Glofish have slowly taken over the pet fish space since their introduction in the early 2000’s. Glofish broke headlines when they became the first pet fish that was genetically invented. In today’s article, we are going to explain everything you need to know about glofish, and whether or not they can live with turtles.
Can glofish live with turtles
Yes, glofish can certainly live with turtles. That being said, there are some strings attached.
If you plan to put glofish in your turtle tank, there are a couple precautions you should take. For starters, you should make sure you have a lot of ornaments in your tank. This will give your glofish spots to hide from the turtle in case the turtle gets hungry. In the video below, you can see a turtle that lives with glofish.
That being said, you should monitor your turtle and see if they frequently hunt the glofish. If so, this can cause a lot of stress and even cause your glofish to swim sideways. If this is the case, you should put the glofish in a separate tank.
You should also make sure you have a high-powered water filter. This is because turtles produce exponentially more waste than fish, and its important that your fish still have clean water to live in.
Additionally, you should also think hard about what type of turtle you should put with your glofish. Personally, I would recommend you stay away from red-eared sliders and painted turtles. These aquatic turtles are very good hunters and could definitely catch your glofish if they get hungry.
Instead, if you plan on putting your glofish with a turtle, I recommend you get either a box turtle or a mud turtle. These turtles are a lot less likely to catch your glofish in the water.
You can learn more in my article about the best turtle for fish tank.
What to do if your turtle eats a glofish?
Now if worst comes to worst and your turtle does eat a glofish, there is no need to panic. A glofish has very similar anatomy to a zebrafish and is therefore very natural for your turtle to eat. The genetic makeup of a glofish has no harmful substances that would make your turtle sick.
However, don’t expect your turtle to become a fluorescent color after it eats the glofish.
How do glofish glow?
Now you might be wondering what causes a glofish to be a fluorescent color in the first place. The first offspring of glofish were genetically made in a lab by extracting fluorescent protein from a jellyfish and inserting it into the embryo of a zebrafish.
Since the first offspring of glofish, there have been more that have been genetically manufactured by inserting sea coral genes into the embryo. This is what allows some glofish to be a reddish orange color.
Glofish now come in a variety of colors includinggreen, red, orange, yellow, pink, and blue.
Do glofish live in freshwater?
Yes, glofish live in freshwater environments. This is what allows them to live with freshwater turtles. A glofish would not be able to survive in a saltwater aquarium.
What fish can live with glofish?
Glofish like to live in schools, and therefore I recommend you buy at least 5 at a time. Glofish can live with just about any type of fish besides betta fish. This is because betta fish are known for being aggressive and hostile towards other fish.
