# New "Rorschach" Guppy I'm working on. Rorschach Report 05/06/2014 Update



## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

I have been breeding guppies for 4 years now, and my goal was to produce ones that resemble betta males because you obviously can't house those together.

Here is my "Chocolate Cherry" line:










Young adult male size comparison to standard size HM Betta (Adult males are larger, but didn't want to stress another out exposing it to Mr. Betta. This one young, cooperative, and full of beans):










Over all, pretty happy with the results. Extra large, finny, colorful, and breed true:










Recently, I have been experimenting with extended high dorsals, and introduced them to the CC line and have been getting these, which I hope to refine. Young adult male:










Alternate view:










His sister:










I am calling them "Rorschach". They are unique in that the pattern changes slightly, but the color does not. I haven't made my mind up about the heart shaped tail yet, but I like the unusual...

Just thought I'd share 
-Stef*


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## devilduck (May 9, 2012)

Awesome work! I'd love a few for my wife someday. She's a psychologist.


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## mosspearl (Jan 30, 2013)

They're beautiful!


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## sc91006 (Nov 8, 2011)

Beautiful specimens, would you be selling any in the future? I really like the extended high dorsal one, great pattern and finage.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Too funny devilduck-yeah, they'd be right up her alley.

Thank you, Toni 

sc91006: I hope to offer them after I refine and work on them a bit more. Need to weed out some of the red that is cropping up from the Chocolate Cherry influence, although the splash of red has it's charm, too. No red in a Rorschach, though. If you see red in one of those tests, you might be walking on the edge.

-Stef*


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## fishophile (Feb 6, 2012)

I enjoy seeing what can be breed. Any chance that you have pictures of previous generations?


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## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

Wow, very cool!


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Very nice strains. Does the increased size influence swimming or ability of males to fertilize females?


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## Beautifuldisaster172 (Aug 29, 2013)

let me know when you decide to sell some, they are beautiful, i personally like the red, although the black is better i think


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## tumbleweedz (Mar 1, 2012)

Cool


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## Lia (Aug 2, 2007)

I love the black one's , not something you see .


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Very beautiful.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

This is some great work. I love the black one as well, much more than the red. Plus the patterning is phenomenal.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Looks like it might have some 'Cobra Endler' influence. Very cool looking!


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

fry?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Here is a brief (not) history of the development and addressing some questions.
My foundation stock 4 years ago:









Fancy Pants









Yellow Snakeskin









Red

I was not too concerned with color, rather size and finnage and structure to support fins. I wanted them to look like bettas, not Show Guppies.
They were picked from a LFS that is no longer is existence. However, when getting feeder guppies for a sunfish, there was this cool large Endler in the mix. It bred with one of my females, and I got these (Not the sword):










I didn't really want Endler in the mix, but he gave high extended dorsals, sturdiness, and longevity. This original Edler mix/hybrid is the last remaining one I have. The pic was taken recently. Yes, he is 3 1/2 years old!
Breeding him and his siblings produced some er...mishaps:










and pretty:










I took select fish for their length, dorsals, and strong peduncles. I choose L O N G females. I know the plain Jane females are more desired to breed, but I chose ones that looked like males, which is why I probably have more females than males in my broods (?) Male w/Female underneath.










Thus, Chocolate Cherries were line bred:


















And Frosted Cherries (Dilute Chocolate Cherries):










I was not concerned with color, but wanted new blood/outcross, so earlier this year I got high fin extended dorsal Blue Grass Metalheads. They are a little smaller than my lines, but had the finnage. Bred them with the CC's and got these:










Bred these "muddled" mood-rings (colors change overnight) back to the darkest CC and metalheads I had, and thus the Rorschach was born. Fry from these are what I am now currently working on. (2nd generation)

Breeding extreme finnage is a man made desire. These fish would never survive in the wild. Like a persian cat to a cougar, or a pug to a wolf. If you house them with fin nippers, it's like throwing a fishing lure to a bass. However, they are hardy and have no problems swimming, and hold their own. The body form and endler influence contributes to that. They are not the skinny-waisted/big bustle tail variety. The older ones do tend to "rest" on plants like a betta. They are not aggressive like a betta, and like most male guppies, constantly display and dance. No bent spines, unless geriatric or old timers. All my fish are kept in planted tanks.
Mobility/breeding ability is not an issue:










-Stef*


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## Beautifuldisaster172 (Aug 29, 2013)

beautiful fish, i like the choc cherrys best


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## cownose-ray (Sep 28, 2013)

The rorshach guppies, wow, never seen anything like that before.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

You said you didn't want a show guppy but when you finally get your strain set you should show these. They are lovely. Nice work. Also give one dozen to the ifga to market on your behalf. Pretty soon your selling them for $75 a trio.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

Have you read any work from Philip Shaddock?


