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This is the second time for us to put his interview since July last year. We have gotten some passionate requests from our readers, so here is once more again also we would like to say thank you for his friendship and support. Let's go now!

Guppy Labs: Hi, Mr. Kobayashi, thanks again & also welcome back to our bulletin. Since your last article, we have gotten many questions from our readers especially about genetics, tank size and also filters, so we will ask you these topics this time. At the first, now we have seen your own handcrafted filters to your several hundreds tanks and you also get a good sales record to your customers. Frankly this filter is unusual. Could you please tell us more about this?

Kobayashi: I have been using this handcrafted filter since I started my own guppy shop few years ago. In that time, I was planning to sell something that looks amateur handcrafted product because it's fun to use for both my customers and myself. I was a chief of a large chain pet shop company before and I could only sell or use certain professional brand items. So I wanted to do something different because I myself is a creative guppy breeder. Anyway my filter costs very low to make. As you can see on pictures, all you have to prepare is vinyl cup, tube, stones and redhorn snails. Also there is one more important thing. You need to use the water that is treated with liquid bio nitrifying bacteria that helps the whole chemistry of tank water. I have a stock of 1 ton of this treated water in the back of my shop. Also these tiny redhorn snails are my favorite too as excellent tank cleaner. They look much cuter than regular brown or yellow snails also they do not lay eggs on the side of tank, so easy to take care of them.

Guppy Labs: Thank you. Now we go to the next. We are always wondering the same subject about the space and tank size that Japanese breeders are using. Why you guys can success to raise show quality guppies with using small tanks?

Kobayashi: This small tanks are the regular size for us to breed guppy (laughing ). Each tank can hold 30 -60 liters water. And some breeders are using even smaller tanks. The main reason is because of the space we live. Our country land is small and house renting costs very high. So the first we think is how we can save the space and get the maximum results. We prefer to put three 20cm tanks instead of one 60cm tank on the same space. I maintain 200 mini tanks (10 ~ 20 liters each). These tanks encourage growth of fries. They can find food easy and they need to eat as much as they can. But after fries become 1 month old, small space is an obstacles against the growth, so you need to move fish into the bigger tanks or I cull them real heavily to give them low density of populaion.

Guppy Labs: Recently you finally uploaded microscope pictures of comparison of Red Grass & blue grass caudal color pigment cells on your guppy site. Our first impression is they are beautiful and impressive. We know you have been doing this research for more than three years with your friend researchers. We also have some serious guppy fellows who especially focus on this topic in Canada, USA and Europe for years but in Japanese guppy world, you are the only person so far. Could you please share with us what you have been doing?

Kobayashi: I'm actually a bid hesitate to discuss about this technical stuff on guppy site. Regarding those microscope pictures, I simply wanted to show the basic principle what the actual blue guppy is.

(1) is the microscope picture of caudal of Blue Grass and (2) is Red Grass. As you can see on these pictures, Red Grass carry red color cells but Blue Grass does not carry blue color pigment cells.

So now, we dye cell membrane so we can see more detail: (3) is Blue Grass and (4) is Red Grass. You can see Red Grass has the cell membrane form /stand in an orderly line but Blue Grass cell membrane are more random form. Thus these yellow color cells of Blue Grass are diffused reflected by these cell membrane, and came looks blue color to our human eyes. I will keep posting more on my site.

Guppy Labs: Thank you. Now we would like to ask you about your Galaxy Ivory Grass that is one of your favorites. Do you have any new discovery recently? They actually look like accomplished your goal.

Kobayashi: This guppy is very similar to Red Grass in their color structure & basic genetics and that is the reason all the offsprings become ivory color caudal and not including blau genetics. It is completely different from Silver Blue Grass that actually has similar look. In recently, I have divided to this line into two lines. One is growing huge and the other stay in medium size.

Guppy Labs: How about Sunset Grow? Is it Lutino? In generally speaking, all these so-called solid full color bodied strains have troubles on dorsal and caudal if you try breeding them toward Delta. And if they are albino, it is even worse. However your fish has exceptional rich dorsal & caudal. What was (were) the basic strain(s) you used to create this fish or any breeding secrets?

Kobayashi: Yes, Sunset Grow is Lutino. This line is still under improvement and there is something important on Y chromosome. It can make body color of guppy either red or aquamarine blue (Interviewer guess that mr. Kobayashi is talking about Coral Red / Blue ), and this gene(s) seems to affect the caudal too. As you folks know red pigment has interesting and complex effects, so I'm interesting to explore this field. Anyway I use Japanese Show quality Mosaic for maintaining the size of dorsal & caudal, also body side of Sunset Grow. Also once IFGA Red Delta was used for cross too.

Guppy Labs: Could you please introduce the guppies that are the special for you?

Kobayashi: OK!

(1) Galaxy Blue Grass.... This is very Japanese guppy and one of the best fish. The original breeder was my friend who passed away last year. I try to keep this original line as long as possible.

(2) Solid Blue...This is Solid Blue Grass. As you can see, it's a beautiful light blue solid color guppy. I use very basic method to take out grass pattern from the original strain. (Interviewer guesses he was using autosomal recessive S. Metal or Micariff.) Basically it contains Asian blau genetics so some red offspring come out.

(3) Santamaria Galaxy...This is F1 of Galaxy x IFGA Blue Delta. Hope I can establish 100% breed true Snatamaria Galaxy Blue Delta in the future.

Male

Female

(4) Color Female...I've kept this strain for quite long time. This is a real old classical line. This picture is a pair of Grass Base Mosaic (a.k.a Gramo.

(5) Ivory Grass...This line was divided from Galaxy Ivory Grass. Clear black & white contrast makes this guppy very attractive.

I have more I would like to show. If you are interesting, please just visit my site!

Guppy Labs: Thank you. By the way, you love Sake! (laughing)

Kobayashi: Yes, I admit Sake is a part of my life as social. ( laughing).

Guppy Labs: Please give us a message to all the readers to this bulletin. Thank you so much for today.

Kobayashi: This International bulletin is wonderful! If I can be a part of this project, I would be real happy!