Glofish fish: luminous fluorescent aquarium inhabitants

Choosing pets for the aquarium, many stop at the luminous fish. Small fluorescent residents are good because they shine beautifully in the dark, and even look no worse during the day. How to properly care for them, what special characteristics they have, we will consider below.

The very first luminous fish is well known to any aquarist, and not only. It is nothing but neon. The story of the discovery of tiny fish began in America, where Rabo, a French explorer, arrived. Seriously ill, he was picked up by local Indians who saved him from imminent death. It was in their village that he saw a beautiful fish-firefly, he took several individuals of this species to his homeland.

Then science took a step further, and at the end of the 20th century, scientists began to conduct various experiments, studying animal cells. One of the studied individuals was the Pacific jellyfish, capable of glowing in the dark. The gene of this jellyfish was able to isolate, and then it was introduced by the first experimental - zebrafish. At first, nothing came of it, but a little later, the researchers managed to bring out fish, which, with their glow, signaled changes in water parameters.

Overjoyed scientists introduced the fish to scientific conferences, and then the unexpected happened: individuals bred exclusively for science suddenly found success with interesting fish breeders. A little later, already in 2003, scientists signed a deal with breeders and businessmen, and the fish company began to be called GloFish.The main office of the company is located in Hong Kong, and the pets that the company breeds have long been one of the favorites among many aquarists.

There are several varieties of luminous fish, obtained both artificially and naturally.

• Neon. As already noted, neon is a fish that can be found in nature. In the middle of the body, neon has a bright luminous strip. Males have a straight line, females have a rounded line. Ordinary fish are reddish-blue, but there are also many other colors obtained artificially. This means that a special paint is introduced into the body of neon.

• Erythrosone. These fish are quite similar to neons, but have a transparent body. Along the body is also a strip, which usually has a deep red color. Erythrosone is very easy to breed at home.

• Danio Such fish were the first experimental scientists. At first, zebrafish shone exclusively with a green light, thanks to the jellyfish gene, but today aquariums have access to red, yellow and orange fish, obtained through long research.

• Terence. Stunningly beautiful rounded fish, ready to give the aquarium the whole spectrum of the rainbow. It is suitable for beginners, as it does not differ in particular whimsicality. Every year, scientists are developing new species with different colors. An interesting fact is that with a poor content, the fish can change color, it becomes more faded.

• Barbus. GloFish company did not bypass its attention and restless barbs. The Sumatran subspecies is especially popular. These are fishes of yellow-green saturated color, and especially brightly they show their qualities, being under ultraviolet rays.

• Angelfish. An interesting fish from the cichlid genus. She became the next one to conduct experiments. And if everything was quite simple with schooling small fish, then here the scientists had to try so that such a pet could reproduce successfully.

Despite the fact that fluorescent fish look extremely unusual, caring for them will not be too burdensome, because these are all the same standard fish, only glowing. Behavior, character, eating habits are the same as that of ordinary pets. Therefore, the content will almost entirely depend on the type you choose. We will give some of the most general recommendations.

This is due to the fact that from birth they contain the genes of tropical creatures that need a warm habitat. Hardness and acidity are selected depending on the type of fish. Water is replaced every 14 days, but no more than a third of the total volume is changed. They are fed standard food, both dry and frozen. Live protein supplements, such as bloodworms or daphnia, will be required. Like ordinary fish, fluorescent should not be overfed, it is fraught with multiple diseases, the most harmless of which is obesity.

Every year, GloFish receives more and more orders, so companies that produce decorations for aquariums do not hesitate either. Special luminous scenery is becoming incredibly popular, designed to emphasize the beauty of the fish. It can be both real plants and artificial decor items. However, it is very important not to overdo it with them, because they can easily overshadow the charm of the inhabitants of the water reservoir themselves. If you don’t like such decorations, you can always prefer ordinary living plants, which decorate the aquarium no worse.

In addition, it should be noted that genetically modified fish themselves will not glow in the dark. Best glow is visible under the sun, as well as in the light of special lamps.Today, scientists have already developed several types of fixtures that allow fish to beautifully cast in different colors. There are also some aquariums that glow in the dark.

As for the soil, experts recommend buying light, or better, snow-white soil. The back wall of the aquarium should be made dark. This will allow the fish to look even brighter and richer. But dark soil with light walls will look no worse, most importantly, observe the rule of contrast.

Basically, fish glofish have a fairly calm and peaceful disposition. In addition, most of them are flocks. This, for example, zebrafish, thorns, neonchiki. Such pets should not be kept alone, otherwise the fish will get bored quickly and may begin to hurt. It is best to buy 6-8 pets at once. At the same time, it is possible to keep both fluorescent and ordinary fish together, there will be no difference in care or nutrition.

For instance, neons and thorns get along well with corridors, gouras, swordsmen, zebrafish. But it is better not to settle them with cichlids, as well as with other predators, since the latter can start hunting for civilians. However, if we talk about zebrafish, then this fish will get along with small cichlids, the main thing is to ensure a sufficient number of plants.

Angelfish are predatory fish, but they are aggressive only at night. Therefore, experienced aquarists advise them to pick up civilians as neighbors: gourami, small cichlases, labeos, zebrafish. But it is better not to settle barbs, as well as veil fish, the same applies to other types of cichlids. In addition, the optimal solution would contain scalar and peaceful fish along since childhood.

Thus, we can conclude that the content of aquarium fish is almost the same as that of conventional species. Fluorescent luminous creatures are gaining more and more fans every day, despite the prohibition of some countries to breed them. Moreover, the ban is unreasonable, since genetically modified fish do not harm other inhabitants of the aquarium, do not change their behavior and have the same habits as standard pets.

Look at the next video for the characteristics of a fishfish.