Alia
Fishaholic
I've been seeing these red zebra danios in the various lfs'. Anyone care to share their thoughts on this new color morph?
Red Zebra Danios
- Thread starter Alia
- Start date
fish_r_great
Especially African Cichlids
There has been a like 40 pg post on this. WOW idk how many peopkle will answer. IMO I don't like it some do but i beleive it is creul kinda reminds me of Cruella Devil or whatever. Yeah DEATH BY DYEING!!
Cheese Specialist
Newbie
juliethegr8t
Addicted and in Therapy
Yeah, they aren't dyed - they're genetically altered to "glow".
Alia
Fishaholic
Sorry -- I must have missed it.
Like the others, I do not believe that they are dyed, and I would have thought that would have come up in the other 40 pages somewhere. The following quote is from the same site as the one linked by Cheese Specialist.
Glo-fish Science
If their health is not affected, perhaps there is no harm in them, and they were bred for a noble purpose, it seems.
Drac39
Fish Fanatic
My science teacher was talking about a special Glo-Fish
fish_r_great
Especially African Cichlids
Oh sry i obviously didn't read the gigantic thread. lol 
Auratus
Why am I browsing a fish forum at 2am?
They are a genetically ingeneered fish. Eggs are injected with genes from a jellyfish or anenome depending on what company and then then are born with a flourescent gene.
These fish were originally made to detect pollutants in rives and streams and would glow red when the water was produced. Problem is most of them died as a result of detecting the water. These were "lab rat" fish.
So the company figured hey... people will buy them and we can make a quick buck @ $12.95 a danio....
So that's how glofish were created...
P.S. Their trademarked.... who trademarks a friggin fish?
These fish were originally made to detect pollutants in rives and streams and would glow red when the water was produced. Problem is most of them died as a result of detecting the water. These were "lab rat" fish.
So the company figured hey... people will buy them and we can make a quick buck @ $12.95 a danio....
So that's how glofish were created...
P.S. Their trademarked.... who trademarks a friggin fish?
Alia
Fishaholic
(Auratus)
They are a genetically ingeneered fish. Eggs are injected with genes from a jellyfish or anenome depending on what company and then then are born with a flourescent gene.
I read that the ones that people are now buying, bred from the original fish, are being distributed by 5D Tropical and Segrest Farms (in the US). Yorktown Technologies in Texas owns the US rights to these fish. The original fish were genetically engineered, using genes from a sea coral (is anemone a sea coral?) several years ago, at the National Univ. of Singapore by Dr Zhiyuan Gong, but the gene is present in all the offspring and does not have to be reintroduced into each generation. The first fish were created to prove the concept. This is from the web site:
"scientists [Dr. Gong] are in the process of adding a "switch" that will cause the always fluorescing zebra fish to selectively fluoresce in the presence of environmental toxins. A non-fluorescing fish will signal that the water is safe, while a fluorescing fish will signal trouble"
And it appears that we may all one benefit from these "lab rat fish", however much we may choose to resent it.
"For over a decade, fluorescent zebra fish have been relied upon by scientists worldwide to better understand important questions in genetics, molecular biology, and vertebrate development. Fluorescent zebra fish have been particularly helpful in understanding cellular disease and development, as well as cancer and gene therapy."
(Auratus)
"So the company figured hey... people will buy them and we can make a quick buck @ $12.95 a danio...."
Actually, suggested retail is $5. The store near me has them for less, but their prices are usually low on everything. Oh, one other thing:
"By breeding these existing fish, we will allow people to have their own fluorescent fish while promoting the beneficial scientific goals behind their development. In fact, a portion of the proceeds from sales will go directly to the lab where these fish were created in order to further their research—research we hope will help to protect the environment and save lives."
So if you are dead set against the whole idea of genetically engineered fish, you'll want to encourage people to boycott their sale. I'm afraid you'll have a tough go of it there, however. These fish are pretty. They don't look one bit scary, and colorful, inexpensive, hardy tropical fish are bound to sell. It's not like green ketchup. There are lots of red fish.
Besides, the stores aren't going to label them as genetically altered, and who asks? You might say, Are these fish dyed? but who is going to ask Are these fish genetically altered? I wouldn't have. I wondered how they got red ones without dye, but I hadn't made the leap to genetics.
And if you think it's a great idea using fish to detect pollutants . . . WAIT! What am I thinking?
I'm pretty sure none of you think that. That's like going on the rabbit site and asking people if they think it's a good idea using rabbits in pregnancy tests. 
Silly me! 
Never mind that.
Got myself some education though, finding out about these guys. Don't know if I am for or against. I'm kind of thinking that if they can produce fluorescent fish without injecting them with dye or making them unhealthy in any way, that could make dying fish fluorescent colors obsolete, and perhaps the end would in some way justify the means -- far fewer unhealthy fish and unnecessary fish deaths. Somethng to think on, the ethics of it all.
They are a genetically ingeneered fish. Eggs are injected with genes from a jellyfish or anenome depending on what company and then then are born with a flourescent gene.
I read that the ones that people are now buying, bred from the original fish, are being distributed by 5D Tropical and Segrest Farms (in the US). Yorktown Technologies in Texas owns the US rights to these fish. The original fish were genetically engineered, using genes from a sea coral (is anemone a sea coral?) several years ago, at the National Univ. of Singapore by Dr Zhiyuan Gong, but the gene is present in all the offspring and does not have to be reintroduced into each generation. The first fish were created to prove the concept. This is from the web site:
"scientists [Dr. Gong] are in the process of adding a "switch" that will cause the always fluorescing zebra fish to selectively fluoresce in the presence of environmental toxins. A non-fluorescing fish will signal that the water is safe, while a fluorescing fish will signal trouble"
And it appears that we may all one benefit from these "lab rat fish", however much we may choose to resent it.
"For over a decade, fluorescent zebra fish have been relied upon by scientists worldwide to better understand important questions in genetics, molecular biology, and vertebrate development. Fluorescent zebra fish have been particularly helpful in understanding cellular disease and development, as well as cancer and gene therapy."
(Auratus)
"So the company figured hey... people will buy them and we can make a quick buck @ $12.95 a danio...."
Actually, suggested retail is $5.
The store near me has them for less, but their prices are usually low on everything. Oh, one other thing:"By breeding these existing fish, we will allow people to have their own fluorescent fish while promoting the beneficial scientific goals behind their development. In fact, a portion of the proceeds from sales will go directly to the lab where these fish were created in order to further their research—research we hope will help to protect the environment and save lives."
So if you are dead set against the whole idea of genetically engineered fish, you'll want to encourage people to boycott their sale. I'm afraid you'll have a tough go of it there, however. These fish are pretty. They don't look one bit scary, and colorful, inexpensive, hardy tropical fish are bound to sell. It's not like green ketchup. There are lots of red fish.
Besides, the stores aren't going to label them as genetically altered, and who asks? You might say, Are these fish dyed? but who is going to ask Are these fish genetically altered? I wouldn't have. I wondered how they got red ones without dye, but I hadn't made the leap to genetics.
And if you think it's a great idea using fish to detect pollutants . . . WAIT! What am I thinking?
I'm pretty sure none of you think that. That's like going on the rabbit site and asking people if they think it's a good idea using rabbits in pregnancy tests. Silly me! Never mind that.Got myself some education though, finding out about these guys. Don't know if I am for or against. I'm kind of thinking that if they can produce fluorescent fish without injecting them with dye or making them unhealthy in any way, that could make dying fish fluorescent colors obsolete, and perhaps the end would in some way justify the means -- far fewer unhealthy fish and unnecessary fish deaths. Somethng to think on, the ethics of it all.
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