Glofish clowns

[jambon]

Theee are some species which naturally glow under the blue LED.. I had a golden dwarf moray whos back portion of tail glowed orange.. there are other species, maybe someone can chime in here..

[Tired]

This is a very old thread. 

 

And my problem with the GloFish people isn't about the GMO thing, that doesn't hurt the fish.. It's their bad standards of care. A lot of their older species are inbred now, and they sell these atrocious tanks that aren't anywhere near big enough for the fish they sell. Zebra danios (the original Glofish) need to be in groups of at least 6, in a tank of, at minimum, 20 gallons. They should NOT be in a 3-gallon tank like this place sells for them. I won't be supporting them in any way. 

[DSA65PRO]

And yet, you can’t have Variegated Liriope, that glows in the dark. I wanted some to line my driveway with. Got seized by the State, at the delivery warehouse and destroyed. 

[TerraIncognita]

lol "play god"

 

Fish have florescence naturally, it's a selective breeding thing.

 

God already made them with fluorescence yall need to chill the eff out with the playing god talk about "glo fish" XDDD

 

Lastly God made diamonds, he didn't make blood mines.... so... people are ####ed up.

 

Anyway, doesn't matter, they exist bro, it's a matter of time I'm sure till someone figures it out.

 

https://reefbuilders.com/2014/01/09/fluorescence-apparently-widespread-marine-fish/

 

IMO the clown fish are gorgeous as they are, their white stripes shine bright enough under the blues :)., I'd buy a regular clown over a glo clown any day, but again I also buy regular tetra's when I buy tetra's instead of glo fish lol.

 

I know they are "natural" but to me, real nature is what I'm trying to capture the beauty of.

 

 

[Chriss Fishes]

Glofish aren't my thing, but I think something that's overlooked with them is the absolutely insane amount of people they bring into the hobby.

 

I work at a Petsmart, and while we do have quite a few regulars who tend to gravitate towards the "normal" fish, the average family that comes in "just to look" will end up looking at the Glo Skirt Tetras almost every time. Kids love them, and so do the adults. It's like a hook - the kids see them, and nag their parents. Repeatedly. Usually they go and look at the dog food and come back 20 minutes later with a few questions about care and maintenance.

 

As far as standards of care, I totally agree. We sell Glofish tanks as small as 3 gallons (although I've set a store rule that these are to be sold for Glo-Bettas only - perks of being a manager), but sell 5, 10, and 20 gallon Glofish tanks as well in several different brands (Glofish, Top Fin, and Tetra). While everyone's got their stocking opinions, saying that Zebra Danios need a 20 minimum is a bit much, IMO (no disrespect meant in any way, I just disagree). We tend to sell them in a minimum group of 3, just like all of our schooling fish, but strongly recommend 6 or more.

 

Typically, the 5 and 10 gallon tanks are the most popular. We'll usually recommend the following for a 5 gallon tank:

 

1 GloFish Betta

 

OR

 

3-6 GloFish Zebra Danios

 

...and for the 10 gallon tank:

 

1 GloFish Betta + 6-8 Zebra Danios

 

OR

 

6 GloFish Skirt Tetras

 

I do agree that this tank sizing isn't ideal, but the fish live healthy lives (assuming proper care is taken), and part of working in retail is picking your battles. I had a college girl try to get me to sell her 5 fancy goldfish for a 1 gallon fish bowl today. No joke. I refused the sale, and that was that. If I did that for every sale I disagreed with, I'd be fired, and that sale would have gone through. I also had some girls come in today wanting goldfish in a 2 gallon tank - I talked them out of 3 comet goldfish and into 1 fancy. Is that good? Not at all. It made me sick to sell that fish. But it's the best deal I was going to get, and I count it as a bitter win. 1 dead fish is better than 3, and I told them that that fish WILL die without a bigger tank. Of course, they said they'd get a larger one, but we'll see.

 

Sorry for the rant, I just kinda felt the need to point out that the hobbyist view of this stuff is much different than what it is for a someone who works in the business, especially a chain store. We do our best, and even if things aren't ideal, I feel that (at least at my store) we give people the knowledge and the help they need to be successful. Whether or not they take that knowledge is up to them.

