# GloFish. Share your experience.



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

GloFish is illegal here in Canada. I found a source selling the Danios variety at a premium. I'm not ethically bothered by the GM of animals. 

I'm not a fan of the Danios. I would not buy the normal variety from a pet store. The glow appeals to me. Truthfully, I only want them for their rarity. Like with all collections, rare items are more desirable, even if it's a pile of poop.

I know GloFish are quite common in the States. Please share your experience.


----------



## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I had glofish for a while. I killed them through my own idiocy, and I was traumatized which is the only reason I haven't gotten more. 

They are bright, friendly, very active fish. I really liked them, and I also clearly was/am not bothered by the genetic modification nor am I generally interested in danios. But I found them to be very fun little fish who I wish I had not murdered. 

Thumbs up for glofish from me.


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I can understand why some might be opposed to owning GM animals. My main concern with them is that we don't know if there are any adverse health effects on the animals. My selfishness for pretty things outweighs the ethical reasons.

If it's a fish you enjoyed keeping, maybe you can give it another chance. I wish I can get a hold of the Tiger Barb variety. They look much nicer than Danios.

I have committed to buying some upon arrival. Do they require special lighting to bring out their glows?


----------



## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I get it too, but this is a pretty harmless thing. Their lifespan is the same as regular zebra danios as far as I have read/heard. 

My daughter does keep asking for more glofish because she really liked them too. I probably will get some the next time I have room in a tank. I just feel so sad every time I see them in the stores. It was my first fish experience, and I had no idea what I was doing. I had 10 glofish in a 5 gallon tank because that's what petsmart said to get. I very quickly lost one and then decided to research and was horrified at what I was doing to these poor creatures. I immediately went out and got a 10 gallon tank, and the remaining 9 survived a fish-in cycle in which I was literally changing 75% of the water twice a day, during which time I had also just had foot surgery so I was limping around with plastic pitchers and solo cups. It was a mess. 

I then bought my 55 gallon tank on craigslist and did a proper fishless cycle, using ammonia and seeded sponges from the LFS. Got it all set up and planted with live plants. Moved the glofish over. Two days later, they were acting weird. Kind of floating mid-tank, gasping. I posted all over every forum I could think of, wondering if there was some kind of toxin in the water. I pulled out all the decorations, ended up taking the whole tank down, scrubbing it with vinegar, and refilling it. I was doing water changes every couple of days. Then one morning, I woke up to all of the glofish dead lying at the bottom of the tank. I was devastated. And my daughter saw it too (she was barely 3 at the time). Come to find out, it was lack of oxygen that killed them. I learned through a long conversation with the guy at a local store who looked at all my pictures and stuff that I hadn't arranged my canister filter output properly. I had also baffled it because the fish were having trouble swimming in the current. So no current + no surface agitation in an extremely deep corner tank meant there was almost no oxygen exchange and the fish suffocated. 

I was so surprised and relieved that these poor fish had survived this brutal fish-in cycle and then I killed them. They lasted almost 2 weeks in water with almost no oxygen in it. They are tough little guys, and I will always regret that. 

Anyway, I really recommend them. Sorry for the sad sob story. But it shows how hardy they are to have lived through a lot of my bungling. Now that I'm writing this I really want to get some more. I do have room for another school of fish in my 120 gallon. I was going to double the rummynose tetras, but maybe I'll get some glofish instead...


----------



## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I always enjoy hearing backstories. You were able to convince me, and yourself into getting some. You'll probably end up getting yours before I get mine. Will you be getting more Danios or will you try your hands on the Skirt Tetras or Tiger Barbs?


----------



## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I'm not sure between the danios and the skirt tetras. I'm afraid the tiger barbs would be too nippy to the rest of the tank. I actually went and looked at some this weekend, but none of my LFS have a lot of them in stock right now. I may venture over to the "good" Petsmart and see what they have. I don't usually buy fish from the chain stores, but this one takes particularly good care of their fish.


----------



## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I got some glofish tetras over the weekend. My daughter was begging for them, and I needed some dither fish for my angelfish tank. I have to say, they make a nice bright addition to the tank. Most of my tanks are more natural-looking, but this one has a couple of colorful fake plants in it as well, so I thought some bright fish would go well.

I got 9 of them - it's a 55 gallon tank. Now I"m thinking of getting her some of the danios for her 20 long.

No special lights here. Just plain plant LEDs. The flash is kind of washing them out. They are really quite bright - especially the red and orange.


----------



## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

I haven't had Glofish, but I have a bunch of zebra danios, which are the same species as glo-danios. They're very active, relatively peaceful fish. They do nip fins sometimes. They're fun to watch - they just never stop moving. They can get pretty big, actually. I have two huge, old females who are almost as big as a large male betta. 

The only reason I got normal danios instead of glo-danios is the price. $6/fish instead of $1 seemed a bit high for me, considering I was getting eight of them. I hope you're able to get some Glofish. They're pretty fish, even if they are "unnatural."


----------



## Fishgirl9 (Jan 4, 2015)

It's on my to do list to get Glofish. I really can not wait to get a bigger place. My goal is to get 3-5 Danios for the 10 gal for my spare bedroom office. Both my boyfriend and I like low light middle of the night programming so a black light fish tank is going to work in well. We'd plan on turning the light off during the day for fish rest. And with a 10 gal less likely the cats can get into trouble. 

This is the only time the boyfriend has thought getting a fish tank might work. Something about cats + fish tank?

Do you think I could fit more than 5 Danios? What about a few Tetras? I think those bleeding heart ones would really complaint the tank.


----------



## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I have 2 cats and 7 fish tanks, and my cats have never bothered anything. They like to sit and watch the fish swim, but that's it. That being said, my cats are not very good at being cats. They really don't get into anything, scratch anything, or bother anything. Just be sure you have a good fitting lid, and you should be fine.

Honestly, I would not put glofish in a 10 gallon tank. Or any tetras really other than embers. They are very active fish. I have 7 danio glofish now in a 20 gallon long with a dwarf gourami and some guppies, and they use every single inch of swimming space. I feel like 20 gallons is the absolute minimum for danios. 

You do have options in a 10 gallon tank though. There are a lot of nano fish that would work.


----------