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## Elli (Sep 7, 2013)

Gorgeous! Great write-up on your process, too. I love the chocolate cherries!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Thanks, (*blush*) all.

amcoffeegirl: I didn't do any research at all on breeding guppies, like I did with these bettas. I briefly looked up ifga years ago to see what show standards were for guppies, to see how mine compared to others and the standard, when I first got them. I used a mental picture of a betta for my model, and my own private standard. Something I would enjoy looking at, large and healthy. Something that looks like a tank of male bettas. From there, it was trial and error, selection, and lots n lots of time. I just now looked up who Philip Shaddock was, and looks like interesting reading. (I noticed from the covers of his books that his examples have the same elongated, wide peduncle area as my guys) I personally don't like the clear or cellophane gups -might as well get a glass catfish if you want to see a living encyclopedia chart or innards, so I tried to steer clear of anything that would look like that. Appeals to some, but I like color and designs cause I'm an artist 

I am going to try improving and "setting" the Rorschach line, and also making them available for people who like them, but it's going to take a few generations.
Like a lot of people, I am limited on space, so it's going to take a little longer.
I also have my hands and space full with the recent betta boom.
When I get my ducks in a row, I will be hitting y'all up for advice on ifga for the Rorschach.
I hope to offer Bettas, Chocolate Cherries, and those who I can't use in my breeding program as RAOK and sale here in the very near future.

-Stef*


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## Kitsune_Gem (Apr 10, 2012)

I want more photos of those blacks ones!! Those are amazing!


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

Philip shaddock does a lot of guppy gene crosses a documents them as you have done. He has a Facebook and a forum and you should post your line for him to see. Just a thought. I loved reading his findings and results. He does more than just the see through guppy. I love guppies and yours are up there. Btw judges love large guppies. They are easier to see. Lol


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

I am so excited at the interest shown. I am kicking myself because when the Rorschachs' started cropping up, I culled quite a few because they appeared too dark. Angelfish ate good. But the ones that caught my eye are the jet black with the pale designs going up the body-no defined mosaic, lace, grass, or any other pattern-just random. A few individuals stuck out like a sore thumb, and these I kept and bred and their fry/juvies are showing the same traits. 

I will post pics sometime this week of the handful I'm working with.

Also, what is really bizarre, is when I made this post, google informed me it was Hermann Rorschach's birthday. I had no clue.
-Stef*


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## dear_iinsanity (Nov 6, 2013)

Wow those colors are amazing


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

More updates, pics, and game plans...

Been weeding out the Chocolate Cherry Influence.
(Still not sure about the heart shaped tail, but it's growing on me)
Young male and juvy example:


















These two young'uns are close, but no cigar:










These young females and juvy gals are keepers, and what I'm aiming for:


















Young juvy male with Rorschach Papa.
Dad looked exactly like him at this age.










Another promising boy. They DO get darker as they mature. the bluish tail base turns pale yellow/whitish designs creep up the body, like "Jupiter" (aptly named), the male above him.
(Excuse his tattered fins-netting mishap. Grim reminder to only use clear plastic cups to catch, like a betta) I would prefer a blacker eye on this juvy, though. Working on "Getting the red out." Pour in some Visine? Just kidding.










After I inbreed a few generations to "lock in" the Rorschach design, I will add pure black HD guppy to the mix. Solid black guppy breeders have a hard time keeping them jet black-colors eventually bleed through, which is exactly what I want. Sorry solid black guppy breeders  I am using and appreciating your hard work 
I don't want to use Tuxedos, Moscows, or Pandas because I am looking for solid black heads-not white/light. Also, Pandas (very cute) will decrease my size, which I worked quite a few years on. The blue grass HD metalheads I introduced in March helped to contribute to the design, but decreased size a little. My CC's boosted the size back up. 
I want the Rorschach large.










I have quite a few dark hatches right now from first generation Rorschach. They are still tiny fry, but as they grow, I'll add pics and developments.
-Stef*


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Very nice Stef!

