# Glowlight Tetras



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I saw a particularly nice school of these today at a LFS. They were schooling quite nicely. Might have to get some. My only concern is I heard they don't like bright lights? and hide a lot if the aquarium isn't dark?


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

Ive had them, and i cant tell you i liked them at all, and i had them under brighter lights with no problems, You know theres always Zebra Danios, basically the same thing, only without the glow


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Why didn't you like them? I don't really like Danios.


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## Fdsh5 (Jan 3, 2012)

I have some in my kitchen tank. Nothing but bright lights and it doesn't seem to phase them. I like them. Not as much as celestial pearl danios but close


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## newday3000 (Nov 4, 2009)

I find they don't school tightly that well, mush prefer white tip tetra's or black skirts for a tight school that shows some character


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

If you like the Glowlights, Blackheart, go ahead & get some. They're not fussy or delicate, you'll like them. They don't require any special treatment.


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## BlueSlurpee (Jul 18, 2008)

When I first started fishkeeping with a 29G tank, Glowlight Tetras were my first addition and I instantly fell in love with their colors and antics. Years later...when I upgraded to a 75G tank...I excitedly relocated the Glowlights, but they never took to the big tank. They swam statically in a back corner and their colors were washed out. They were healthy, but definitely not happy sharing a tank with Brilliant Rasbora twice their size. Earlier this year, I bought a 20-Long just for my Glowlights and they've thrived. I don't know if they dislike bright lights, but their colors really pop in dimmer lighting. They seem to literally glow from within with bright orange stripes and white fin tips. Mine are not schooling fish, but rather dart around the tank, challenging and chasing each other.

If you like watching them in the LFS, you will like them even more in your home.

P.S. They really are hardy little buggers, too.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

I have some and they don't school together but they school with my neon tetras. It's pretty weird.


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## Elppan (Aug 21, 2012)

I love mine! 
I have them in my 29g community, they are always darting around the tank, swimming through the plants. I personally think they are a very pretty fish.


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## greenmulberry (Dec 30, 2011)

I have them in my 40B under 150 W MH (lot of light). They are always out and about and have no trouble with the light.


I think they are a great fish! They don't school tightly, but seem generally gregarious and "hang out" near each other or with my pristella tetras.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I saw something new in Petsmart the other day - at least new to me; Glolight Barbs. They looked to be the Glo-version of albino tiger barbs. Personally the Glolights aren't my thing, but the kids (I mean young children) all flock to them. I see parents with their children at the Glolight tanks every time I stop in Petsmart. Luckily I also see the employees selling the special light and at least ten gallon set-ups to go with them, so they're not going into puny bowls in that store. Maybe it will jump start a whole new young generation of aquarists that will broaden their interests as they grow and help keep this hobby alive?


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

ADJAquariums said:


> Ive had them, and i cant tell you i liked them at all, and i had them under brighter lights with no problems, You know theres always Zebra Danios, basically the same thing, only without the glow


Glowlight tetras and zebra danios are about as different as two fish can be (perhaps you meant Glofish, a genetically modified form of the zebra danio). 

One is a characin from South America liking warm water and subdued lighting. It hangs out in a school in the lower area of the tank and is peaceful, hardy, and longlived. 

The other is a cyprinid from Asia, preferring cooler water and lots of current and doesn't mind bright lighting. It hangs out at the very top of the tank and is rowdy and boisterous, bombproof, and less long-lived.

Glowlight tetras are awesome fish. I'd encourage you to get them.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

BlueSlurpee said:


> When I first started fishkeeping with a 29G tank, Glowlight Tetras were my first addition and I instantly fell in love with their colors and antics. Years later...when I upgraded to a 75G tank...I excitedly relocated the Glowlights, but they never took to the big tank. They swam statically in a back corner and their colors were washed out. They were healthy, but definitely not happy sharing a tank with Brilliant Rasbora twice their size. Earlier this year, I bought a 20-Long just for my Glowlights and they've thrived. I don't know if they dislike bright lights, but their colors really pop in dimmer lighting. They seem to literally glow from within with bright orange stripes and white fin tips. Mine are not schooling fish, but rather dart around the tank, challenging and chasing each other.
> 
> If you like watching them in the LFS, you will like them even more in your home.
> 
> P.S. They really are hardy little buggers, too.


