Are Glolite tetras dyed fish?

[FishEnthusiast]

What I want to know is are glolites dyed fish? I never thought so, yet someone working at petcetera told some people today that they were. I of course spoke up cause I have a big mouth and contradicted him. I just want to make sure I didn't put my big foot into my big mouth .

I spent most of my time there today telling a couple not to buy so many fish, there was a huge sale, buy one get two free, and they decided to completely stock their 10G tank today. No cycling nothing. I convinced them to get only a couple of the more hardy fish, and to get a separate bowl for the betta they picked out. But.... that is another story.

 

[SPLiSH]

No glolites aren't dyed, as far as I know...

 

[The-Wolf]

no they are not a dyed fish, they are a naturaly occuring fish that developed the bright neon line to aid them to see each other in the dark waters of the Essequibo River where they are from.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

That is what I said to him, but he didn't believe me. I think the couple did though, they stopped asking the employee for advice and started asking me instead. I suggested they join this forum for more information. Whew, it is always good to know you are right!!

 

[SPLiSH]

Good job on helping that couple out! And reffering them to TFF....

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I never would have done it if I hadn't found this forum. I figured I saved about 10 little fishie lives and a couple of frogs lives with that couple along with the 12 I saved by taking them home. Hubby figures they had the sale to empty out their tanks, the hair algae was every where.

 

[silvershark]

i was under the impression that dyed fish were a single colour all over...

unless they've started tattooed fish too...

 

[FishEnthusiast]

i was under the impression that dyed fish were a single colour all over...

unless they've started tattooed fish too...

That was funny. I have seen painted tetras that just have a line of colour along the top of their bodies. Maybe the dye was just fading though. I know I would never buy one intentionally, and the lfs where I normally shop will NOT stock them. If they come in the manager sends them back. In fact she has complained to the suppliers and asked them to clearly label fish as "dyed" or the more innocuous term "painted". She told me the suppliers will use names that do not make them sound dyed, just so people like her, who wouldn't normally buy them, will.

 

[Katchan]

Hmmm, contradicts what my fish book says, it states they are a genetically engineered for scietific reasons and were popular enough to get a leg into the aquatic trade.

Katchan

 

[CFC]

Unfortunately they do also "tattoo" fish as well The fish is first dipped into a acid solution which strips its slime coat and then the fish is painted on with a dye which stains the skin, the fish is then dipped into a irritant which causes the slime coat to grow back and seal in the dye. The fish are painted with a variety of spots or symbols in a multitude of colours, i have personally seen albino corys with a red line on the body and a blue dot on the tail.

 

[xanthianacid]

Actually, the shop my hubby and i have boycotted have painted/dyed fish, and they often have at least two colours. You can tell because they are so gaudy, pinks and so on that have no real use/don't look real.

 

[CFC]

Hmmm, contradicts what my fish book says, it states they are a genetically engineered for scietific reasons and were popular enough to get a leg into the aquatic trade.

Katchan

Your confusing them with Glo fish which are Danios which have had jelly fish DNA spliced into theirs to make them glow in the dark. The Glowlight tetra Hemigrammus erythrozonus is a naturally occuring fish with a bright orange stripe down their middle which aids the fish in schooling in murky water, though they cannot glow in the dark.

 

[Katchan]

OOP's me bad , thanks for the correction CFC

Katchan

 

[silvershark]

Unfortunately they do also "tattoo" fish as well The fish is first dipped into a acid solution which strips its slime coat and then the fish is painted on with a dye which stains the skin, the fish is then dipped into a irritant which causes the slime coat to grow back and seal in the dye. The fish are painted with a variety of spots or symbols in a multitude of colours, i have personally seen albino corys with a red line on the body and a blue dot on the tail.

oh dear, we'll be seeing a "personalised fish" service soon enough then...

it seems to be spiralling out of control in my opinion...

 

[SPLiSH]

oh dear, we'll be seeing a "personalised fish" service soon enough then...

I hope not... that would be horrid. We people who know the story behind dyed/painted fish need to educate those who don't.

'Cause really, it's the people who aren't neccessarily into fish who buy dyed/painted species. And they usually buy them on impulse, without research. So it needs to become public knowledge how these fish get their colours.