Tide Fluor 3 (TF3) family has the spectral properties essentially identical to those of Cy3. Compared to Cy3 probes TF3 family has much stronger fluorescence and higher photostability. Additionally their fluorescence is pH-independent from pH 3 to 11. These characteristics make this new dye family a superior alternative to Cy3. TF3-labeled peptides and nucleotides exhibit much stronger fluorescence and higher photostability than the ones labeled with Cy3. In pairing with our Tide Quencher 3 (TQ3), a variety of FRET peptides and nucleotides can be developed for detecting proteases and molecular beacons with enhanced sensitivity and stability.