So they'd be much better with just them by themselves?



Neatfish said:


> I have some and they don't school together but they school with my neon tetras. It's pretty weird.


Weird. they were schooling a lot when I saw them


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

i dont like them because i think they are a bit rediculous and i just dont really like having them.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Because they're ridiculous? Uhh, well, whatever floats your boat... Not sure how fish can be ridiculous lol


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## greenmulberry (Dec 30, 2011)

I don't think we are all talking about the same fish.

This is a glowlight tetra:


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Yes lol Glowlight tetras. Not Glofish.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

greenmulberry said:


> I don't think we are all talking about the same fish.
> 
> This is a glowlight tetra:


lol - we're definitely not all talking about the same fish - I was thinking of the other, glowing neon yellow/green things...


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

If that's the case, then yes those most certainly are ridiculous lol


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

If you have a large enough number of them (min. of 6) they will school in a tank where there are other fish. In a tank where they are the only mid level swimmers (I keep mine with plecos in a 46 gal) they are all over the tank and don't always stay together. Mine seem to know there is nothing in the tank that could hurt them. They even eat fish food out of my hand. Their colors do show much better in a darker tank. But even in a bright tank with hiding spaces and plenty of plants they do just fine. Two of mine are 8 years old and still going strong.


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## greenmulberry (Dec 30, 2011)

driftwoodhunter said:


> lol - we're definitely not all talking about the same fish - I was thinking of the other, glowing neon yellow/green things...



The Glowlight tetras were given that common name before those "glofish," I think they are called, were "invented". 

I don't much care for the "glofish" myself, but it does seem more humane than the painting dyeing of fish, which is how they used to get those wild fake colors before genetic engineering was available.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Hi  I used to have a school of them. Super cute. They school when they feel threated, and they do hide in caves and within plant leaves when the lights are too bright. I found them to be a hardy fish and personally I really liked the glow they have. Mine were with Rummynose Tetras and they would often mix with them. For a majority of the day though, once they were comfortable in their environment, they did cease schooling. They would break apart and sit idle usually equally spaced from eachother; about 3inches from eachother. At feeding time they were afraid of nothing LOL! They were not skittish either when it came to a lot of activity outside the tank.
I don't have them anymore, because I decided I want faster moving fish, which weren't a good match for the glowlights. Now, I am deciding to go back to a slower paced tank.
Glowlight tetras do squabble amongst eachother from time to time, and some will have torn fins. The dominate ones will grow nice white tips on their fins. I really like the tips. 

If you like them, I say give them a try! You said you don't like danios, but if you like glowlight tetras, you might be suprised by the glowlight danio. It is quite pretty compare to other danios IMO. The silver tip tetra is a pretty one too, but again, just a shoaling species. One thing you should do is ask your LFS if you can "try" them out. Ask them if they will exchange them for something else or credit if you decide you don't like them in your tank. Our LFS has a revolving door policy. It's great!

Anyway, hope you don't mind. I thought I'd share a picture of both the danio and the tetra glowlights for comparison.


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## BlueSlurpee (Jul 18, 2008)

Amandas tank said:


> They were not skittish either when it came to a lot of activity outside the tank.


So true. My little orange fellas like to taunt my cat whenever he's perched nearby. They swim really close to the glass and flutter around like they're expecting him to drop in some food flakes. And they love to explore all over the tank. Driftwood, rocks, plants, whatever...if there's a hole big enough, one is going to squeeze through it.

I also tried Danios once, but it was the only fish I've ever returned to the LFS. I couldn't tolerate their spastic, non-stop, high-speed movements. I find the Glowlight Tetra to be fun, yet relaxing, to watch. They really are one of my favorites.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Amandas tank said:


> Hi  I used to have a school of them. Super cute. They school when they feel threated, and they do hide in caves and within plant leaves when the lights are too bright. I found them to be a hardy fish and personally I really liked the glow they have. Mine were with Rummynose Tetras and they would often mix with them. For a majority of the day though, once they were comfortable in their environment, they did cease schooling. They would break apart and sit idle usually equally spaced from eachother; about 3inches from eachother. At feeding time they were afraid of nothing LOL! They were not skittish either when it came to a lot of activity outside the tank.
> I don't have them anymore, because I decided I want faster moving fish, which weren't a good match for the glowlights. Now, I am deciding to go back to a slower paced tank.
> Glowlight tetras do squabble amongst eachother from time to time, and some will have torn fins. The dominate ones will grow nice white tips on their fins. I really like the tips.
> 
> ...