[Tired]

I used to have some zebra danios in a 10gal, and IMO it's really not quite enough space. They're so active, especially once they hit full size. It's not like a 20gal is really that much more expensive to buy, or takes up more of a footprint. I think a 20gal should be recommended, even though a 10 may work out okay.

I also wouldn't put them with a betta, since bettas can be high-strung and have those nice, tempting fins. Bad mix with active fish that like to nip interesting things. 

 

I think you ought to be able to refuse sales to people who are going to kill their animals. Frankly, I think it should be a law. I think fish (and other overlooked small animals like hamsters and lizards) ought to be protected by animal welfare laws, and that anything under 5 gallons should have to say "shrimp tank" on its label, not "fish tank". And that all fish stores selling goldfish should have to have a poster nearby with pictures of how big goldfish are supposed to get. 

[Chriss Fishes]

5 minutes ago, Tired said:

I used to have some zebra danios in a 10gal, and IMO it's really not quite enough space. They're so active, especially once they hit full size. It's not like a 20gal is really that much more expensive to buy, or takes up more of a footprint. I think a 20gal should be recommended, even though a 10 may work out okay.

I also wouldn't put them with a betta, since bettas can be high-strung and have those nice, tempting fins. Bad mix with active fish that like to nip interesting things. 

 

I think you ought to be able to refuse sales to people who are going to kill their animals. Frankly, I think it should be a law. I think fish (and other overlooked small animals like hamsters and lizards) ought to be protected by animal welfare laws, and that anything under 5 gallons should have to say "shrimp tank" on its label, not "fish tank". And that all fish stores selling goldfish should have to have a poster nearby with pictures of how big goldfish are supposed to get. 

I agree that a bigger tank is better - but again, pick your battles. I agree with your concepts - but in the retail world, especially in a chain store, they just don't fly. Better to allow some danios in a 5 gallon than an oscar in a 10. I still think 10 gallons is plenty for a school of 6, but agree to disagree.

 

As for mixing bettas, I've never had an issue with zebras. I'm sure it's definitely possible, but I've recommended it hundreds of times and never gotten complaints - and these are repeat customers. The risk is there, but I've personally never had it not work out.

 

I agree with everything else you said. I think that there are some fish species that can thrive in small tanks (smaller marine gobies, a few tiny blennies, pygmy sunfish, bettas, etc...). As far as posters, I've tried that idea, but with pictures that I can pull up on a store iPad.

 

Most people either thought they were fake, or didn't care. Keep in mind that I didn't have to pull them out often - most people simply aren't aware that a lot of fish get as big as they do or need the space that they do, and once they find that out, the vast majority back down and rethink things. There are a few (usually entitled parents, wreckless kids, and almost always older people who think they KNOW that a common pleco can thrive in a 10 gallon tank) that end up fighting me on it. Usually, I let most things go, or try to compromise like I did with the goldfish.

 

Examples:

 

Instead of an Oscar in a 10-20 gallon tank, once all other options have failed, direct them towards something like a Convict Cichlid. Yes, they get FAR too large for that tank. But, the Convict can live a better life for a bit longer than an Oscar in that small tank before it gets too big. Not ideal. But better.

 

Instead of a goldfish in a bowl, how about a betta in a 2 gallon tank?

 

Instead of Koi in your 29 gallon (yes, people do this), why not try 2 comet goldfish? Not ideal, as those comets will hit 8-12" a piece, but better than a 3' koi.

 

You have a 2.5 gallon tank but don't want a betta? And you refuse to get a bigger tank? Try two male fancy guppies. Not ideal, but, again, pick your battles.

 

The only sales I typically outright refuse are koi in aquariums smaller than 75 gallons (they need a pond, but there has to be a line somewhere, although I wish it was much bigger) and Oscars in tanks smaller than 29. There's plenty of alternatives and information provided before that straight "No", so most people eventually back off.

 

Again, I agree with most of what you're saying. In an ideal world, it would be as you said. But it's not ideal, and we do the best we can.