I like the black ones!


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Are you aiming for B&W or do you want some yellow in there too?


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## James M (Jun 21, 2012)

Nice work and interesting thread.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

h4n said:


> Very nice Stef!
> 
> I like the black ones!


Thank you! 



Soothing Shrimp said:


> Are you aiming for B&W or do you want some yellow in there too?


Black and white, ultimately, but right now I would like to set the pattern. I have black with white, ivory, pale blue (from the blue grass), and all shades of yellow. The red is hardest to delete. I don't want to use Ivory Mosaics, or real light fish because they tend to pull red. After I get a consistency from inbreeding, I will out-cross with jet black genes (in QT as we speak). The total blacks are hard to get totally black (which I do have)-the white bellies surface, especially on the females, which is fine for my purpose. It is easier to "lighten up" a black fish than to add black and darken SELECT areas on a white, ivory mosaic, or white headed fish. Also, I don't really want a mosaic pattern per say. I don't want a reverse leopard print either. A random ink-blot look, where you can see something a little different in each fish-like a paint/pinto horse, or clouds. 

I am just in the beginning stages, but they seem to be coming along nicely, and each generation gets closer (just enclosed photos of certain fish for this journal/strain. I have a tank going of siblings, original parents and those that need refining of this strain, and a tank of those who are very close to the mark. A tank of Chocolate Cherries, crosses, and those who don't make the Rorschach cut to be offered soon). It is going to take some time, though.



James M said:


> Nice work and interesting thread.


Thank you, James. The hard part is catching them for photographs. Although guppies tend to stick rather top-side, the ones you target for a photo fest have ESP and dive down below or hide. Or you have a photo hog/glory queen that insists upon jumping in your cup every dip.
-Stef*


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## James M (Jun 21, 2012)

You know it's funny, I've been doing this for quite a long time. For so long, going back to 1984, I was a cichlid fanatic. Since then for the most part it was either cichlids or marine fish, including reefs. I wanted nothing to do with community fish, and least of all something like a guppy. They were just feeders. Now I'm all about the community, or "wimp' fish as I used to call them. I let my wife put a few guppies in my most recent planted tank, and can't believe how much I'm enjoying them - I never would have believed it years ago if someone told me I'd be keeping guppies - and loving it!

Now all I can think about is getting another variety or 2 to throw in there.
Those chocolate cherries are quite nice.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

James M, I remember as a little girl sitting at the counter of a drugstore in PA, eating ice cream cones and looking at the display of fish for sale. You had 2 choices-goldfish or guppies. Your food choice was one: Hartz Mt. goldfish flakes. The most exotic thing to me was angelfish. (I'm not ancient-just a very good memory)

Guppies have come a long way since then, but I still stare at them with delight, like that little girl many moons ago, and will always have a soft spot for them.
And ice cream 
-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

It's been awhile since I updated the progress on the Rorschach.
The first generation is maturing, but not really accurate because the
females were not virgin.
The Rorschach that I want carbon copied is having a high time alone
with his mother, sisters, and maiden daughters.
Time will tell when the many fry being born solely from this breeding are his.

So, I have been giving the Pre-Rorschach their own strain name that is fitting, and breeding true. "The Stained Glass Guppy".
These fish have just reached maturity:





































It is proving to be a challenge to get it down to one color (preferably
white or very pale shade) on a basically black fish, with color creeping up the body, without sacrificing the black head, but it has only been a couple months.

I would say this is the closest so far:










Some shots of the true Rorschach gals (immediate sisters):



















I am really quite taken with this individual from the Stained Glass brood,
but don't have the space for another strain, and might be back peddling.
It is the only one.
In person, this fish looks like it is wrapped in rainbow tinted tin foil:










I am going to encourage a new Chocolate Cherry variation, though,
The Cherry Vanilla.
I will save the pics for the next post so this one isn't too photo heavy.

-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Hello again 
From the opposite side of the color spectrum, The Cherry Vanilla:

Female:










Males:




























The female (Miss Cherry Vanilla) had her first spawn yesterday,
from her doppleganger brother.

A good portion of the fry were born a glowing, golden white.
They stuck out like a sore thumb, and every fish in the tank was taking 
a snatch at them, even other darker colored fry and juvies from the Chocolate
Cherry gang, who are not generally fry eaters.
I placed them in a large breeder box with plants until they get a bit bigger
and can hold their own. I got about a bakers dozen of this color, and a few
normal colored in the box. A good start, methinks. Pics will follow as they mature.

