Gak. Did you know people inject dye into fish!

[doktordoris]

I can't believe this.

I was just reading about fish on wikipedia and I learned that people inject dye into fish to make them pretty colours!!!

Can you believe that?

look at these links-

ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_fish

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=72

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/paintedfish.htm

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/campaign.php


Sorry to have posted all these links, but I feel so outraged, Iam sure people who don't know of this practice will want to know about it.

Some people are b****rds aren't they?

 

[Jennewt]

It's appalling, but I'm not surprised. People love to buy unusual animals, and there's always someone out there who will make a fast buck by exploiting that. Similarly, I think there have been cases in Australia of intentionally-morphed axolotls being sold to the pet market. Hormones are probably used to mass produce them, and they too are likely to have a reduced lifespan.

 

[ferret_corner]

Yes I did know this - actually in the fish trade its old news. It is appalling.

 

[doktordoris]

I know it's disgusting isn't it?

Also I don't like flowerhorns, but I quite like those glofish zebras.

I feel that glofish are still natural fish, with regards to their behaviour and shape, and size.

But I wonder if flowerhorns can really enjoy having that ludicrous lump on their heads. What do you chaps think?

glofish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glofish


flowerhorns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowerhorn

 

[crazyfishlady]

Here's a company in Hong Kong that will tattoo your fish with lasers.
(http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=850)

If you breed the glofish the fry will also contain the same neon colors.

 

[ianclick]

I think its about as whack as people injecting jellyfish bits into axolotls to make them glow in the dark

 

[doktordoris]

is 'whack' good or bad?

and do people do that to axies?

 

[crazyfishlady]

is 'whack' good or bad?

and do people do that to axies?

Whack is bad. If you have any other questions about slang words you see go here:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/

 

[doktordoris]

Hmmm, thanks for your advice but for help with English I prefer to use Fowlers!

Better edit a smiley in or people will think Iam a crusty old bugger ;-)

whereas Iam just old!

 

[Jennewt]

I think its about as whack as people injecting jellyfish bits into axolotls to make them glow in the dark

GFP axolotls are like the glo-fish. They have a piece of DNA that makes them a certain color, and it's inherited by their offspring. To make them in the beginning, someone injected some DNA into an embryo, but that's not so gruesome as the fish that are individually dyed or injected.

 

[Darkmaverick]

Intentionally dyed fish is sadly really popular in asian countries, especially those very keen on ornamental fish. Growing up in Singapore and frequently travelling to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, i have witnessed so many of such cases, its actually a 'norm' there. Glass catfish and any translucent type fishes tend to be the unfortunate victims.

 

[John]

I'm really not in favour of transgenic animals like the GFP axolotls and the glowfish. I don't think it's right, morally, but my main objection is scientific - there are obvious traits for which these genes code, but their interaction with the rest of the animal's genetics are likely not fully known. For example, there have been cases of transgenic potatoes and cucumbers that made people violently sick because of unanticipated effects of the new genetic material and its interaction with the rest of the genome of those plants. I can't help but wonder if there are similar effects in animals, just more subtle.

Close to home, I wonder about the prevalence of chimerism in Jake's GFP animals and I wonder if it may be related to the transgenic nature of the animals.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Well, while we are on the subject, lets not forget the fish that are dumped in a mild chemical bath to remove their slime coats and add porosity to their scales and then dumped in a bath of dye. The hybrid cichlids sold as "parrot" or "jellybeans" are a prime example of this tactic.

It really bothers me to see things like this done strictly for the pet trade. As for the transgenics, I find them very, very interesting however I feel their place is in the lab, not in the pet trade. Then again, I'm just a stubborn hillbilly...

 

[Otterwoman]

Remember when there were these high-heels with enclosures in the heels to put a fish in? Or people gluing little leashes to giant roaches and then pinning them to their garment?

People will never stop thinking of ways to torture other creatures.

 

[crazyfishlady]

Remember when there were these high-heels with enclosures in the heels to put a fish in?

You can order a fake fish in your heel nowadays. Heheheh
http://www.pimpdaddy.com/pd-pl-fish-wh.html

Or a fishtank toilet. Although I couldn't imagine what you can put in such a small tank.
http://fishnflush.com/

 

[ianclick]

Personally if there is some research or medical value to doing it I don't have a problem with genetic modification, Potatoes modified with a blight resistant gene may well have saved the Irish a huge Famine and stem cell research might have provided a viable alternative to death for superman.

Nature is a carefully ordered system and I believe we need to be certain there is no ego involved in playing with it.

In my country there is are laws prohibiting it although I am certain our govrnment will embrace any other countries advantagious research.

 

[John]

Personally if there is some research or medical value to doing it I don't have a problem with genetic modification, Potatoes modified with a blight resistant gene may well have saved the Irish a huge Famine and stem cell research might have provided a viable alternative to death for superman.

I don't think bringing the famine in Ireland into this is helpful because most people haven't a clue what really happened. I find this analogy too simplistic.

Most genetically modified crops are modified to be more resistant to pesticides so that farmers can use more pesticide to make sure the pests are killed, without killing the plant, thus maximising yields and profits. That is a fact. Do not delude yourself into thinking that genetically modified crops are genetically modified for your benefit - such instances are few and far between.

 

[slowfoot]

GFP-modified axolotls and zebrafish are extremely useful for scientific research. The injected fish are just sick.

Most genetically modified crops are modified to be more resistant to pesticides so that farmers can use more pesticide to make sure the pests are killed, without killing the plant, thus maximising yields and profits.

I'm far from an expert on GMOs, but do you have a citation for this? It doesn't make sense to me to modify crops to be resistant to pesticides because, as far as I know, the pesticides don't affect the crops themselves. I guess you could be referring to herbicide resistance...

 

[ianclick]

An airborne fungus (phytophthora infestans) infected the potato plants which infected the potatoes which led to widespread crop failure which in turn caused a famine.

I would say the word is Simple rather than simplistic John

 

[John]

An airborne fungus (phytophthora infestans) infected the potato plants which infected the potatoes which led to widespread crop failure which in turn caused a famine.

I would say the word is Simple rather than simplistic John

And that is not why so many people died. Not so simple.