Glow Fish

[fluttermoth]

Dyed fish (often called 'painted' or 'disco' by LFS) are injected with dyes, not genetically modified.
 
It's a horrible process; many fish die and most have their lifespans considerably shortened. PFK ran a campaign a few years ago to try and get suppliers to stop stocking them.
 
Before you have a go at the shop though, I heard of someone who works in the trade got some in a shipment by mistake, so it might not be their fault they have them.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Blimey, that actually sounds worse than genetically modifying these poor fish!! 

 

[Paradise3]

Yep, dyed and tattooed fish are still legal as long as they are not dyed or tattooed in the EU which is a shame as they are horrible and the process is so cruel. At least GM'd fish don't feel it properly! They are injected with jellyfish genes and such when still in the egg whereas dyed and tattooed fish are injected while they are swimming around. The dye used for dyed and tattooed fish eventually wears off and they become normal or at least faded with time but their life spans are still shortened by a fair amount by the process. It sickens me, it really does. I just wish they'd completely ban them like they did GM'd fish.
 
An example of a tattooed fish..... A horrible thing to do

 

[Ch4rlie]

Oh no! Look at these! Can just imagine ignorant people going for these straightaway!
+1 for outright ban too!

 

[Paradise3]

Oh no! Look at these! Can just imagine ignorant people going for these straightaway!
+1 for outright ban too!

 
I don't want to cause an argument here. I never posted the images in that sort of sense, just to show that they do exist. However, I may have to remove them as it may cause a stir and a thread full of flaming if I don't.
 
Erm... Can't edit my posts to remove the pictures

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sorry!

Just tied to remove my last quote as well. Unable to do anything.

Hope mods can remove these for us.

Feel bad now I said that last post!

 

[Paradise3]

It wasn't that, I was just putting it out there that I never intended for an argument or flaming or anything but was giving examples of the fish in question. It wasn't you, it was me putting them up without thinking "Duh! That's totally not going to cause flaming Paradise!!" *sarcasm in that thought btw* 

 

[fluttermoth]

I think you've misunderstood each other; Ch4rlie was calling for a ban on the tattooed/dyed fish, not you for posting the pics (I think!)
 
I can edit your post to remove them, if you want, but I don't see a problem with them staying. The more people are aware of the issue, the more people know what to look for and can avoid buying them, which will (hopefully!) reduce demand.

 

[Ch4rlie]

That's correct fluttermoth, calling for a ban on the dyed fish, hence my saying +1 on banning these.

If you don't see a problem with the post, then fairly happy for you to leave as is, was just my immediate reaction.

 

[Paradise3]

I know Fluttermoth, I meant if someone else comes on and gets really upset about it.... It could cause a flaming war. Or if someone who keeps the fish in question see's this..... It's up to you, if you see no problem then leave them

 

[fluttermoth]

We'll deal with that if it happens

 

[matthewlee1959]

Actually having those pictures is a great help to illustrate the difference for those just getting started and kids who pick fish based on visual appeal.  I agree that dyed and tattooed fish should come with a warning of what has been done to them and the damage this has caused to the fish, if not an outright ban.  From what I understand about the genetically modified fish they actually reproduce themselves and if you breed them you get more Glowfish.  From what I can tell true Glowfish are now just a variation of the original species and should be treated the same in their care.  Evidently they have the same lifespan as well.   According to the website the original idea was to produce a fish that would detect water pollution.  Then they found out that there was a commercial use for them in the aquarium market.  I would like to know what good trademarking and patents are since any hobbyist can breed them?  I will send Swimminginmusic to this thread so she can see the difference.  I already know she does not like the idea of tattooing and dyeing fish.

 

[fluttermoth]

I would like to know what good trademarking and patents are since any hobbyist can breed them?

AFAIK it's only if you sold home bred GloFish that you'd get into any trouble; patents and trademarks are there to protect the inventors investment, so if they just bred in your tank and you either kept them or gave them away, there wouldn't be any legal issues, as you wouldn't be profiting from someone else's research and development.

 

[the_lock_man]

 They are injected with jellyfish genes and such when still in the egg
 

 
Much as I hate Glofish(R), it is only the first few fish that had the genetic modification injected when still in the egg. Now that it is part of their genome, they naturally reproduce fish in those colours. They don't need to modify each individual fish.
 
I say this just to clarify the situation for those that don't know, I suspect that Paradise already knows it.

 

[Paradise3]

Yes I did sorry. Should have mentioned that lol. I knew they started the research by injecting jellyfish genes into the eggs but now the fish are bred and they re-produce these horridly bright fish naturally.