Darn guppies have to be the hardest fish to photograph. (hence the camera
recommendation thread by Darkcobra)

So, keeping fingers crossed for a promising New Year!
I hope these are future Rorschachs!










-Stef*


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

I absolutely am in LOVE with this male guppy with the multi colored dots on the tail. I'd call it Confetti or Clown or Party or something. Beautiful!

Your ror is awesome!


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## Duck5003 (Oct 1, 2012)

Wow are these nice. You have some beautiful guppies!


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## Nathaniel (Nov 30, 2013)

Gorgeous guppies! They are really striking and I love their massive finnage


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

are you shipping any yet


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Should have some available in the very near future, neighbor, that I am willing to ship.
Waiting for the country to thaw out a bit.
Priority still seems to be running a day or two late in some areas.

Hope this answered your shipping question.
PM me for details 
-Stef*


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## SinisterSheltie (May 28, 2013)

I'm not a guppy fan in general, but your Rorschach line is stunning. I can't wait to see it develop and will definitely be interested in getting a few when you're ready to sell. Gorgeous fish and great work!


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

Come to papi

Cherry vanilla.. are pretty awesome too!


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## Kitsune_Gem (Apr 10, 2012)

Urg! Stef!! Now I want some even more! Haha hopefully come spring/summer when its warming you will have some


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## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

Beautiful pieces of art<3! (oh, I mean guppies)


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## SmellsFishy (Dec 9, 2013)

The only other black guppies that I've seen ANYWHERE was from a batch of fry from my green cobra male to a random female


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

SmellsFishy said:


> The only other black guppies that I've seen ANYWHERE was from a batch of fry from my green cobra male to a random female


Yes, It IS challenging to get majority of the body black.
(Other than full black moscows)
I will update this thread as soon as some mature more. Very promising.

I have been getting some with awesome color, mostly black, but the tail is clear.
Also, I have been getting what I originally wanted 4 years ago-large male guppies with endler color, but fancy guppy size and delta tails, from the Chocolate Cherries. The bodies are a riot of color.

Stained Glass are cropping up-Rorschach with 2 or more colors, which isn't Rorschach to me, but very pretty.

For only working with them since Oct/Nov, I'm quite pleased with the results.
Just need to work on space. And patience 

-Stef*


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## darkcrisis (Jan 21, 2009)

Nice work, those are beautiful guppies! I hope to see more FS when it the weather warms up. I have a nearly empty 55 gallon and would like to get back into guppies. These would be perfect!


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## GuppyGuppyGuppyGuppyGuppy (Feb 11, 2012)

Hey, are you selling these? I just set up a small tank intended for guppy breeding. I'd love to buy a pair if you have some within the next month or so. I'm in a very warm area.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

I have some promising juvies, new fry dropping every week or so, unusual individuals that I don't have the space to start up new strains with, and some I can't use in my breeding program. Just waiting for the weather to start behaving itself 

This thread is intended to journal my guppy strains and educate from my success and failures. I will be adding new pics soon, and to answer questions, I do hope to offer on the Sale/Trade/RAOK etc sections soon.

-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Been about 6 weeks, so update time.

These fish were born in mid Dec. It's what I originally set out to do.
Full size (large) fancy guppies with full fan tails and Endler colors.
(Stained Glass/Pre Rorschach x Chocolate Cherries)










Lowest fish in this shot is a 4 month old Chocolate Cherry:










Some very young juvies of Chocolate Cherry influence.
Sorry for the horrible lighting. I tried on a strict white background without adjusting the camera, but you can see the nice structure to support future finnage:










Better shot (the red tailed ones):










Here's those funky clear tailed ones. Approx. 1.5 months. 
I'm not terribly fond of these. I think they are a throwback to this guy, one of the oldest guppies we have. (F1 Endler hybrid) He's kept around for sentimental reasons. His Pa came from a feeder guppy tank.
His dorsal is what provided such extreme finnage on my fish. Not only does it reach past the peduncle, but way past the tail as well:










Chillin' with Great Great Great Great Great Grandpappy:



















The Cherry Vanilla with some fry. These are young fish, too, but the largest bodied, beefiest of them all. I got a jump on separating them (unlike the Rorschach), as the fry were born golden white with blue eyes:



















Once again, sorry to disappoint on the lighting. After the fish were back in their designated tanks, I checked out the photos. I did not feel like fishing them out again for a re-do. They are not close to coloring up; still very young hopeful Rorschachs:




























I'm still unsure if the females are "packing" from a pre-Rorschach (Stained Glass) male, but some have been solely with the ideal male for the last 2 months. Still have to play the waiting game a bit longer with this strain, and it is a very slow maturing strain. They tend to get darker as they mature, and though not as large as the Chocolate Cherries, the Stained Glasses I would say are a med-large guppy.

