Father-Daughter Cross
Generation 1: breed the best male to his best daughters. Selects for dominant traits of the father.
Produces uniform offspring but concentrates recessive defects. Only use if founder line is genetically strong.
Sibling Crosses
Generation 2: breed best brother and sister from G1. Doubles down on selected traits.
Watch for deformities — excessive sibling crossing causes weak spines, small size, fertility loss.
Outcross Refresh
Generation 3-4: introduce a new unrelated male of the same strain. Revives genetic diversity without losing the strain traits.
Choose the outcross male carefully — must carry the same color/tail genes even if from a different line.
Culling Discipline
Cull 80-90% of each generation. Only the top specimens move forward.
This is the hardest part for beginners — giving away mid-quality fry instead of breeding them.