Is this the future of my Shubunkin?

[xAbD]

We started with seven Shubunkin about five years ago. We still have six, but I'm not sure how many are the original ones. I know three are definitely off-spring! Here are some images that will explain why these are not original!

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The off-spring are the ones pointed to by the arrows. The originals were all like the other three fish in this pic, multi-colored. I believe the largest fish in this image is one of a pair we called the 'Blues Brothers' because they were almost identical and had lots of blue coloring.​

The two off-spring showed up last year. I call the smaller one an 'albino' but it is actually more flesh colored. The other one is not really black but a brownish/grey-black. Not particularly pretty as far as color but it has larger, more flowing fins than it's more colorful parents/cousins!​

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This is the last of the off-spring, also appeared last year. It has the same huge, flowing fins but about a dozen colored spots to 'prove' it's lineage!​

Another view of the muddy-buddy. Its only additional color is on the leading edges of what I think are the pelvic fins.​

I assume this is simply the predominant colorings coming out. OTOH, all the three(?) other off-spring have been the 'normal' Shubunkin coloring. Or are they just 'flukes?!' Or, worse yet, caused by poor water/pond maintenance!

We have also had two non-Shubunkins grow up in the pond. I assume they were simply minnows or minnow eggs brought in from birds/frogs from some large ponds within 500 to 1,000 feet of our pond. Our back yard connects to ~140 acres of undeveloped land with at least three large ponds. Across our street the homes back up to a large golf course with additional large ponds. the end of our street (~1,000') is a city park with a very large and fish-stocked lake.

 

[addy1]

lol you and I have some of the same shubbies, I have long flowing blackish with tons of color spots, a few greenish gray, beautiful finnage. Others all mixtures of colors, really pretty to me.
I started with one shubbie and two gf. Added a few shubbies the first summer. What I have now are pond spawn.

 

[sissy]

I like the black one and bought a black one and 2 years later he started changing color and now is white :cheerful:

 

[Mmathis]

The fins are just beautiful! They probably will continue to change colors.

 

[xAbD]

bought a black one and 2 years later he started changing color and now is white

Sun UN-tan?! LOL! All our others have looked like 'real' Shunbunkins. I'll keep an eye out for changes, however.

What is a 'normal' life span for this breed, anyway? It would probably be longer in a well cared-for pond. I had a horrible string-algae bloom last year and finally emptied and pressure washed the pond early this Spring. I'm probably the worst care-taker on the forum. Still learning, hopefully!

 

[addy1]

I have read 15 to 25 years, just a minor spread............ Guess we need to make sure we really want them to give them a nice home until they go the fishy heaven...........

 

[HARO]

I like the black one and bought a black one and 2 years later he started changing color and now is white :cheerful:

Did you name him Michael Jackson? :biggrin:
John

 

[xAbD]

More 'black' animals! This time they're tadpoles! Hopefully the Shubbies will eat a few. They will probably cannibalize themselves to just a few who will squabble over the territory and create a racket all nite!

 

[addy1]

We had thousands of tads, do not see thousands of frogs, there must be some natural selection.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I have noticed that my first shubunkin, which was about the same size as my oldest comets, is missing this year. I can only assume he was a casualty of the racoon that killed at least two other fish last year. However I'm pretty sure some of my younger comets have some mixed shubunkin heritage from him. Still a shame to lose him, I think he would have been about 5 years old this year.

 

[sissy]

tadpoles clog up my filters if i don't take them away .Maybe he came back as a fish and if he starts singing and dancing and wearing a black glove I am going to be rich Haro :afro:

 

[shakaho]

Do you want to know the genetics involved here?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

More 'black' animals! This time they're tadpoles! Hopefully the Shubbies will eat a few. They will probably cannibalize themselves to just a few who will squabble over the territory and create a racket all nite!

I'm waiting for frogs to discover my small pond. Its kind of a package deal for me, if I have a pond, I need frogs. I've also got two Green Frog Tadpoles I found earlier in the year that I'm raising indoors; hoping when they change I'll release them in the pond and they'll stick around.

 

[addy1]

I'm waiting for frogs to discover my small pond. Its kind of a package deal for me, if I have a pond, I need frogs. I've also got two Green Frog Tadpoles I found earlier in the year that I'm raising indoors; hoping when they change I'll release them in the pond and they'll stick around.

Our green frogs take two years to morph. So they might not get legs until next year.

 

[sissy]

wow that long addy