Glofish (eng. GloFish - shining fish) are several species of aquarium fish that do not exist in nature. Moreover, they could not have appeared in principle if not for human intervention. These are fish whose genes have been added to the genes of other living creatures, for example, sea corals. These genes give them a bright color that does not occur in nature.
The last time I was at a pet market, completely new, bright fish caught my eye. Their shape was familiar to me, but the colors...
It was clearly evident that these colors were not natural; freshwater fish are usually colored rather modestly, but here. In a conversation with the seller, it turned out that this is a new, artificial breed of fish.
I'm not a fan of modified fish, but in this case they clearly deserve to be looked into and talked about. So, meet GloFish!
So, meet GloFish!
History of creation
GloFish is a patented commercial name for genetically modified aquarium fish. All rights belong to Spectrum Brands, Inc, which purchased them from the creator company Yorktown Technologies in 2021.
And if in our country all this means absolutely nothing and you can easily buy them at any pet store or market, then in the USA everything is much more serious.
The picture is the same in many European countries, where the import of genetically modified organisms is prohibited by law.
True, fish still penetrate into these countries from other countries, and are sometimes sold freely in pet stores.
The name itself consists of two English words - glow (glow, shine) and fish (fish). The history of the appearance of these fish is a little unusual, since scientists initially developed them for completely different tasks.
In 1999, Dr. Zhiyuan Gong and his colleagues at the National University of Singapore worked on the gene for green fluorescent protein, which they extracted from a jellyfish.
The goal of the study was to produce fish that would change color if toxins accumulated in the water.
They introduced this gene into the zebrafish embryo and the resulting fry began to glow with fluorescent light both under ultraviolet and normal light.
After research and obtaining stable results, the university patented its discovery and scientists began further development. They introduced a sea coral gene and orange-yellow fish were born.
Later, a similar experiment was conducted at National Taiwan University, but the model organism was medaka or rice fish. This fish is also kept in aquariums, but it is much less popular than zebrafish.
Subsequently, the rights to the technology were purchased by Yorktown Technologies (headquartered in Austin, Texas) and the new fish received the commercial name GloFish.
At the same time, scientists from Taiwan sold the rights to their invention to the largest aquarium fish breeding company in Asia, Taikong.
Thus, the genetically modified medaka was named TK-1. In 2003, Taiwan became the first country in the world to sell genetically modified pets.
It is reported that one hundred thousand fish were sold in the first month alone. However, genetically modified medaka cannot be called glofish due to the fact that it belongs to a different commercial brand.
However, in the countries of the former USSR it is much less common.
Despite the expectations of the aquarium community (hybrids and new lines very often turn out to be sterile), all glofish are successfully bred in the aquarium and, moreover, pass on their color to their descendants without loss.
The gene donors for the new fish were jellyfish, corals and other marine organisms, including: Aequorea victoria, Renilla reniformis, Discosoma, Entacmaea quadricolor, Montipora efflorescens, Pectinidae, Anemonia sulcata, Lobophyllia hemprichii, Dendronephthya.
English creative names
You can name the fish with some English word that characterizes its behavior. For example:
- Fidget (fidget)
- Fast (fast)
- Smart (smart)
- Beauty (beautiful)
- Evel (evil)
- Wicked (evil)
- Grumbler (grumbler)
- Bur (boor)
- Twerp (rude)
- Kind (kind-hearted)
- Jumper
- Fanny (funny)
- Leader (leader)
- Careful (cautious)
Or you can simply choose a beautiful English name for your pet. Sounding names for boys:
- Isaac
- Albert
- Anderson
- Andrian
- Arnold
- Arthur
- Benedict
- Bernard
- Bryce
- Brian
- Brandon
- Valentine
- Vincent
- Gabriel
- Gilbert
- Gregory
- Griffin
- Jeremiah
- Joseph
- Jordan
- Donald
- Douglas
- Daniel
- Evelyn
- Quentin
- Clyde
- Claude
- Conrad
- Cornelius
- Christian
- Leonard
- Lewis
- Magnus
- Marvin
- Mark
- Marcus
- Morgan
- Madeline
- Matthew
- Nigel
- Norman
- Nate
- Oberon
- Oliver
- Osborne
- Oswald
- Parker
- Pascal
- Patrick
- Peter
- Ralph
- Reynold
- Richard
- Rudolf
- Rupert
- Simon
- Samuel
- Haywood
- Aeron
- Angell
- Enrique
- Ernesto
- Eugene
This colorful acara cichlid is named Rachel.
Unusual English names for girls:
- Agnes
- Adelaide
- Eileen
- Alpin
- Arabella
- Arlene
- Bernays
- Bridget
- Brenda
- Vivien
- Violet
- Virginia
- Gloria
- Darlene
- Daphne
- Delphia
- Justina
- Jennifer
- Ginevra
- Georgina
- Julia
- Juliet
- Dominic
- Dorothy
- Jacqueline
- Josephine
- Isabel
- Carmella
- Caroline
- Claudia
- Clemens
- Clotilde
- Cornelia
- Courtney
- Xsandra
- Leona
- Lorinda
- Lucinda
- Madeleine
- Matilda
- Melanie
- Melissa
- Miranda
- Monica
- Patricia
- Paulette
- Regina
- Riana
- Ricarda
- Roberta
- Roseanne
- Rosemary
- Rachel
- Samantha
- Samira
- Selma
- Sybil
- Tiana
- Ursula
- Fanny
- Phoebe
- Flora
- Harriet
- Hilda
- Ciara
- Charity
- Sheila
- Alice
- Emma
Angelfish Jack
Danio glofish
The first fish to which this gene was introduced were zebrafish (Danio rerio) - a species of unpretentious and popular aquarium fish of the carp family.