Hopefully I'll be back with some more photos of them and under better lighting in a month or so 

-Stef*


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

Stef!! Great update.!!!

keep it up!


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

These are looking great! Question, are you line breeding or inbreeding? Im working on a project right now with some Endler Hybrids and I want to compare your systematic breeding with mine.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

EntoCraig said:


> These are looking great! Question, are you line breeding or inbreeding? Im working on a project right now with some Endler Hybrids and I want to compare your systematic breeding with mine.


They are both line bred and inbred 
To line breed, you kinda have to inbreed.

On page 2, pics 1-3 are the foundation stock. The only male guppies I used.
Since my original plan was to have guppies that look like bettas in size and finnage, I selected only offspring that where either extremely finny or large.

The females I selected (8 originals), were picked for size and large colored tails and dorsals.

I cannot trace back any farther, because they were from a LFS that went belly up (pardon the pun).

Since I achieved my goal with the Chocolate Cherries, I wanted to create the same but with traditional Endler colorings.

I added Metallic Blue Grass with high dorsals from someone on AB last March.

I added a Walmart lone guppy I rescued from a tank of 500 glofish last Fall.
He was basically metallic green, but turned Royal Blue Moscow.

I am in the process of introducing Solid Black Extended Dorsal Moscows from eBay I got in Dec. I want to enrich the Rorschach line I am trying to set because the black bodies and heads are extremely hard to get. I'm not going for half blacks-I want reverse half blacks with the black on the first half of the fish.

Another reason I stress QT-none of the original trio of Blacks I got made it thru QT. I'd lose one one week, another the following. The juvie "bonus" fish did make it, and one female dropped fry before she passed. I QT'd these fish and hit them with medications for worms and etc. for another whole month.
They have been introduced to some Stained Glass/Pre-Rorschachs, but still too soon to tell. The originals were delicate and kinda small, but very black.
I am hoping I can beef up size with my guys, and get the color from these blacks.

Basically, all my guppies can from the original 3, and crossbred to create lines.
There does come a point where you have to introduce new, or you risk your lines getting weak from constant inbreeding-like anything else.

3 males from different sources/lines are a great start because you have a lot of "play time" and "creative mad scientist" room.
It does mean you have to have multiple tank set ups. Count on at least 2 tanks per line (male and female tank) and a fry grow out tank for that line.

I am really grateful to Warlock for the pickle-jar breeding idea. It's a great way to keep a line 100% pure and carefully monitored.
Females can hold male sperm for up to 6 months sometimes, starting at juvie stage, so it's hard to be accurate unless you raise them from fry and they had no outside influence.

 Stef*


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## jkelly (Feb 12, 2014)

Stef* these are just beautiful!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

jkelly said:


> Stef* these are just beautiful!


Thank You!
A lot of time and effort went into them.
Guppies ARE easy to breed. Selective breeding, and the unpleasant but necessary culling that comes with it, is not.

 Stef*


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

The stained-glass guppies are my favorite! I'm loving their multicolored tails . Makes me want to go back into guppies again.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Art by Stef* said:


> They are both line bred and inbred
> To line breed, you kinda have to inbreed.
> 
> On page 2, pics 1-3 are the foundation stock. The only male guppies I used.
> ...


Awesome, I have a similar plan for my breeding project. Thanks for sharing. Im impressed with the quick results of your line!


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## austin.b (Feb 9, 2012)

Art by Stef* said:


> They are both line bred and inbred
> To line breed, you kinda have to inbreed.
> 
> On page 2, pics 1-3 are the foundation stock. The only male guppies I used.
> ...


Thank you for going in depth, it was very helpful!


