Glofish

Image Credit: Ho Wen Chen (CC License) There's a fair share of misinformation...

So, how many glofish per gallon? I wish I could give you a one-sentence...

Why Did My Glofish Die? Frankly, the answer to this question can be quite vague. Above, I’ve tried to list down pretty much all the possible reasons behind a glofish’s untimely death.

First, all 5 glofish species are tropical species that require warm waters, while goldfish are coldwater fish. Second, smaller glofish like tetras, danios, and barbs will nip at your goldfish’s fins, whereas bigger, solitary glofish specimens like bettas and sharks will relentlessly bully your goldfish to the brink of death. 

The official GloFish website states that intentional breeding and any sort of sale, barter, or trade of glofish offspring is strictly prohibited. 

Most experts suggest giving glofish medium-sized meals once or twice a day. Some hobbyists fast their fish 1-2 days every week to clear their digestive system, which is perfectly normal, too. Nonetheless, 1-2 meals per day is the standard practice. 

No, none of the 5 glofish species are nocturnal. They remain active during the day and ‘sleep’ at night like us. Therefore, they don’t need lights on at night. It will only disturb their rest pattern and cause other detrimental effects to their health. 

If you’re keeping fin-nippers like glofish barbs, tetras, and danios with glofish bettas, you have to be cautious that the betta is safe.

Glofish barbs were first introduced somewhere around 2015. And in my opinion, they are the most stellar-looking fish from the glofish family. The fact that they have retained their iconic stripes despite the genetic modification makes them even more special. 

Here’s a bummer: Glofish sharks aren’t actually sharks. As a matter of fact, they come from the minnow family and are more closely related to carps and loaches than great white sharks. 

Glofish danios were first created by genetically modifying zebra danios indigenous to rivers in India and Bangladesh. 

There are two glofish tetras variants – standard and long-finned variants. Both varieties were made by genetically modifying black skirt tetras that originally come from Paraguay and Guapore Basins in South America.

There was even a petition with thousands of followers to ban their sale. As a result, the International Betta Congress had to come up with an exclusive Glofish Betta Policy. 

You can keep about 12-15 glofish tetras, 14-15 glofish danios, 4-6 glofish bettas, and 9-10 glofish barbs in a 30-gallon tank – Not together, of course! But unfortunately, a 30-gallon tank is still not big enough for feisty glofish sharks that need about 50 gallons each to thrive comfortably. 

Baby glofish look just like the babies of their original species. However, like their parents, they glow under the blue LED light. They don’t have much coloration when first ‘hatched’ and during the first few days of their lives when they’re in the wiggler stage. However, they develop pretty colors taking after their parents as they grow.