Their DNA contains DNA fragments from jellyfish (Aequorea Victoria) and red coral (from the genus Discosoma). Zebrafish with a fragment of jellyfish DNA (GFP gene) are green, those with coral DNA (RFP gene) are red, and fish whose genotype contains both fragments are yellow.
Thanks to the presence of these foreign proteins, the fish glow brightly under ultraviolet light.
The first glofish zebrafish were red in color and sold under the commercial name "Starfire Red". Then came the Electric Green, Sunburst Orange, Cosmic Blue, and Galactic Purple danios.
Meaning of the name Dory
There are a lot of funny but clever fish names in the movie. Marlin is a real fish, more adventurous, unlike the Marlin in the film, who constantly plays it safe. Bruce the Shark was named after the shark “Jaws”. The fat pufferfish was named for its ability to bloat.
If you're wondering what Nemo means, it actually comes from Captain Nemo. A popular character from “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, Jules Verne. So why did they name the blue fish, Dory?
The reason is quite simple. Dory is actually a flat fish with wide open and huge eyes. Thus, the Blue Tang is a type of dory.
Glofish ternezia
The second fish on which successful experiments were carried out were ordinary thorns. These are unpretentious, but slightly aggressive fish, well suited for keeping in a school.
They remained the same after the color change. In terms of maintenance and care, the Ternetia glofish is no different from its natural variety.
In 2013, Yorktown Technologies introduced Sunburst Orange and Moonrise Pink, and in 2014 they added Starfire Red and Cosmic Blue.
Legal restrictions
Keeping and breeding GloFish fish is still illegal in Canada, the United States, the European Union and some other countries because they are genetically modified animals. In addition, the intentional breeding or sale of fluorescent GloFish® is strictly prohibited, and as a registered trademark, it is the intellectual property of Yorktown Technologies, both in the United States and internationally. The price of one fish from official representatives is about $50.
GloFish should be sold sterilized, but for unknown reasons in the CIS countries many fanciers were able to get offspring from them.
Glofish barbus
The third type of fish sold under the Glofish brand are Sumatran barbs. A good choice, since it is an active, noticeable fish, and if you add bright colors to it...
The first to appear was a green barb - Electric Green GloFish Barb, then a red one. Like other glofish, the maintenance and care of these fish is identical to the care of an ordinary Sumatran barb.
Cute and affectionate nicknames
Fish are considered very stupid creatures, but scientists' observations have shown that they can still recognize the owner's face and even rejoice at it, remember feeding times, quarrel, or be friends with other fish. Gentle and cute nicknames for the most affectionate fish:
- Assol
- Aphrodite
- Busya
- Grace
- Pearl
- Star
- Cinderella
- droplet
- Caramel
- Baby
- Margosha
- Milash
- Prince
- Fairy
- Flake
Mutant guppy fish
Glofish Labeo
The latest fish at the moment is the genetically modified Labeo. It’s difficult to say which of the two types of labeo was used, but that’s not the point.
A bit of a strange choice, since this is a fairly large, active and, most importantly, aggressive fish. Of all the glofish, I would not recommend this one for beginners.
I don’t think that the change in color affected their quarrelsome nature. Today the company sells two varieties - "Sunburst Orange" (orange) and purple "Galactic Purple".
The perfect fish for Dory's character
The reason the filmmakers chose Royal Blue Tang as Dory was because of his lack of identity. This is similar to Dory's short-term memory loss. Dory also shares a personality trait with true blue tangs: they are free spirits.
Both Dory and her real-life counterparts also have naming issues. Because many people confuse Royal Blue Tang with other fish. And they are only caught in the wild, but not bred in captivity.
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Content Features
The maintenance of glofish is not particularly different from the conditions of maintenance of unmodified counterparts, because they have the same diet and lifestyle. For example, zebrafish live for about 4 years, and caring for them is quite simple. They eat standard food - dry and frozen, live and plant-based. Flake food and defrosted brine shrimp in a ratio of 1 to 5 are especially suitable for them.
Without company, zebrafish will quickly wither away, starting by gnawing on their own fins. These small (up to 5 cm) fish will feel good in a school of 6 or more individuals. Although zebrafish have a peaceful and non-combatant temperament, clashes can occur in schools. They can be housed with other species such as lalius, cockerels, barbs, and angelfish. Favorable neighbors also include neons, guppies, swordtails and catfish. You should not introduce cichlids and other fish that can eat their luminous relatives.
There are no strict requirements for the size of the aquarium, but the larger it is, the easier it is to maintain stable conditions in it. The reservoir must be equipped with a lid (it happens that zebrafish jump out of the water), not too deep, but oblong and at least 50 liters in volume. Some water parameters:
- acidity (pH) from 6 to 7.5;
- hardness (dH) from 9 to 10;
- temperature © from 27 to 29.
The water should be changed no more than once a week. Water replacement is 25% of the total volume.
Special equipment and soil are sold to keep glofish. To highlight the beauty of the glowing fish, the set contains blue lamps and dark gravel, which can also be purchased separately. Glofish will not glow in the light of ordinary lamps.
When well maintained, zebrafish rarely get sick. But they are especially susceptible to velvet disease, mycobacteriosis and intestinal capillariasis.
