Glofish and Lighting

[jlbfish]

How delicate are glofish? I was told they were but also see that they are danios which I heard were hearty fish.

Also anyone have experience with brand of light works best?

Tank is 20 gallons currently fish less cycling. Not planning on adding them immediately just exploring options.

 

[blert]

Not delicate at all. They are, as you stated, just genetically modified Zebra Danios. As for lighting to make them pop, blue actinic works great but some say it can cause algae issues and they are useless for plants. Blue LEDs also work good if you have enough of them. I would stay away from black lights just because I would not want to be bombarded by UV light so I wouldn't put fish through it either.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Not delicate at all. They are, as you stated, just genetically modified Zebra Danios. As for lighting to make them pop, blue actinic works great but some say it can cause algae issues and they are useless for plants. Blue LEDs also work good if you have enough of them. I would stay away from black lights just because I would not want to be bombarded by UV light so I wouldn't put fish through it either.

Yeah, blue actinic lights work great for my cousin's glofish. I would go for that.

 

[jlbfish]

Great thanks!

 

[phoenixkiller]

Great thanks!

Anytime. I love Glofish and hope to get a few more soon. Very unique and really colorful. They are a must-have for any enthusiastic hobbyist. A bit of a step up from Zebra Danios anyways. (Even though they ARE Zebra Danios!)

 

[siva]

If it's a 20L it will work, but a 20H isn't long enough for danios/Glo's.

 

[maxwellag]

Yeah, blue actinic lights work great for my cousin's glofish. I would go for that.

IME blacklight bulbs make glofish look brighter in the dark. I have tried both, and blacklight seems to have a more dramatic effect. Actnics will still work just fine, though.

 

[phoenixkiller]

IME blacklight bulbs make glofish look brighter in the dark. I have tried both, and blacklight seems to have a more dramatic effect. Actnics will still work just fine, though.

The fish seen a bit stressed in the blacklight/UV light. It does have a dramatic effect, but I don't think the fish really like being bombarded with a blacklight.

 

[maxwellag]

The fish seen a bit stressed in the blacklight/UV light. It does have a dramatic effect, but I don't think the fish really like being bombarded with a blacklight.

It's not the color of light that stresses them out, it is the intensity. I made sure the bulbs I used were the same (13 watt, 180 lumens). Have you tested this? Was it a fair test? Are you sure your water quality wasn't causing it? In my tests, the only difference shown with the color of the bulb was the appearance of the fish. Just FYI, UV and blacklight are not the same. UV light is blue, while blacklight is purple.

 

[jetajockey]

I would think that glofish are less hardy than regular zebras because of selective breeding, but ive no idea by what degree.

 

[blert]

A true black light is a UV light, search it.
Too much UV is very damaging to living organisms.

 

[maxwellag]

A true black light is a UV light, search it.
Too much UV is very damaging to living organisms.

I have researched it. UV light that is emitted from blacklights is invisible to the naked eye. Blacklight is that purple-ish colored light, and UV is not even visible. HowStuffWorks "How Black Lights Work"
Yes, too much UV is damaging to living organisms. But to have a blacklight emit enough UV light to actually hurt or stress out fish, it would need to be very powerful.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I have researched it. UV light that is emitted from blacklights is invisible to the naked eye. Blacklight is that purple-ish colored light, and UV is not even visible. HowStuffWorks "How Black Lights Work"
Yes, too much UV is damaging to living organisms. But to have a blacklight emit enough UV light to actually hurt or stress out fish, it would need to be very powerful.

My quote here is "Better safe than sorry"

 

[maxwellag]

My quote here is "Better safe than sorry"

Have you actually tried both bulbs like I have? And we're they the same size and power? The only way for a blacklight to hurt fish is for it to be really powerful. The amounts of UV light emitted compared to black light are extremely low. All natural daylight bulbs emit UV light. My quote here is "do more research "

 

[blert]

Was not trying to start a flame war here. Just pointing out some lighting and possible issues. But since you suggested to do some research I going to point something out to you...

...
Just FYI, UV and blacklight are not the same. UV light is blue, while blacklight is purple.

A black light IS a UVA bulb coated to produce a visible light in the 400-410 nm range.
UV light is NOT blue, it is not in the visible spectrum at all.

Yes, I agree that they are not very powerful and it would take a lot of exposure to do harm, but with the fixture usually being right on top of the aquarium the possibility for over-exposure is there.

That's all. Not trying to piss you off.

 

[bettaowner]

Glofish are hardy and their colors are best viewed under blue light.

 

[maxwellag]

Glofish are hardy and their colors are best viewed under blue light.

Yes they're hardy, but not as hardy as other danios because of selective breeding, which can cause genetic problems. Their colors are viewed well under UV or black light. The brightness of their colors depends on the intensity of the light they're under.
EDIT: just to clarify, I meant that the selective breeding between Glofish and other danios. There are "Glo zebra danios". I know that the glowing came from genetic modification.

 

[aqua_chem]

I don't think Glofish are selectively bred, just genetically modified. Could be wrong about that though.

 

[bud29]

I don't think Glofish are selectively bred, just genetically modified. Could be wrong about that though.

You aren't wrong. You are exactly right. They breed regular zebra danios and then inject jellyfish genes into the eggs to give them their "glow."

 

[jetajockey]

Yes and no. They are selective bred in that they selectively breed the DNA modified versions together. But no, the glowing is not a trait that could ever arise through selective breeding on it's own.

I think the idea of them being less hardy comes from the injected versions coming from a much smaller initial group (and gene pool) compared to regular zebras.