Glofish danios with zebra danios?

[PithyUserName]

Maybe an odd question. I’m a one month newbie, by accident. You can see he story in my into thread, but basically a well intended kids gift of fish and a tiny tank…and here we are.

Three kids, three fish, disaster. My daughters gifted fish was a pink/purple glofish tetra, which of course died because no one knew anything. At any rate she’s set on that Pink fish color. Her older brother and her twin brothers fish are still living in the new & cycled 15 gallon with some matching friends (6 harlequin rasboras, and 3 s&p corys). 
 

I have a 32 gallon they all will be moving to when it’s ready, and I’d really like to not have a school of fluorescent fish in there if I can avoid it. So, I’m wondering if a Glofish danio will school and feel comfortable with regular zebra danios? My kids like the rasboras activity level so I think the danios will be a better fit. Hoping to pull off my daughter having her pink fish that’ll school with their genetic lineage. Pipe dream? 
 

Absent that, and ideas for a pink(ish) fish? I’d really like to keep the kids interested…because I’m hooked!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Honestly, I would totally try that. Girl has to get what girl wants. A friend of mine (who is not a kid- at all- and not a newbie to the hobby either) has glotetras and albino cory- they all get along fine. She's recently added Mollies- still good. You can always ask the fish store if they didn't work out if you could return the fish and maybe trade it for a pink castle as a compromise? 😉

[PithyUserName]

On 5/21/2022 at 9:12 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Honestly, I would totally try that. Girl has to get what girl wants. A friend of mine (who is not a kid- at all- and not a newbie to the hobby either) has glotetras and albino cory- they all get along fine. She's recently added Mollies- still good. You can always ask the fish store if they didn't work out if you could return the fish and maybe trade it for a pink castle as a compromise? 😉

Haha…you sound like my wife! Honestly I’d feel bad if the lone glodanio wasn’t accepted by its cousins, and from my limited knowledge they seem a lot more robust and adaptable than tetras in general. Kids are on the up and up on the circle of life, but a higher chance of success is a welcome thing for a dad with his daughter. The twins are going to be 7 next month, and my oldest boy is 9. 
 

I would really like to sell her on a Honey Gourami…special stand alone fish. Her brothers aren’t bothered by their original personal fish being in a group that looks the same. I could just get one pink glodanio and make the others a different glo color…but I’m just not a fan of the whole fluorescent thing at all let alone a whole shoal.

Edited May 22, 2022 by PithyUserName

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I totally get it. Honestly taking a kid to a fish store to pick out her very own fish might sell her on the Honey. But really lets think about this- one pink fish does not a fish tank break- though a Honey is a natural color they stand out pretty well- almost as well as a princess Pink fish. 

You could always get the pink fish an orange friend 😄 

[PithyUserName]

On 5/21/2022 at 9:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I totally get it. Honestly taking a kid to a fish store to pick out her very own fish might sell her on the Honey. But really lets think about this- one pink fish does not a fish tank break- though a Honey is a natural color they stand out pretty well- almost as well as a princess Pink fish. 

You could always get the pink fish an orange friend 😄 

Definitely not the end of the world to have a school of something your kids enjoy in one of the three tanks you’ve collected in the past month ☺️. Still hopeful someone will know the answer to my question. Seems like someone would have asked before for at least one type of Glofish with their respective genetic origin fish. I looked around the internet and just got a bunch of results stating you can mix and match the available colors within the species of Glofish…kind of obvious when that’s how you see them in the pet store. 
 

a Glofish danio is a modified zebra danio…seems like it’d work on paper. Sigh, always have to be “that guy.” Thanks for the replies 😉

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Someone has to try it first. 🙂 

[Katherine]

I was told at the store that you can mix the glotetras with the white skirt tetras they came from. I've got 4 glow and 2 regular white with no issues. I'd imagine it could work for the danios as well.

[PithyUserName]

On 5/21/2022 at 10:06 PM, Katherine said:

I was told at the store that you can mix the glotetras with the white skirt tetras they came from. I've got 4 glow and 2 regular white with no issues. I'd imagine it could work for the danios as well.

Katherine in for the win! All I needed was a bit of encouragement, and someone to blame LOL! Seriously though thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

[modified lung]

I have a glo danio that schools with glo tetras and other species of danios. Before that he schooled with cory cats. They'll school with anything. They're super thirsty.