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i must say i like the orange bodied males. ive seen reds that show more orangish but not a true orange like those. if you have time/space i would work on those as well. that solid orange is almost a neon orange and pretty


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## EddyBearr (May 28, 2013)

Art by Stef* said:


> Recently, I have been experimenting with extended high dorsals, and introduced them to the CC line and have been getting these, which I hope to refine. Young adult male:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those males are amazing. Good breeding!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

wicca27 said:


> i must say i like the orange bodied males. ive seen reds that show more orangish but not a true orange like those. if you have time/space i would work on those as well. that solid orange is almost a neon orange and pretty


The red/orange shades go back to the original Golden Red guppy foundation male.
It's true color would be cadmium red in a watercolor set.
Not a true red, but very bright. (I try to get my photos close to natural as I can, and even the crappy shots show off the red/orange tone.)

The reason I named my line Chocolate Cherries is because the dark blue and yellow mingled in with the golden red, and the results reminded me of cherries that used to grow on a tree in my neighborhood when I was a child. Also, most have a black signature spot somewhere on them. The dilute version, Frosted Cherries, are peach and light blue/lavender.

The Cherry Vanillas are very dilute-almost albino version of the CC.

Sorry if I get long winded. Feel free to just fast forward to the pics.
Just want to record and inform what I got from breeding what to what.
And you can journey with me in the future and see what comes from the breedings.

Breedings I would not do again are from the one fish in the beginning, under "mishaps". Mostly red wild looking multi colored snakeskin-the one with every inch of his body a riot of color. His offspring produced shorter, rounded half moon tails, a smaller fish, fry resembled him F1, but slowly deteriorated after F1. The tails on the males were colored up after 2 weeks old! I was getting excited, but then that's all they got. Looked liked colored tail females. Boring.

It took a year to get rid of that strain, and I would not get excited when I seen a batch of neon orange tailed fry. Quite the opposite.

-Stef*


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

You're really doing some great work... making totally droolworthy guppys ma'am


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Okay, it's been over a month since the last update.

The star of the show has been quite busy, hitting full maturity, and actually turned out to be a larger sized gup than anticipated:





































His brother has been busy, too. (the one in the middle, with his sons):










And...his son's been busy, too:










I notice that Rorschach fry are born mostly black:
(All from one gal!)










They fade out at 1 1/2-2 months:










Then, after 2 months, they start a darkening trend again:



















This makes it VERY IMPORTANT not to cull until at least 3 months.
This also means more grow-out tanks. Sigh.
(I have a friend who took a small colony to help me out)
On a plus side, maybe because of the large "litters", or the strain, male/female ratio has been approx. 8 male to every 15 female. I'll take it!

This one is interesting. The black lips and pec fins just appeared at 1 1/2 month old:










Daddy's little clone.
Already getting busy:




























Hope to update another progress report in a month or so.
 Stef*


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## Duck5003 (Oct 1, 2012)

Wow, that first male is a stunner!! Very nice looking guppies, as usual


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## jcork1 (Nov 26, 2012)

Beautiful Guppies, I breed Black Moscows, half-blacks, and red tuxedos. Your guppies are out of this world though


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## umarnasir335 (Mar 2, 2014)

These guppies are some of the best I've seen. Stef, I think your line has what it takes to make it something special and stand on its own, kinda like black moscows or tuxedos.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Thank you(s)!
I'm quite proud of how the Rorschachs are progressing. It's really only been a little over 6 months, and I'm finally starting to see a consistent pattern of my ideal. Although, on the way to getting that, I have some very pretty, unusual fish that are just stunning.
Patience is something you have to have, and sometimes I lack it, lol, but the surprise packages I am getting is making it worthwhile.

Almost time for a monthly photo update 
-Stef*


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## Kitsune_Gem (Apr 10, 2012)

Gah you always make me want to set up more tanks! I'm kinda glad I have a 30 gallon limit!


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

great job stef!!

your females are still having babies.. and i have them in tanks with no males  

i will send ya pic updates later


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## chan011 (Apr 6, 2014)

how many lines are you working?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

2 basic lines, with variations encouraged from each line.
Chocolate Cherries=Frosted Cherries=Cherry Vanillas
Rorschach=Stained Glass=Harley Davidson

I have a tank full of males, most don't fit into a category-just spectacular, but no space or time to encourage new strains. There are full black high dorsal Moscows in there, and back up if I need to add "new blood". Haven't had the time, but hope to get a video/photos of this tank and its new scape.