Great job, Amanda, of showing the difference between the two of them - it was needed !


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## Andrew H (Nov 17, 2011)

I was actually checking these out at petsmart today. They were having them on sale for a dollar and I was going to get a bunch for the station tank until I noticed white dots on them.

Gonna check a different petsmart tomorrow because their orange stripe is siiiiiiiiiick!!


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

I think he probably thinks were talking about glow fish.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

glowlight tetra









glow fish









glowlight danio









I don't even know what to say about this.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Not sure what this is.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

That's a dyed glassfish. Different from genetic modification. Cruel and unbecoming. They dip the fish in acid that burns off their slim coat and then they dip them in dye. The few that survive don't retain the dye after about a month and they are weakened for life and usually die young.


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## Andrew H (Nov 17, 2011)

Bought six of the glowlight tetras. Have them floating in my tank till I can move them to the station tank at work tomorrow. Good looking fish and are always facing the same direction as each other.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Congrats Andrew! Enjoy them


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## Pluck (Aug 10, 2012)

Neat fish... I have 5 of the yellow tetras second from bottom in your post. I tried to figure out what they are because I forgot after buying them. Hearty little guys all survived the 6 day power outage like champs.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

So would you guys say these are hardier than Neons?


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

I honestly thoght you were talking about the Glowfish not Glowlight tetras, my bad, i actually like these ones, I think the Glow in the dark ones are Rediculous


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Probably are.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I got 6 of these guys tonight to try out and see how they do for my tank. Might possibly get a dozen more


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## Jericho199 (Mar 18, 2011)

I know you already got them, but I'm still going to endorse them 

Personally, I think they are absolutely beautiful (especially the males) and have a dozen of them in my 35. I'll just add a couple quick notes about them.

For one, glowlights tend to occupy the lower third of the tank. This can be nice because it's not always easy to find fish that occupy that strata of the tank. Also of note, they won't always come to the top to eat if you have other enthusiastic eaters in the tank. Mine wait patiently in the middle while my kerri tetras go nuts at the top. They will however, readily eat from the top if I feed live fruit flies

Also, glowlights can tolerate fairly warm water (up to about 82-83 I believe). This means you could comfortably pair them with other warm water fish like cardinals, sterbai cories and angels.

Lastly, if you're looking for a tight schooler, these are not the fish for you. I have a very docile tank, and mine seem to comfortably meander around in a loose group. They never seem to be reclusive in docile community tanks.

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy them!


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## Andrew H (Nov 17, 2011)

Yeah the six I have are hardy, swim all over the 55, and swim with the neons and X-ray tetras that are in the tank. Very cool orange color too.


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## Gooberfish (Mar 27, 2012)

So I just bought my first batch of glowlight TETRAS. Question for those with experience, what do you feed them to bring out their color to the fullest? I'm armed with frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and aqueon tropical flakes.

Would the tetra tropical "color" flakes be best?


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

That's what I feed them. Crazy story my glowlights like to school with my neon tetras.


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## Jericho199 (Mar 18, 2011)

Gooberfish said:


> So I just bought my first batch of glowlight TETRAS. Question for those with experience, what do you feed them to bring out their color to the fullest? I'm armed with frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and aqueon tropical flakes.
> 
> Would the tetra tropical "color" flakes be best?


I feed mine a combination of frozen brine/bloodworms (Hikari), omega one flake, NLS small fish formula, live fruit flies, and live blackworms. Fantastic color.


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## DBlauj (Apr 17, 2012)

If you guys are talking about Glowlight Tetras (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) they are pretty little guys. Check out this video it is an awesome showcase of them schooling together.

http://youtu.be/ZK4o3jGT4jQ


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

What kind of light do they look good in?


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

They're not really much for schooling lol it's weird they actually school more with Neon tetras than they do with their own kind!


