry a gene, 
if its recessive it will not physically show. it is still present in a 
genetic form so the recessive gene can be passed down to future 
generations. Melano black bettas are considered the true black bettas. a
mutated gene has caused the black pigment to be greatly increased 
coverage area(melanism). a melano betta is represented by: mm and a 
normal black gene is: Mm. the mutated gene is recessive to the normal 
black gene(M). this means that when a melano black betta is spawned to a
betta that does not have the mutated black gene, all offspring would 
contain the melano gene. and if bred with a betta that contains the 
gene, the resulting spawn of eggs would contain black offspring...to be 
continued


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## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

the melanophores from melanos grow very differently from that seen in black lace and wild type. they pile up and are very sticky which is why they produce such a dense black. because the proteins clump together, it causes the females eggs to rapture and therefore melano females are not considered fertile. it is the complete opposite in males, they are extremely fertile. if they are not, then the problem may lie with the breeder who did something incorrectly. To produce Melanos, the black male is bred with steel blue or royal blue..because both shades of blue are dominant, the spawn will be blue but will carry the gene and if bred back to the father, resulting spawns will be black. Melano blacks generally have an iridescence some may find unfavourable, but it the price for infertile females. to be continued


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## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

both Super Blacks and Black Lace are genetically Melanos bred with other colour fish to produce darker shades of black, though black lace cannot be bred with melano for the same reason that two double tails cannot be bred with each other..super blacks are melanos bred with copper females to produce darker blacks in which the copper colouration is hardly ever seen, and the resulting females are able to be bred with true melano males. the bottom line is that female melanos with an iridescence carry the possibility of being fertile. one more thing, in breeding can produce both pure black bettas and quality fish, BUT too much of it will produce possible deformity, much weaker immune systems, and both sexes will be infertile and overall poor quality fish which would cancel out efforts of producing the good quality bettas


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