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These are the flourescent danios---what are your thoughts? I found them fasinating, and bought 4 of the electric green ones last weekend, but I know some people are against them because the original ones were "genetically altered" with flourescent marine proteins, to give them their awesome glow! Do any of you own any? Thoughts? They come in 3 colors--Green, orange, and red.

I actually did not know they now come in three colors. That's definitely new. Now you can have Christmas in your fish tank with zebra danios, I guess. Personally I don't own any, but I don't find anything wrong with them.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I don't see anything wrong with keeping them. I did a college research paper about them, so I probably know more than most would truely want to about them. I don't own any, but I would own them if they were a little cheaper.. Last time I checked they were around $5 and were around $10 when I first seen them.

What does that mean, Bob? "Till the cows come home." Where have the cows been?

Its a personal preference. "Is'nt it good enough that nature gave us zebra danios, do we have to genetically alter them different colors?".

I could be totally wrong, but aren't most fish genetically altered? I mean how do we get mickey mouse platys, or bettas, these fish aren't found in nature like this. It's hard for me to say Glo fish are "wrong" if I go to petsmart and buy mickey mouse platys! Just my opinion though....

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

They are genetically altered, but don't go though the tortures of such species as (painted) glassfish, tatooed balloon mollies and others - died parrot fish that are also a mutation of some sort. They are not to my taste, but at least they breed true and do not suffer because of their coloring.

^^Exactly!!

coltsfan, the varieties you mention are selectively bred, which people have been doing for thousands of years with domestic animals... glofish are actually transgenic, genes from jellyfish DNA have been spliced into the zebra danio DNA to give them their coloration. You are right, either technique is a form of "genetic alteration"

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I got a couple of the red and orange ones today--now I have a few of all three glowing colors!! They sure are happy, active, colorful fellas!! I really like them!!

All I have to say is that it's completely ridiculous that California outlaws non-tortured, perfectly healthy GM fish while at the same time almost every store here sells sickly artificially-dyed fish with carcinogenic ink inside of them. I blame it on the hippies.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

One of the colors also comes from a coral gene, can't remember which one it was. They were created in the hopes of using the genes to flouresce in the presence of pollutants. Their purpose was to be used to test different bodies of water, but they continually flouresced. They made their way to the aquarium trade after some time and their site states a portion of the proceeds will go to support the cause. For the most part they are exactly the same as the original zebra danio except they were tested to be less desirable by females, I think their courtship behavior was the cause and not just the color. They do pass on their genes to their offspring and I don't know what happens if two colors breed. All in all it's a matter of preference and opinion on keeping them.

What does that mean, Bob? "Till the cows come home." Where have the cows been?

Also I think California outlaws them because they aren't really governed by a government organization. The FDA claimed they aren't a food source and I'm not sure of any other department that would take presidence.

What does that mean, Bob? "Till the cows come home." Where have the cows been?

FYI--Petco has Glofish on sale this week for $4.99.....

One of the Petcos around here got in some of the red/pink Glofish on accident a month or two ago instead of the regular gold Zebra Danios. One of the employees bought all of them and he's going to start breeding them apparently (I gave him my phone number in case he's sucessful).

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I just discovered that the pet store in one of the malls here sells them, they look nice. Too bad I can't pick some up, but i'd have to set up another tank.

They were talking about this on one of the shows that aired on the discovery channel? They were made in Japan to study their organs at work or something. The japanese ones aren't able to breed they made them infertile because they didn't want to deal with the repercussions of having an animal of two totally different species. It's like opening Pandora's box. There was no way to predict what would happen to future generations. But someone decided they would be good in the pet trade anyway. Go figure. Next they'll be putting those glowing cats or that glow-in-the-dark tobacco on the market as well. Have a smoke that glows in the dark or a cat that can't disapear. Just makes you wonder what the heck their doing in those labs of theirs.

Owner of 20g with 7 diamond tetras, 1 mosquito eater,& 1 lyretail molly.

The japanese ones aren't able to breed they made them infertile because they didn't want to deal with the repercussions of having an animal of two totally different species.

What? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Since when are there two totally different species involved? And even if there were, why would it be a problem? Interspecific and even intergeneric hybrids are not unusual at all, even in nature.

There was no way to predict what would happen to future generations.

Again, I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get at. The only possibilities that can occur from breeding these fish are (a) the offspring do produce the pigment, or (b) they don't produce the pigment. And since these fish have been bred for years, scientists do know "what would happen" to future generations.

But someone decided they would be good in the pet trade anyway. Go figure.

What's wrong with selling them as pets? The fish involved don't know or care that they are any different from normal Zebra Danios.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

everyone says that this isn't wrong to do it--but what if (HYPOTHETICALLY) there was a dog being injected with jellyfish genes, or even a human? wouldn't that be considered bad and inhumane? i don't see what the difference is with the fish? because theyre smaller they have less rights? --

with that said, they are pretty cool though

-a solidary predator, the firetruck stalks its prey

It doesn't work by injection, but we have put genes for glowing proteins into a rabbit as well as into pigs. I wouldn't consider it inhumane, just different.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i didnt mean injection, my brain was having a fart

i agree with what you said shinigami, it is different, but i think that if you want a certain type of fish you should breed them naturally and see what you get that way

randomness is what is fun in fishkeeping and breeding fish
i mean, nature just likes to throw in that albino here and there



-a solidary predator, the firetruck stalks its prey