Test tube livestock

[ERICinFL]

I've often wondered how much research is being done to genetically alter and produce fish and corals. With all we know today, regarding the DNA of humans and animals, why not look into fish and corals. I think it'd be cool if certain attributes of one coral, could be spliced with that of another. Let's say there is a bullet proof acro that thrives well in home aquaria. The down side, it's a very slow grower. Now, take another acro that grows fast, but doesn't generally do well and take the positive
DNA from each, cut and paste, then watch them grow. Imagine the positive ipact it would have on the worlds reefs. We wouldn't have to harvest wild corals to the extent we do today. The same could be done with fish. Imagine being able to alter the DNA of a fish so it wouldn't want to eat coral polyps, but it loved regular flake. Maybe I'm talking crazy, but eventually, our hobby will get to the point, that we'll be very limited as to what we can buy. It's only a matter of time.

 

[DiViNeLeFT]

or imagine if we could genetically alter a goby to blow fire like a dragon!

but anyway.. i dont know anything about genetics and DNA... but the technique you described is currently used for plants so it would be a cool experiment to try it for corals. one of my other hobbies is cactus horticulture and grafting is often used to grow a hard to grow species by having it directly attached to the vascular system of a faster growing species. the only thing is that corals get their nutrients through their tissue and not through a root system. hopefully someone that knows more on the topic could comment.

 

[Samala]

I think this is many, many years into the future if it ever becomes conceivable. We still have a very hard time reproducing corals and most marine fish from their larval stages. I wont say its impossible, after all we have GloFish with luminescent protein production from jellyfish. But really, the whole topic of transgenic animals is such a big can of worms. Pandora's box really.

>Sarah

 

[GreshamH]

Thankfully the transgenic fish can't enter my state legally

 

[Dubbin1]

Re: Test tube livestock

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8992938#post8992938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ERICinFL
We wouldn't have to harvest wild corals to the extent we do today.

We really wouldn't have to harvest anything from the wild if stores would start growing out the corals they sell.

 

[Slakker]

Or if more people would buy frags/aquacultured corals.

Also, I think that we'll find more fish that readily accept flake and other more easily attainable foods as we start to see more and more varieties bred in captivity.

As far as I'm concerned, the more species we can get to breed in captivity, the less we have to destroy the world reef ecosystem.

 

[Random Aquarist]

I say we make genetically modified giant invisible polar bears to eat the executives of the cyanide-using fish collection companies.

You think I'm joking? I'm not.:fun2:

 

[Lenny C]

To me doing a cut and past job on corals and fish takes the beauty out of the whole reef tank ideal. Every time I look at my tank I am shocked that these things are real and just grow in the wild. I agree that things shold be done to relieve stress that we as hobbiest put on natral reef, but every time I look at thoes gold fish with the bubble under their buldging eyes that look stright up I can't help but get mad at the person that bread them to bring out that traite.

Can o' worms, I agree.

 

[aomont]

Maybe we should just accept to pay more for aquacultured "anything" and sponsor the ones willing to take a step ahead with higher costs than collecting in the reefs.

Aquacultured fishes generally thrive better than wildcaught ones (see banggais) but we (hobbyists, lfs, wholesalers) sometimes prefer the cheaper ones.

Anderson.