Genetically Modified Tropical Fish Part II – Now we’ve got fluorescent angelfish and convict cichlids

I’ve not posted a fish house blog in ages, and this is an update, Part II if you like, to the blog I posted in April 2007.

Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture unveiled last week that it has successfully bred transgenic Convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) and Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) that fluoresce, in collaboration with the Academia Sinica (Taiwan’s national research academy).

Copyright © JY Lin Co Ltd

Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) Copyright © JY Lin Co Ltd

Convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) Copyright © JY Lin Co Ltd

Convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) Copyright © JY Lin Co Ltd

oh dear!

The species will be illegal to sell or import into the UK due to our legislation covering genetically modified organisms., but that’s what was said of the transgenic “Red/Purple” Zebra Danios, that were sold in the UK, because one authority on the matter, thought they were dyed! Only to find later they were breeding true, batches of these fish still exist today in the UK, and are breeding back with true non-transgenic Zebra Danios.

how long will it be before we see fluorescent angelfish or convict cichlids in our tropical fish shops or garden centres?

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