Glofish comes in various colors and types making it easier for you to choose your favorite. Thanks to the scientists who thought about transferring a fluorescent gene into zebra danios and giving us the most beautiful fish, Glofish. And, now you don’t even need experts to help to breed this fish. But it is illegal to breed and sell these patent fish. But hey, no one can keep themselves above nature, and it is natural for glofish to lay eggs. Hence, some questions follow. How often do glofish lay eggs? What do glofish eggs look like?
Glofish lay eggs every two to three days during the breeding season and each clutch can have nearly hundreds of eggs with minimal survival rate. The egg of glofish looks small whitish- or cream-colored orbs that look like a tiny grain of sand.
But it is very necessary for you to know that it is illegal to breed this fish. Please don’t do it intentionally. And even it was unintentional and you have newly born fry in the tank, you can sell them to anyone, ANYONE meaning neither pet stores nor personal fish keeper.
So, one way or other it is quite necessary for you to know the answers related to glofish eggs, let me help you here, will you?
Read the article below to know what you should be looking for and what you need to do.
How Often Do Glofish Lay Eggs?
Well, the breeding of glofish is illegal and the law prohibits you from selling them, so people barely wonder about glofish egg and their babies.
But glofish are not livebearers and they do lay eggs, it just that people notice them only after the eggs hatch.
Now to the main question, these fish lay eggs every two to three days. And prepare yourself to see a few hundreds of them in every clutch.
But not all of them will survive and you’ll not have thousands of fish to take care of. However, you need to give a proper breeding environment for glofish.
What Are The Signs Of Eggs In Female Glofish?
The most important question is what should you look for in the tank when you see your glofish shows breeding signs.
You will see your male glofish attacking the female glofish, which somehow shows your glofish breeding phase has started.
These male glofish are usually thinner and smaller than females and will follow the female glofish and shake them.
You will see the swollen belly of the female glofish which the most obvious sign of pregnancy. Glofish are not livebearers, this might be quite clear when you are searching for an egg, I guess.
Once your glofish starts to lay eggs they will become hyperactive. They (female glofish) release eggs when the male fish is around them.
There are many glofish in the tank so there is a chance many males will fertilize the different eggs from the same clutch.
What Do Glofish Eggs Look Like In A Tank?
Okay, now we have cleared up the sign of pregnancy and the presence of eggs in the belly of the female glofish, let’s talk about what to look for while searching for eggs.
Look for tiny cream or whitish orbs in the substrate, gravel, or on the plants, it won’t be that hard to detect eggs. If you have a black colored substrate, it will be far easier.
I suggest you go for the java moss plant in the tank with glofish, this will help you save the fry once the eggs hatch.
Java moss will provide an excellent place to hide the eggs and even fry and save them from the adults. You’ll find the eggs as a tiny grain of sand stuck in the substrate or on the Java moss.
You can get Java moss from the nearby pet stores or online sites like amazon. Java Moss Portion in 4 Oz Cup – Easy Live Fresh Water Aquarium Plants and Java Moss – Vesicularia dubyana (4×6 cm) – Live Aquarium Plant, you can choose anyone of them.
This will help you identify and look at them in the tank full of adult fish, you can even separate the adult fish.
People also suggest going for marbles in the substrate, as they will have space between them to keep eggs.
Is It Illegal To Breed Glofish?
Yes, apparently it is. You can’t breed them as they are a patent breed.
The GloFish Fluorescent Fish License strictly states “Intentional breeding and/or any sale, barter, or trade, of any offspring of GloFish fluorescent ornamental fish, is strictly prohibited.”
But hey you can’t control the natural process and it is bound to happen when you keep two different genders of fish together.
But once the fry is born you might want to sell them, please don’t do that. Breeding is illegal already and it is understandable as it is unintentional.
But selling them to the pet stores, or even to the local personal fish keeper is illegal. The right to sell and reproduce the glofish breed is given to a company Glofish.
Egg Fertilization Of Glofish
Female glofish drop the eggs in the aquarium water or at the spawning site where the male fish are nearby.
As soon as the female releases the eggs, the male fertilizes them. Hence the fertilized eggs drop down to the bottom of the tank. You need to know that glofish spawns in spools, and this does something else too.
When a female lays eggs, there is a probability that many males fertilize the eggs of a single female from the same clutch.
You can differentiate the fertilized ones from the unfertilized ones with the help of a black dot. When the male fish fertilizes the eggs, there is a development of the back dot inside it.
But the unfertilized ones remain the same whitish or cream-colored, and most of them will be eaten by male ones.
What Is The Survival Rate Of Glofish Eggs?
As you cannot make a profit with the eggs or the fry of this typical fish, you might not want all the eggs to hatch.
If all the eggs fertilize and giving these many numbers of fry, you cannot handle them. But say it a stroke of good luck or unfortunately, the survival rate of eggs is minimal.
Meaning that you will not have hundreds of fries in the tank, sometimes not even 10. Adult glofish eat most of the eggs as soon as the female lays them.
So, thanks to the parents for eating their babies, okay harsh, but they do eat their eggs. That is the reason many people choose to keep marbles in the tank.
These marbles have the gaps between them where the eggs can settle properly. This will keep the adults away from the eggs as well as protect the fertilized eggs.
How Long Does It Take For Glofish Eggs To Hatch?
When the male fertilizes the eggs, these eggs slowly settle down on the bottom of the tank. You will have to wait for 2 to 3 days for the eggs to hatch.
Once, they develop properly, they will hatch into a healthy fry until you keep the breeding tank ideal.
But they won’t come out of the hole just after they are born, these glofish fry will take some time. You will have to leave them alone for 2 to 4 more days.
After that, they will come out on their own in search of food, you’ll provide the proper diet. The diet and tank condition decide the growth rate and survival of fry in the tank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to a few FAQs you might be wondering about when it comes to glofish. I guess this will help you have some important information.
Where Do Glofish Lay Their Eggs?
The funniest answer is they lay eggs where you keep them. Okay, jokes apart. Glofish lay eggs on the spawning site, on the plants, or just drops them into the water while they swim around the tank.
When the female glofish releases the eggs into the aquarium water, these eggs fall towards the bottom of the tank and the male fertilizes it there.
That’s why it is suggested to keep marbles on the substrate to let the eggs settle in the gaps. These marbles also protect eggs whilst adults try to eat them.
How Long Does A Glofish Live?
The lifespan of the glofish varies according to the type and care you provide them. Hence, the average lifespan of glofish is 3 years with proper care and maintenance. Unless you deviate and do not give these hardy fish ideal water parameters, you’ll lose them as soon as you put them in that tank. You need to setup tank for glofish that meets all the water parameters they ask for.
What Glofish Can Live Together?
Glofish, with no doubt, inherited most of the features from the breed they are genetically enhanced with. And living together and schooling together are the most common traits all three types of glofish have. Glofish tetras, danios, and barbs can live together in the same tank, but glofish barbs get aggressive when you don’t keep them in a school.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even if you see eggs of glofish lying around in the tank, don’t panic. It may not be intentional but you’ll still see the egg in the tank when you keep male and female glofish together. The more the merrier and the survival rate is still minimal so you don’t need to worry about having a tank full of glofish. Although this fish lay eggs every two to three days; and each clutch has hundreds of whitish sand grains-like eggs in the tank. Provide them an appropriate environment and don’t let the adults eat their own eggs. It is not hard to take care of fry so you’ll do as good as taking care of adult glofish.
Good luck!
Happy Fish Keeping!!!
