Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

[djmatthewblack]

I am starting a tank, about 20 gallons.  I've bought some plastic fluorescent blacklight responsive plant scenery and would like to get some fish that look good in blacklight.  I've seen advertised these glofish, but I've seen that the market hasn't been very responsive to the first genetically engineered house pet.  I've wondered why, perhaps these fish aren't entertaining.  But since I am a novice I was wondering what kind of fish people would recommend for a small tank for a amateur like myself.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Welcome to the box first off...


With man made or man altered fish comes with a lot of stress or even handicaps the fish at times usually shortening their lives or making hard for them to live them. To sum it up most of it is kinda cruel.

I think glo-fish are somewhat different though.

[Mzungu]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Yup, Glofish are different. They're born that way.  :)

Danios are really great fish, especially for beginners, so if you can find any Glofish I'd buy 6+. And they're very active fish!

I've never actually looked at any fish in a blacklight, so I'm not sure I can help you there. But welcome to HFB!

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Wait till Ramius see's this thread, I believe he has some.

[szidlon]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Houston Aquatics on North Shepherd had some the other day but I don't remember the price.

[alexarae]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

I think they are around $2.50-$3.00 for one. (:

Welcome.

[JLawson]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Info and photos:

http://www.glofish.com/default.asp

[Ramius]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Welcome to the box!

Ekl is right, I've got a herd of them grazing around my tank.

I guess at this point they are around a year old and there are all three colors in the tank without any problems.

As was stated, they are danios, which are a really great fish, they are fairly active, peacefull, usefull in medicinal research and so on and so forth.

The good news about glo-fish is this, they aren't that expensive anymore (used to be $7 per fish) now i'm told you can get them for around half that.

They are also easy to care for, and wont outgrow your tank.

As far as really making them glow, I've messed around with a couple of different things. You'll find once you get into the hobby more that all the variables can be daunting some times. Before this i always thought light was just light, throw on a bulb and thats it, truth is, there are almost endless degrees of light, and each one has a different effect.

Blacklights make those particular danios look pretty cool, but I'm told I shouldn't run one all the time because it will freak the  fish out. I wouldn't know personally but perhaps someone else has some experience.

"daylight" lets you see them but they dont really stand out. Truth is, in my experience, the best visual experience was given by a 50/50 10k/actinc bulb.


Anyways....
Have you read anything on keeping fish, or talked with anyone?

It's a really great hobby to get into, but there is just a slight amount of background that anyone should have to be successful. I recommend "the idiots guide to freshwater fish" I read it and found it to be very helpful. It goes over the importance of filtration and the nitrogen cycle(extremely important), water testing and feeding, it covers a good variety of different fish types and compatability. It covers cleaning and any other maintenance you will want to know about.

I know it sounds like a lot of stuff, and in a way it is, but everything is really simple, and once you read it once you will have it down, it's just a matter of having read/heard it that one time to know.


Anyways, welcome, good luck and we'll see you around eh?

[djmatthewblack]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Wow , thanks for all the help.  
From the Glofish website they are engineered fish, born that way now but have been genetically modified.
The tank I am using is something someone was just going to throw away.  I bought a new pump (cause the old one was noisy) and a whisper filter.  I've put the bubbles columns in but they are duct taped at the top to the top of the tank.  I am hoping that somewhere I might be able just to find a top for the tank.  Perhaps a top with a day light.  I am going to be working during the day and school and all so most of the time I will be near my tank will be at night, so I really want it to be a cool night viewing tank.  I also need to get a heater.
I found on craig's list someone offered me a blue gourami for adoption.  I think I might go with the glofish, but we will see.  And you said you had 3 so I guess they are pretty good to mix with other fish.
Thanks for all the welcomes and I look forward to all the info on this board.

[Mzungu]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

A good idea for lighting the tank is to get a timer. That way the fish can have a regular night/day schedule and if you set the timer to turn on in the late morning, the light will still be on when you get home at night.

If you have the dimensions for the tank, we can probably help you find a top.  :)

[djmatthewblack]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

That would be great about finding a top.  When I get home this evening I will post the dimensions.  The exterminator is going to be spraying the apartment on Friday so I would like to see if I can hunt down a top before then (if not, a towel over the top should be okay)
I might get a timer but I am usually gone in the morning and home at night, so I should be able to do it manually.

[Mzungu]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

I do both on my tanks. I have about 4 that I turn on manually in the morning, the rest are on timers. I get to work pretty early, which means that without timers I'd have to turn off all my tanks before 6 PM, and that just wasn't enough time for me to enjoy my fish after I got home! (Remember that leaving the lights on for longer periods of time will lead to a fantastic amount of algae.  :)  )

If you can, let the exterminator know (through the management office or whatever) not to spray too closely to your tank, just for safety's sake.

[djmatthewblack]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

Sure, I plan on leaving him a note in english and spanish
Tank Dimensions are= 10"x20"x1ft.height

[Ramius]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

If you pick up an LED moonlight, (Generally they are less than $20 new) you can have a pretty great veiw of them at night.

[Mzungu]

Re: Blacklight Fish (Glofish or others)

You've got a 10 gallon - A school of Glo-Fish would be perfect!