Mike’s Fish Tank – Glofish

I want  to talk to you about glofish. These are the genetically engineered fish that came in 3 different colors, starfire red, electric green and sunburst orange. These fish were developed to help detect environmental pollution.

Fluorescent glofish have also been helpful in understanding cellular disease, as well as cancer and gene therapy.

The fluorescent color is produced by a fluorescent protein gene. The gene is naturally occurring and derived from marine organisms.

To achieve the goal of helping to fight water pollution , scientists are in the process of adding a switch where the fish will only fluoresce in the presence of toxins or pollutants. If the fish does not fluoresce , it will signal that the water is safe.

To help further the research, a portion of all sales of glofish go directly to the lab where these fish were created.

It was only recently that scientists realized the public’s interest in sharing the benefits of this research.

Some people have asked me if the color will fade, are they painted. No to both. These are not painted. This is their color.

The best way to view these fish at night is with a black light. However the room has to be completely dark to view these fish at their best.

Give it a try, see what you think.

For daytime viewing, you must use a traditional fluorescent bulb. Another option is to use a saltwater bulb, called actinic.

This bulb will give the fish a unique and exciting look. But it will look best in a dark room.

Please remember Glofish absorb light and then re-emit it, so they will appear brighter and more vibrant as the amount of light is increased.

Glofish are actually zebra danios which come from India. The fluorescence does not harm these fish in any way.

Today’s glofish are bred from the offspring of the original fish that scientists created years ago.

The original glofish colors were pink, green and orange, but blue and purple are common too. We also have glo tetras available now. They come in all the original colors as the danios, and there is a glo green tiger barb available.

The new deep red glofish and deep red glo tetras are starting to show up, but in limited quantities.

Pets A Plenty is located on Rte 281 Cortland, across from Tops Market in the TJ Nails Plaza. 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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