The Sire is an amazing steel blue based melano HMPK! Formwise he is among the best fish I have owned sof ar. He has a very strong D-shaped caudal fin, a nice volumnous dorsal with long front rays which are directed forwards a trapezoid-shaped anal fin and matching ventrals. The Dame is a double black female. She is a steel blue based homozygous black lace and heterozygous for melano black. The Dame has a nice torpedo-shaped body with balanced finnage which still needs some work. The outer rays of the caudal idelly could be a bit longer (sharper corners), the dorsal could be a bit more voluminous witht the front rays more directed forward, the anal is nicely parallel to the body.
With this cross I hope to obtain melano blacks with strong bodies, smooth topline and balanced finnage. The offspring (F1) likely will be steel blue HMPK, black lace and/or melano black. There is a chance of marble to pop up.

06/05/17: The pair spawned.
07/05/17: The fry hatched.
08/05/17: The fry entered the free-swimming stage. Removed the male.
10/05/17: The fry is feeding well on vinegar eels and BBS.
05/07/17: The fry are 9 weeks old. The majority of the fry is steel blue colored of which some show some red wash. There are a few melano blacks in the spawn. This would indicate that the Sire is not a carrier of black lace.

16/09/17: Two HMPK brothers at 19 weeks of age.

16/10/17: The black gold of my fishroom! Two melano HMPK brothers, now 23 weeks old.

13/01/18: 36 weeks old siblings!