Please Identify These Tetras That I Bought

[crisp]

They look like the so called "Glofish" danio; Genetically engineered Zebra danios that have genes from a sea anemone that makes them glow fluorescent red.

Not sure it would be legal to sell them on this (UK) side of the Atlantic

 

[chrismr]

Brings the question to mind: whats next?

I was actually thinking on th topic of GE fish the other day, and what would I possibly want modified and how... I figured some miniature clown loaches that only grow to 2 or 3 inches, making them easier to keep.

Now that this has been done once, how long is it before they start experimenting with other options in fish? Like fish resistant to ammonia and nitrite, or a giant apistogramma (a large trifasciata would be fab!).

The possibilities are endless, but is this something we should be doing? Maybe I should set up a poll on whether people are in favour of genetically engineered pet fish?

 

[BettaUK]

There is an article on these GM Fish here : http/www.ornamentalfish.org/aquanautstatement/gmfish.php

Incase anyone interested in reading more!

Regards
Lawrence

 

[Dubby]

Oh my god, you guys are right. I just went to the gloFish webpage; that's so wild. It's what I have, alright.

I'm breaking out the blacklight tonight! B)

They look great wendy.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

indeed, beautiful specimens!! makes me want some

 

[wendywc]

Thanks for the compliments! Looks like I lucked out in finding them.

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

Those are cool.. very bright compared to the ones I saw around here long ago.. They don't sell them around here anymore though

 

[Dorkhedeos]

really neat, but i dont really like the fact that their genes are screwed with. i have nothing against them, just that i dont want to support the practice, or new strains may appear.(and also because they are expensive as hell) if somebody gave them to me for free, i would take them in a heartbeat

 

[wendywc]

They were $5 each for me; pretty inexpensive fish to me considering my past tanks.

 

[Synirr]

I'm in the UK and saw them some time ago.The shop selling them won't stock dyed fish.When i asked about them i was told they were an albino form but not as bomb proof as the ordinary form.
They are probably a sport of the original zebra danio and line bred to increase the colour.In much the same way as the long finned and very long finned strains have been bred.

They were not line bred, they were genetically modified. No amount of line breeding is going to produce jellyfish DNA in danios

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

I really don't know why anyones against these guys... the eggs were injected, and they will pass the color along when they spawn.. I guess its a purist thing

 

[Synirr]

I really don't know why anyones against these guys... the eggs were injected, and they will pass the color along when they spawn.. I guess its a purist thing

You mean if they spawn... they're supposed to be sterile to avoid contaminating the regular population, but I've heard that apparently some slip through the cracks...

 

[wendywc]

You mean if they spawn... they're supposed to be sterile to avoid contaminating the regular population, but I've heard that apparently some slip through the cracks...

Are you sure? I read up and found this on the glofish.com website:

Does the fluorescence harm the fish?

No. The fish are as healthy as other zebra fish in every way. Scientists originally developed them several years ago by adding a natural fluorescence gene to the fish eggs before they hatched. Today's GloFish™ fluorescent fish are bred from the offspring of these original fish.

Do you have to add a fluorescence gene to every fish before it hatches?

No. Today's GloFish™ fluorescent fish are bred from the offspring of fluorescent zebra fish that were originally developed several years ago to help fight environmental pollution. Each new GloFish™ fluorescent fish inherits its unique color directly from its parents, maintains the color throughout its life, and also passes the color along to its offspring.

 

[aardvarkfromspace]

yea they're supposed to pass it on

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i don't think that they're sterile, but just have severely dampened reproductive capabilities.

of course, with each generation that they spawn, they are positively selecting for fertility and the likelihood of a glowfish being fertile increases. if there have been enough generations, it's entirely possible that the original sterility issues have simply been bred out of the fish.