Blacklights

[QuietDusk]

I've noticed that pet stores often carry blacklight sensitive decorations. I am under the impression that blacklights are the same as UV lights. UV light exposure is bad for humans so wouldn't it be bad for fish, too?

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Hmmmmm..........I know reptiles need UVA and UVB, so it might not be bad for fish.

 

[QTOFFER]

Blacklights emit UV-A radiation (long wavelength around 350 - 400 nm).
It's the short wavelength UV-B (280 - 315 nm) and UV-C (200-280 nm) that cause sunburn, cataracts, skin cancer, and kill germs.

From what I've read blacklights are relatively safe for us (and probably our fish too) as long as you use common sense and don't bask under it for hours or stare at the bulb.

If you get one, make sure the wavelength is imprinted on the bulb and that it is indeed UV-A. Also make sure you turn the lamp off when you're done viewing the tank - you wouldn't want your fish cooking under UV-anything for hours upon hours!

 

[QuietDusk]

Wow! Great answer, qtoffer!

 

[hashbaz]

UV light does increase your chances for cancer - but I would guess that even if you bought a bulb in the 200 - 315nm range that it would be nothing to worry about. I am pretty sure that you would get more UV radiation walking to the car on a cloudy day than sitting in front of your aquarium all day long.

The only thing I would worry about is glowing decorations stressing the fish. But the fish might not find it that weird. It would be pretty cool if you could find (or make) a hood that lets you turn on 2 bulbs individually.

I've heard that they have developed zebra danios that glow under a black light. That would be really cool! - but they are pretty expensive.

 

[madasafish]

I've heard that black lights are intolerable for certain fishes, but I do know that the glofish(r) are fine under them. Do some more checking around the internet. I think you'll find at least one account of unsuccessful blacklighting. I'd be careful. :|

 

[QuietDusk]

What are glofish?

 

[mhaynes01]

teh fish that were banned in california because they were altered animals but all the did was introduce some kind of coral or something when they were in eggs.

 

[QTOFFER]

What are glofish?

Glofish were the world's first transgenic pet. They originated in a lab that was studing the effects of pollutants on fish populations. Basically, they introduced the gene for a marine coral red fluorescent protein into zebra danio embryos. The muscular parts of the fish express the coral protein and glow red under UV light. Caused quite a stir when they were first released, and yes, they were really banned in CA!

On the topic of blacklights, you have to check this out if you have one.
All US paper currency except the $1 bill has an embedded anti-counterfeiting strip - you have to hold the bill up to the light to see it. When viewed under a UV light, the thread glows and the color depends on the denomination - $5 glows blue, $10 glows orange, $20 glows green, $50 glows yellow, and $100 glows red. Very neat!

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

The zebra danios that glow (the ones from my store, anyway) were injected with fluids from a specific jellyfish before they hatched. the glow fades over time as time slowly kills the fish with the toxic fluids. Fish injected this way tend to live only a few months at the longest. They were priced at $6.99 a piece because of the expensive jellyfish fluids. Fish injected this way are also sterile. 8O Not very kind of us.

 

[QTOFFER]

Frshwaterfinatc, the glofish were not injected with anything toxic and their lifespan is the same as normal zebrafish- they were genetically modified in the lab.
I think you're confusing them with painted or 'dyed' fish that do lose their color over time and die horribly from the coloring process.
You are right in saying that they are sterile - that trait was also genetically engineered by the company that created them so that they wouldn't have to deal with competition from unauthorized breeders.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Consider me corrected... what you've said is true. It's also possible my store had the fishes names confused, I guess... because it was like clockwork... we'd get a shipment in, and if they weren't sold by about the third month, they'd die off. I do trust the man who told me why (the owner's brother) but anyone can make mistakes or be mislead.
So consider me corrected, what I posted previously is void! Sorry about that. 8O

 

[QuietDusk]

Wooooow. I want fish that glow! Too bad I can't get any of those danios. Oh, well. My fish are glowing w/o any special lights! (No, they're not radioactive. They're just so pretty and iridescent!)

 

[madasafish]

QTOFFER, you're right about everything except the sterility...

I deal with these glofish in a tank I upkeep. They have been reproducing like crazy! However, the young seldom make it past a few days, as the parents eat them (same deal as with all zebra danios). The company did not breed them to be sterile. However, you may *not* sell any babies that are produced in your tanks, as the fish is patented.

In the opinion of the manufacturer/breeder, these fish present no threat to danios in the wild, and the fact that they are brighter and glow just means they'll be weeded out more quickly than their natural counterparts. IMO, that's a terrible way to look at it, but it doesn't seem like transgenic organisms are going to be stopped any time soon in this country, at least.

 

[fmontes]

hi, from all the repplies i have reed, no ona has actually done to their fishes? can some one tell if he or she has ised blacklght and how do his fishes look?

 

[Toirtis]

I have seen it done....a tank with a black background, black gravel, a combination of glow-in-the-dark and fluorescent artificial plants and glow-in-the-dark and fluorescent artificial decorations and several fluorescent 'painted' glassfish......it was...disturbing.

 

[Zezmo]

When I first set up my main tank I ran a blacklight at night. Since I have no dyed or altered fish I really didn't see any special glowing from the fish. Most just looked "dark". I did however at that time have some plastic decorations which looked real nice at first (later algae, and "cleaning" left them less impressive). Also, I added sprinkling of some flouresent gravel. That looked real cool. I did this for about 3 months, there seemed to be no ill effect on my fish. Most of the same fish from that time are still in one or another of my tanks.