Visit Noboru Iwasaki's Web Site

Noboru Iwasaki is an authority of Japanese guppy scene. He’s one of the first person who opened guppy shop in this whole world. Also English version of his publication ‘ Fancy Strains And How To Produced Them “ ( TFH, 1989 ) has been in long run until today. Currently he own 2 guppy shops and run guppy contest in Tokyo. Here is possibly the first formal interview of him ever in Western world.

Guppy Labs: Mr.Iwasaki, we are pleased to have this precious opportunity. At the first, could you please introduce yourself ?

Iwasaki: I became a pro breeder from amateur when I started my first guppy shop ’ Tokorozawa Tropical Fish ’ (http://www.tokorozawa-guppy.com) in 1985. Since then I have been involving multiple activities through publications and guppy contest. My goal is the spread of quality Japanese show strains as matured hobby among adult people.

Guppy Labs: The late last year, you also started the new project. Could you please tell us more about it ?

Iwasaki: Yes, I started my new shop “Guppy Lab” (http://www.guppy-lab.com), yes, the same name as this bulletin! I cooperate with Gen Hideshima who is an owner of Atelier G Group. We have about 300 tanks inside of shop for raising and selling show strains. We breed mainly the popular stains in present Japanese guppy scene like German Yellow Tuxedo (HB White) , Blue Grass, solid US & German Delta, Longfins (Swallows, Ribbons, Hi- Fin and Super Sailfins) , Sword and Wild Foam guppies etc.

Guppy Labs: You are a long time contributor of a famous Japanese monthly fish magazine ‘ Aqua Life ‘. In all those enormous contributions, especially the article of your beautiful German Yellow Tuxedo have been deep impression to us. Could you please tell us the history and basic genetics of of him?

Iwasaki: Well, I’m proud of the quality of Japanese German Yellow Tuxedo as I myself a very serious about this strain. Since the original pairs were imported from Germany by Toshio Hamai in 1969, Japanese breeders have been working real hard on it.

I keep and maintain 2 different lines myself. The actual guppies I’m selling in my shop is the hybrid of these #1 & #2 lines. #1 is the classic line which I’m keeping and working for 20 years. It carries cream yellow dorsal & caudal which is similar looking to US HB Yellow Delta. #2 line carry pearl white dorsal and caudal as known as HB White and this line is more popular in Japanese guppy contest.

( ** Guppy show is called ' Guppy contest ' in Japan. )
In the actual contest, the fish get high score is the type ' Silver Back ' that carries silver color on the back and around gills.

It is the remarkable fact that all of my lines carry Nigrocaudatus gene ( half black , tuxedo ) on both X and Y chromosome. So it’s possibly help and improve line breeding than just keep several HB White lines or US HB Pastel lines because it is almost no failure when you do outcross my line into another line.

Guppy Labs: Now because of the computer, we can see almost all the different types of guppies in the world on Internet and can purchase them. We think it is really great progress, but on the other hand, we hear the opinion of anxiety if the regional distinctive feature of guppies would be lost or all the guppies in the world would be just average quality. Mr. Iwasaki, what do you think about this global tendency for this past 5 years ?

Iwasaki: I think it’s the great thing to take out borders for prosperity of each other also for hobby. Please remember that guppy is very popular pet fish. You can purchase them in your local pet shops with $1.00 each fish. But if you count the actual number of serious breeders, it is still very limited and not enough quantities. So the cooperate each other and work together is the key of prosperity just like this bulletin.

Guppy Labs: How about current Japanese guppy market ?

Iwasaki: The market price is unstable. The new guppies from foreign countries are always sold with very high price for first 6 months, then normally the price start to go down to the average. Only Swallows and show quality popular strains like Blue Grass and German Yellow Tuxedo are always staying at the certain high price no matter how the market is. It is because they are not easy to keep good quality unless you spend extra time on them.

Guppy Labs: There are many foreign strains on recent Japanese web sites and internet auctions. Please give some comments.

Iwasaki: In my personal opinion, especially German & US Solid Delta strains are very beautiful and well established. They have started coming into Japan for this past few years. They are 100 % breed true with rich dorsal, caudal length and width, easy to keep and also easy to adopt their blood into present Japanese strains. Japan is basically the island country of processed goods. So, as well as the past experience of German Yellow Tuxedo, Singapore Neon Tuxedo, Sri Lanka Micariff, we... I mean , breeders will be in success to breed and establish these new guppies as their own.

Guppy Labs: Could you please tell us about Mosaic guppies, especially how you can keep good caudal pattern ?

Iwasaki: I know Mosaic guppy is the hardest one as well as Cobra ( Snakeskin ). It's generally believed that the caudal pattern is X-linked, Well... it's not wrong but what I would like to say is , it's not just a single gene on X chromosome. The final caudal pattern is determined by a group of genes. You need to improve the caudal pattern by inbreeding and selective breeding for years. Mosaic is also one of the oldest strain, now there are many varieties. Red Mosaic, Blue Mosaic, Coral Mosaic, Lazuli Mosaic, Gramo( Mosaic x Grass ) etc.

Guppy Labs: I see... Now here is the question about longfins. If we will enter our longfin guppies especially Swallows, which type will get more high score in the contest , part elongated type or whole elongated type?

Iwasaki: In actual market, whole elongated type is considered as more high value, but in actual guppy contest , we do not have real clear standard yet.
We often judge longfins with our first impression when we see the fish and also total balance.

I have to acknowledge of indistinct of Japanese standard, but to put it the other way around, Japanese standard is tolerance. I believe that is the reason we can create new varieties every year also can enter contests and take places without be too captured by standard which we agreed ourselves.

Guppy Labs: Now please give some comments for the future of hobby as well as your message to all the readers of this bulletin. Thank you so much for today !

Iwasaki: I have no idea of the future's guppy world but for sure it will be O.K. unless I will be retired ! ( laughing) My breeding policy is " Comfortable, Easy, Slowgoing and Patient ". Enjoy this wonderful species and always remember they are alive. Please do the great care of them ! Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity for answering the interview!