THE STORY BEHIND GLOFISH TETRA #aquarium #glofishtetra #fish #tetra #youtubeshort #shorts #aquascape

Hello scapers! GloFish Tetra are a genetically modified (GM) species of fish, originally developed in the late 1990s. Here's a brief history of how they came to be:

1. Origin of GloFish:
The GloFish Tetra is derived from the original GloFish, a genetically modified variety of zebra danios (Danio rerio). GloFish were first developed in 1999 by scientists at the University of Singapore, led by Dr. Dan L. Shapiro, to create a fish that could detect water pollution. They inserted a gene from a jellyfish (Aequorea victoria) into the zebra danio, making the fish fluorescent under UV light.

2. Commercial Release:
Initially, GloFish were intended for scientific use, but the technology was soon licensed to a private company, Yorktown Technologies, in the early 2000s. They began marketing GloFish as an ornamental aquarium fish in the U.S. in 2003. The first GloFish were sold in a range of colors, including red, green, and orange.

3. Development of GloFish Tetra:
Over time, GloFish expanded their offerings, and in 2006, they introduced the GloFish Tetra, a genetically modified fluorescent fish of the Tetra species. The GloFish Tetra was developed by inserting the same jellyfish gene into the DNA of the Tetra species, producing fish that glow under UV light in vibrant colors such as pink, green, and yellow.

4. Market Popularity:
GloFish Tetra quickly became popular in the aquarium hobby for their unique fluorescent appearance. The availability of these fish has been carefully regulated in some countries due to concerns over genetic modification and environmental impact, but they remain widely available in the U.S. and many other countries.

Thus, the GloFish Tetra was part of the evolution of genetically modified ornamental fish that began with the zebra danio and expanded to include other species like the Tetra.

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