Hopefully, I will be adding new pics to this thread sometime this weekend 

-Stef*


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## Duck5003 (Oct 1, 2012)

I love this thread  i have to say, seeing all your pretty guppies gave me such a greater appreciation for them. I always thought of guppies like you see in most LFS, as thats all i ever had when i was younger but i now know that is not the case. I recently (two days ago) just got my first batch of nicer guppies (largely inspired by your thread  ) and i LOVE them. Almost an entirely different fish IMO. Now i just have to make sure i dont get carried away, i have enough tanks/collectoritus/addiction (pick your poison) in this hobby :help: lol 

So thank you and i cant wait to see more of your pretty fish!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Duck5003 said:


> I love this thread  i have to say, seeing all your pretty guppies gave me such a greater appreciation for them. I always thought of guppies like you see in most LFS, as thats all i ever had when i was younger but i now know that is not the case. I recently (two days ago) just got my first batch of nicer guppies (largely inspired by your thread  ) and i LOVE them. Almost an entirely different fish IMO. Now i just have to make sure i dont get carried away, i have enough tanks/collectoritus/addiction (pick your poison) in this hobby :help: lol
> 
> So thank you and i cant wait to see more of your pretty fish!


Why, Thank You, Duck! It's posts like yours that keep me posting 

Congrats on your new gups! The hard part is photographing the wriggly little bastards (I mean that in the nicest sense. I usually know who's their Daddies). I've tried all sorts of tricks-lights on, off, flashlight in the face (going for the deer-in-the-headlight bit), during feeding, during sleeping, etc.
Best results so far is to put said fish(s) in a small photo container, and get shots before that "OMG Shock Look" hits. The best is putting that container in the existing tank, but then the other fish try to photo-bomb.

-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Rorschach Report:

First, some shots of the fish from the last set so you can see maturity and darkening trend in progress (last 3 pics of last set):




























True Rorschachs' (finally!):



















Metallic powder blue and black mix:




























Warlock, this is what happens when you cross the Chocolate Cherries with Rorschach:




























The colors are just stunning. I wish I could capture the metallics better in photos.

Most unusual of the month.
This Tri-colored gup looks like he was made from 3 different fish.
"Frankenguppy" :



















A pretty yellow bodied one:










All pics, except first three are JUVIES. (First 3, I consider young adult)
Natural morality rate has been 100%-no natural deaths.

Also, an update on the update: These pics were taken a few weeks ago.
I feel like taking a whole new photo shoot, because they are simply gorgeous, but alas, no time. 
I think next update will be adults in full glory 

-Stef*


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## Duck5003 (Oct 1, 2012)

Love them! Your updates are the kind i get a cup of coffee for and just admire for a while lol i love all the pics, that rorschach line is really coming along nicely. 

Are those metalic blue/blacks a project of yours also?? Or just a random outcome? They are really cool looking.

Can't wait for your next update with the adult pics! They already look so nice, thanks for taking the time to post them all


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## Algae Beater (Jun 3, 2011)

Please don't let my girlfriend see these or I'll have to drive quite some distance to obtain some.

Good work!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Duck5003 said:


> Love them! Your updates are the kind i get a cup of coffee for and just admire for a while lol i love all the pics, that rorschach line is really coming along nicely.
> 
> Are those metalic blue/blacks a project of yours also?? Or just a random outcome? They are really cool looking.
> 
> Can't wait for your next update with the adult pics! They already look so nice, thanks for taking the time to post them all


Ha! I gets cups o coffee (or wine, depends) to answer posts and post pics 
Hope the pics don't get too monotonous, but guess that's a good thing in creating a line. As I reach my goal, this thread will wind down with just occasional eye candy adults. It has been most enjoyable, and hasn't even been a year.

The powder blue/black metallics are the result of Stained Glass x Moscow Blacks. Unfortunately, due to space, this is something I can't encourage, but go in the "male only" or "just for fun" tank.

Can only have so many, or it becomes time consuming, and not very fun. Cuts into just-chilling-and-enjoy-watching-fish time. 

However, I will not be breeding the bettas this year, and kind of scaling down on them.
They take a lot of space that could be used for other things, and honestly the gups are as flashy, live as long, and you can have many more in a tank, especially a male only tank. I will never rule out bettas all together, because their personality far surpasses the gup 

-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Algae Beater said:


> Please don't let my girlfriend see these or I'll have to drive quite some distance to obtain some.
> 
> Good work!