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

DBlauj said:


> If you guys are talking about Glowlight Tetras (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) they are pretty little guys. Check out this video it is an awesome showcase of them schooling together.
> 
> http://youtu.be/ZK4o3jGT4jQ


What a beautiful video - the circular pattern on the left of the tank was amazing! I guess it's the lighting, but I would have sworn they were Blue Tetras if you hadn't told us...


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## DBlauj (Apr 17, 2012)

Yes it is an amazing tank with beautiful fishes. I am a big Apisto fan so it would have been great to have seen them swimming around. I also agree that at first I thought they were some sort of blue tetras as well. Either way still an awesome setup.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

DBlauj said:


> Yes it is an amazing tank with beautiful fishes. I am a big Apisto fan so it would have been great to have seen them swimming around. I also agree that at first I thought they were some sort of blue tetras as well. Either way still an awesome setup.


haha - I thought it was your tank! I subscribed to his video channel - there are some striking vids on it.


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## DBlauj (Apr 17, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> haha - I thought it was your tank! I subscribed to his video channel - there are some striking vids on it.


Lol I wish. Yea there are some really nice tanks on the channel.


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## bbrackeen (Oct 22, 2012)

Just picked up about 15 of these to go with my cardinals (about 18). I must say, they are great contrast to the laid back cardinals, they dart around a lot and have a great "peppiness" to them! Where the cardinals generally bob around the middle of the tank, the glowlights are chasing each other through the plants like little kids at a playground.

Great fun to watch!


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## greenmulberry (Dec 30, 2011)

Yeah they are nice! I just picked up another 6. The ones at the LFS were just so robust, and CHEAP.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I'd love to see some new pics - I'm considering them for a future tank and I'd like to see them in as many TPT tanks as possible...


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## nrarcher (Apr 3, 2020)

I'm thinking about getting 15 for a planted 125 gallon as my first fish in the tank after a 3 week cycle phase. Down the road if I don't like how they school I can add another school of tetra.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

nrarcher said:


> I'm thinking about getting 15 for a planted 125 gallon as my first fish in the tank after a 3 week cycle phase. Down the road if I don't like how they school I can add another school of tetra.



They're not large tetras and in a 125 15 would probably get lost. Maybe try 30. Good contrasting companion tetras would be a deeper bodied tetras like Black Phantoms, Rosy Tetras or Colombian Tetras. Always get a larger school of these as they like more than 6 companions.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

How does this even happen lol I started this thread almost 8 years ago.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

nrarcher said:


> I'm thinking about getting 15 for a planted 125 gallon as my first fish in the tank after a 3 week cycle phase. Down the road if I don't like how they school I can add another school of tetra.


My glowlights were always the hardiest fish I had, they survived through a ton!
They were also super cheap to buy and I think 30-40 would do great in your 125

I've had them in bright light and they were always very active and not shy, although I got bored with them after a while. 
They were hardy enough to breed in regular tap water too which I was surprised by


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## nrarcher (Apr 3, 2020)

Thank you for the input. I purchased 20 to start and just added 7 more. They were the first fish I added to my fresh 125 and I lost about 8 in the process since the tank wasn't completely cycled. They are currently doing great and I'd like to have about 40 in there.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

I still dont understand why someone would create a new post in this topic from 8 years ago lol why not just create a new post?


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Blackheart said:


> I still dont understand why someone would create a new post in this topic from 8 years ago lol why not just create a new post?


It's easy. Someone does a search on the topic, reads the thread and replies. They just didn't notice the date on the op. The search engine here doesn't list by date. If you type in "CO2" the first post that comes up is from 2010.


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

That's still just silly.

Anyways, I recently picked up 9 of these for my 33 gallon. Haven't kept them in years. I do quite like their colors. But in terms of schooling, they aren't really tight schooling at all. Once in awhile I will see them swim together, but other than that, they are mostly spread out.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Kubla said:


> It's easy. Someone does a search on the topic, reads the thread and replies. They just didn't notice the date on the op. The search engine here doesn't list by date. If you type in "CO2" the first post that comes up is from 2010.


Agreed. People always ask "Did you do a search" and "There is already a thread for that". So why would you start a new thread?

Besides. The people here obviously come and go but the fish stay the same...

There are always new enthusiastic members who will be asking the same questions.


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