# German bred Cichlids???



## Hubbynz (May 10, 2008)

Could someone please inform me more about what is meant by German bred cichlids....am I correct in thinking that they are special strains of cichlid developed by speical breeding in Germany or have I got the wrong end of the stick???

cheers


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Some are yes, as an example, the german blue ram vs wild blue ram. But here at least also refers to fish bred in germany, which for the longest time was the capital of aquarists and produced the healthiest captive bred fish for decades. They focus on quality versus quanity like fish farms tend to do.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I've read an article describing how Wild Rams were taken to Germany and put through a line breeding process that developed the healthy 'German Blue Rams' we know and love today. I can't recall much more detail but it's out there...

I've also heard distributors at times boast that a line was "German Bred" in species other than Rams/Dwarves. I would assume there are both "good" and "bad" breeding projects in German, just like there are in the US. I also promote that people buy their fish from breeders they respect, as opposed to whoever can get me the cheapest fish.

Cheap fish are bred in cheap breeding projects... and you get what you pay for...


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

another thing to note. it does help to know where the fish were captive bred.

for example with the rams, the south east Asian rams have a dreadful mortality rate. for some reason its almost impossible to keep them alive for any length of time. whereas the German bred (or in my case Dutch bred) are actually rather hardy.

as previously mentioned, you get both good and bad breeding projects. but in general, German bred fish are generally purer, hardier and (IMO anyway) prettier. the Czech breeders are getting a good reputation. but SE Asian fish always seem to be of a slightly less good quality.

IMO, for a breeding project, wild fish should be used. but for general fish-keeping I would prefer to keep German or Czech fish as opposed to SE Aian ones


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## renegade545 (Jul 4, 2008)

PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn said:


> IMO, for a breeding project, wild fish should be used. but for general fish-keeping I would prefer to keep German or Czech fish as opposed to SE Aian ones


Although i can't really comment on the whole german bred thing. I can agree with this comment. Wild caught should be used for breeding projects, or fish that are close to the wild generation like F1-F3s. I also think culling should be practised very regularly with breeders, or with fish that are to be passed onto other hobbyists.


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