Thank you! Get a friend close to the US border I can ship to, then you won't have as far to drive 

-Stef*


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## nyxkitten (Jul 24, 2012)

I wonder if I can convince my husband who is working in MS to get some on his day off and come home with them lmao!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

nyxkitten said:


> I wonder if I can convince my husband who is working in MS to get some on his day off and come home with them lmao!


I'll have coffee waiting for him, too


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## nyxkitten (Jul 24, 2012)

He might just take the coffee and forget the fish lol. He's in the dorms on Keesler AFB so I think he is going to say no *cries*


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## Kat12 (Aug 11, 2013)

What percentage of them have you kulled?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

nyxkitten said:


> He might just take the coffee and forget the fish lol. He's in the dorms on Keesler AFB so I think he is going to say no *cries*


I can always mail you directly. I can even add some beautiful Mystery Snail babies from the ones I got off you in the beginning of the year. Like the guppies, they are the gift that keeps on giving. Pink, purple, blue and all variations and striped. 
-Stef*


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Kat12 said:


> What percentage of them have you kulled?


A touchy subject for some, especially spelled like that :O
But, a necessary part of breeding and creating a healthy strain.

Honestly, since these strains mature so late, very little culling, and very many fish. Had a few jumper mishaps, a couple that didn't look quite right (not surprising in the masses), and about a dozen or so that didn't fit the format, all female. Gave and sold some, and a friend has another colony started for me.
I don't know how many might of got eaten in some tanks? This is out of a few hundred fish. Some spawns are carefully monitored, others a more natural setting.

 Stef*


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## iamtechno (Sep 23, 2013)

So are you going to be selling these guppies?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

iamtechno said:


> So are you going to be selling these guppies?


They will be available when I can safely ship without a heat pack. In some areas of US, the heat pack would be overkill (literally). In others, still a wee bit cold. It was a rough Winter, and Spring took a good long while getting here, even in Louisiana.
I will post in the appropriate area soon. PMs welcomed 

-Stef*


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

hey steff from my understanding the yellow lips is the asian blau gene. not sure what all will come out of it but just a little info on it lol. might help later on


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

wicca27 said:


> hey steff from my understanding the yellow lips is the asian blau gene. not sure what all will come out of it but just a little info on it lol. might help later on


Thanks wicca! Yellow lips crop up from time to time, usually on something that has some blue or black on it. Same with black lips and and extended long pec fins. Maybe from trying to create solid black heads? I haven't imported or used any Asian lines, unless it was from Blue Grass guppies 2 years ago? I can only trace the lines back 4-5 years. 
The yellow lips and "dumbo" ears just started in the last year, but it was before I introduced Black Moscows (recently).
Not trying for the dumbo ear thing. Those fins move so fast you can't see them that well on a gup. I don't have any problem with swimming ability and don't see the need to enhance that. But, the yellow lips are kinda cool 
-Stef*


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## darkcrisis (Jan 21, 2009)

Thank you for documenting your progress. All of them are healthy, large, and beautiful! I haven't seen quality guppies like this in years! I can't imagine the time and attention to detail it would take to create such beautiful guppies, not to mention the number of tanks!


I look forward to following your updates and seeing your progress.


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## KnownSyntax (Mar 15, 2014)

Honestly I love the colors that you have created, the black guppies look so amazing and so do all of the other ones that you ran into.


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## Lucubration (Jun 20, 2013)

Wow, these are some amazing-looking guppies. I think I would still keep betta if I wanted betta fish (they have substantially different personalities than guppies). However, these guys are really impressive in their own right.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Lucubration said:


> Wow, these are some amazing-looking guppies. I think I would still keep betta if I wanted betta fish (they have substantially different personalities than guppies). However, these guys are really impressive in their own right.


I do have bettas, too, and agree the personality is dramatically different, being the guppies are always happy-go-lucky and more food driven, but I can't do this with bettas:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=640714

 Stef*


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## Lucubration (Jun 20, 2013)

Art by Stef* said:


> I do have bettas, too, and agree the personality is dramatically different, being the guppies are always happy-go-lucky and more food driven, but I can't do this with bettas:
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=640714
> 
> Stef*


OOOoooooo......

Indeed.


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## squirrel (Aug 25, 2013)

Have you ever shipped these to Canada?


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