• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Bioluminescence/ Fluroescence in Tropical marine Fish/ invertebrates?

Nick_593

Nick_593

Member
Joined
29 Oct 2012
Messages
97
Location
Pembrokeshire/ Devon
Hi guys.

I have two questions;

1) Are there any freshwaters/ (or even marine fish or invertebrates), that produce bioluminescence?

2) How do certain fish in the hobby produce the light they produce? For example, German Blue Rams (etc), produce light. Is this Bioluminescence or Fluroescence?

If anyone knows anything about this please drop me a line?.

Thanks a lot,

Nick
 
Bio-luminescence is not the same as florescence.

In bioluminescence light is produced by the chemical interaction of various compounds, typically, a light producing substance known as a "luciferin" acts as a substrate and light is produced when it combines with some other compound, such as Oxygen or ATP. To facilitate, or speed up the light producing reaction, the organism typically also produces a catalyst, which is typically an enzyme in a class called "luciferase".

On the other hand, florescent pigments simply are pigments which absorb light and then reflect the light in a different wavelength. Rams and other colorful freshwater fish have these pigments and may control the distribution of the pigments within the tissue to alter the character of the reflection, but there is no chemical reaction as such.

There are very few bioluminescent freshwater animals. Mostly they would be the larvae of insects, bacteria or invert. The environmental issues are different in the sea versus freshwater environments so bioluminescence was not developed in freshwater as a response. The ocean is much deeper and light falloff very much more pronounced in the ocean. Freshwater response to darkness, which would be more of a response to murkiness and turbidity, is the development of other senses such as electricity and so forth.

You are much more likely to encounter bioluminescent land animals, such as fireflies, than you would freshwater animals.

Cheers,
 
.....Clive told me :) ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top