Glofish

[bugmankeith]

It seems like there are a lot of unanswered questions floating around in this thread, and a lot of confusion. Others before me have done a good job addressing how glofish are produced. However, to address the original poster's questions: first of all glofish would pass on their bio-luminescence as this is a genetic trait and not a product of dye injection. However, in part due to copyright issue and in part because of concerns that these transgenic organisms may be released into the wild by irresponsible owners, the company that produces glofish has a procedure for sterilizing them chemically. I do not know the details, but I know that while a few are still capable of breeding, most are effectively sterilized and therefore breeding these would be nearly impossible.

In response to the color changing due to water quality - glofish were originally bred with the idea that further strains would be created that could detect, by glowing, the presence of specific water chemicals. The scientists found it very easy to create a glowing fish, but could not figure out how to redesign the genes so that the fish only glowed in the presence of a certain chemical, and not continuously. The project was halted, but the resulting fish were marketed to the pet industry and were a hit. Contrary to what was stated earlier, these fish do not produce a stronger glow in dirty water, and although abusively small tanks are usually marketed as "glofish aquariums", there is no incentive to keep their water less clean than that of another fish species.

Ironically, most of us consume transgenic foods (GMO crops) regularly, but when something more obvious like these glofish turn up, many raise ethical concerns without understanding how these fish came to be, and how safe they really are. Because a glowing fish is unnatural, people have a fear reaction and tend to condemn them as unsafe or unethical before researching. Yet as long as they are kept in a healthy environment that meets their needs, just like any other aquarium fish, they are no stranger, no less safe, and no less ethical than any selectively bred aquarium fish (ex. Betta splendens, domesticated goldfish and koi varieties, etc.).

That was a huge help thank you!

 

[cantthinkofone]

i never claimed un ethical. i guess i just find small tanks and genetically altered fish wrong. would i care if these were centipedes? NO! bring on the glowing centipedes! but thats because there is no "little johnny" in centipedes. the hobbyists i know are very responsible with their animals. a glowing centipede would be cool...

 

[lancej]

These are captive bred for the pet trade for people who want something different, or cool, or pretty. They aren't meant to be reproduced (I don't even think they can outside of the lab that produces them). As long as they are kept properly, I see nothing wrong with it. A lot of people gain a greater understanding and appreciation of nature through their pets. So maybe someone gets some of these because they are attractive, and through their learning about them, they realize how really beautiful true nature is. I say it's a win.

 

[friendttyy]

THEY ARE CROSSBRED BETWEEN SPECIES AND ARE AWESOME.But however it mixes up genes,DNA and colouration.I do not support any type of crossbreeding.

 

[BioTeach]

THEY ARE CROSSBRED BETWEEN SPECIES AND ARE AWESOME.But however it mixes up genes,DNA and colouration.I do not support any type of crossbreeding.

They are a transgenic species with inserted DNA from another species that results in the fish producing a protein that results in their new coloration with fluorescent properties. Crossbreeding is totally different and involves the crossing of different breeds of the same species (think laborodoodle). Most of our domesticated animals and plants have undergone intentional or unintentional crossbreeding at some point.

 

[klawfran3]

nonono their body doesn't "glow" it is in possession of a gene that makes the body a brighter color. literally the fish can make it duller when it wants to sleep. look at a neon tetra for example. they can turn off their iridescent blue stripe so they are less easily seen in nature. and cantthinkofone, these were created to SAVE other animals. they let us know if the water quality is bad in an environment so we can fix it. this genetic crossing in no way hurts the fish. there are many species of fish with bright irisedcent colors, like the mandarin fish, mant tetra species, and livebearers (guppies, mollies, platies, you know.)

also on a side note, glofish glow better when a black light is shown on them, like a scorpion. this means that you don't have to have crappy water quality for them to glow. some companies sell tank mounted black lights specifically for this purpose.

 

[BioTeach]

You actually use an actinic blue light to enhance the colors just as you would for saltwater fish and invertebrates. Black lights can harm their eyes and long term exposure isn't good for scorpions either.

 

[bunnytush]

I have four GloFish who seem to be rather happy, I keep their water very, very clean, to make their glow brighter, I have a special light. Nothing quite as relaxing as falling asleep with that nice, dim glow in your room!

As for betta bowls, I read that most people who keep bettas in bowls don't understand the maintenance. There was one person only feeding their betta once a week and who thought they never had to clean the tank or change the water!! I have two bettas, each in their own 1 gallon bowl with betta plants and pebbles. I change the water constantly and keep their bowls clean. I've learned that bettas can live happily in bowls that are between 1/2 and two gallons.

I don't think genetically altered GloFish are so upset and suffering, mine act like normal fish... Genetic modification doesn't hurt them, does it? ::

 

[Quazgar]

this means that you don't have to have crappy water quality for them to glow.

As Aviara noted, the original intent was for them to change in response to water quality, but that never actually happened. The color will not be brighter in bad water quality. They should be kept exactly like any other Zebra Danio, as a school in a well filtered, tropical aquarium setup. Also, they don't really "glow" in the sense of shining like a light source. Rather, they phosphoresce, meaning they absorb light radiation and slowly release it. Put them in a dark room with no light source and they will stop glowing after a little while, just like kids' toys do.

And in response to the original question, yes you can breed Glofish, and it's not terribly difficult. The problem is that they are patented, so you risk a lawsuit if you do so. Realistically, that probably wouldn't be a problem if you only did a small number to keep for yourself, but if you tried to supply other people you would quickly run the risk of facing legal problems. And in regards to mixing the colors, I think only one gene gets transmitted, but definitely only one gene gets expressed. You wouldn't be able to breed some funky, tye-dyed danio.