[Torrey]

On 5/21/2022 at 7:59 PM, PithyUserName said:

Definitely not the end of the world to have a school of something your kids enjoy in one of the three tanks you’ve collected in the past month ☺️. Still hopeful someone will know the answer to my question. Seems like someone would have asked before for at least one type of Glofish with their respective genetic origin fish. I looked around the internet and just got a bunch of results stating you can mix and match the available colors within the species of Glofish…kind of obvious when that’s how you see them in the pet store. 
 

a Glofish danio is a modified zebra danio…seems like it’d work on paper. Sigh, always have to be “that guy.” Thanks for the replies 😉

I have a mixed school of longfin/shortfin zebra danios. I have been breeding them to get a more rainbow colored zebra danio, and the danios will even coral the bachelor endlers into the school with them.

Occasionally, zebras will decide en masse that they don't like a specific school member. As long as you keep an eye out for bullying and one zebra trying to stay separate (meaning the glo zebra), the school should be fine with one a little different. 

They are less likely to bully the larger the school is. I can keep a single (bullied) zebra danio with a dozen male endlers, and all will heal up nicely and not stress.

Or, I can keep 14 to 20 zebra danios together in a 15 gallon long (custom) and not have any bullying. 

Leave 3 to 6 together to long after breeding?

Someone is getting bullied, and I need to put them in a salt treatment with the male endlers, again 🤦‍♂️

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/21/2022 at 6:06 PM, PithyUserName said:

Three kids, three fish, disaster. My daughters gifted fish was a pink/purple glofish tetra, which of course died because no one knew anything. At any rate she’s set on that Pink fish color. Her older brother and her twin brothers fish are still living in the new & cycled 15 gallon with some matching friends (6 harlequin rasboras, and 3 s&p corys). 
 

I have a 32 gallon they all will be moving to when it’s ready, and I’d really like to not have a school of fluorescent fish in there if I can avoid it. So, I’m wondering if a Glofish danio will school and feel comfortable with regular zebra danios? My kids like the rasboras activity level so I think the danios will be a better fit. Hoping to pull off my daughter having her pink fish that’ll school with their genetic lineage. Pipe dream? 

needless to say.... I understand.


This is my tank similar situation to yours. I had a random addition of another community tank that ended up here. 2 glofish, some livebearers, and they all got along just fine with everything in the tank.  The glofish definitely won't care where they are and what color the other fish are, lol.

 

On 5/21/2022 at 6:06 PM, PithyUserName said:

Absent that, and ideas for a pink(ish) fish? I’d really like to keep the kids interested…because I’m hooked!

Chili rasbora and glowlight tetras are pretty awesome looking. There is also neon green rasboras, the typical neon tetra and green neon as well.  If you don't have any, panda corys might be the jam too.

[PithyUserName]

Thank you for the additional replies. @Torreygreat tip on the overall school size. It’s a 32 gallon so a bigger school of like 12 is probably able to be done.

[Tanked]

On 5/21/2022 at 9:06 PM, PithyUserName said:

Maybe an odd question. I’m a one month newbie, by accident. You can see he story in my into thread, but basically a well intended kids gift of fish and a tiny tank…and here we are.

Three kids, three fish, disaster. My daughters gifted fish was a pink/purple glofish tetra, which of course died because no one knew anything. At any rate she’s set on that Pink fish color. Her older brother and her twin brothers fish are still living in the new & cycled 15 gallon with some matching friends (6 harlequin rasboras, and 3 s&p corys). 
 

I have a 32 gallon they all will be moving to when it’s ready, and I’d really like to not have a school of fluorescent fish in there if I can avoid it. So, I’m wondering if a Glofish danio will school and feel comfortable with regular zebra danios? My kids like the rasboras activity level so I think the danios will be a better fit. Hoping to pull off my daughter having her pink fish that’ll school with their genetic lineage. Pipe dream? 
 

Absent that, and ideas for a pink(ish) fish? I’d really like to keep the kids interested…because I’m hooked!

The easiest answer is to add your glofish danio alongside your daughter's.  They will either keep each other company, or they will hook up with the other danios.  A lot depends on the temperament of the other Zebra Danios. I added two adopted Glofish Tetras to the community tank.  The surviving Glofish swam with all of the other smaller fish, but preferred swimming with the slower swimming, more passive tetras.  The Glofish also spent a lot of time swimming by itself.  I suspect you will have better luck with the Zebra Danios.

[PithyUserName]

On 5/22/2022 at 10:10 AM, Tanked said:

The easiest answer is to add your glofish danio alongside your daughter's.  They will either keep each other company, or they will hook up with the other danios.  A lot depends on the temperament of the other Zebra Danios. I added two adopted Glofish Tetras to the community tank.  The surviving Glofish swam with all of the other smaller fish, but preferred swimming with the slower swimming, more passive tetras.  The Glofish also spent a lot of time swimming by itself.  I suspect you will have better luck with the Zebra Danios.

More than one just in case. Good idea.