I’ve been there before. You’re so excited to bring your new glofish home to your tank. You follow all of the instructions on how to acclimate your glofish into your tank. And then the next day you come back, and their already dead. Maybe this has happened multiple times to it. If so, it’s totally okay. This article will explain the main reasons how a Glofish could die in one day, as well as ways to prevent it.
Why Did my Glofish Die in Only One Day?
The main reasons why a Glofish could die in one day are water conditions, stress, and diet.
There is also the possibility that your fish had a disease before you even took it home. Below I will go into detail on each of the common causes of death for Glofish.
Water conditions
Poor water conditions can certainly kill a Glofish in less than a day. This is more common in smaller tanks, as they do a poor job of diluting waste.
It is important that you have the proper water conditions for you Glofish on day 1. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is with the temperature.
Temperature
Glofish are a tropical species, which means they require warmer temperatures.
Glofish require a water temperature between 75-80 degrees fahrenheight. Depending on the temperature of your home, you will probably need to get a heater to maintain this temperature. Even after you get a heater, it is important to have a thermometer that regularly checks the temperature. If the water is colder than 70 degrees, it can certainly kill your glofish in one day.
Additionally, it is important that you properly transition your Glofish with the water temperature in your tank. This means you should keep your Glofish in the original bag and water and put it in your fish tank. I suggest you leave it in the bag for at least 30 minutes to give your Glofish time to slowly adjust to the water temperature.
Your glofish can easily die if they aren’t in the righ temperature.
Treated water
Next up, it is important that you put your Glofish in treated water. If you use tap water for your tank, you must use a water conditioner before you put the Glofish in the tank. You should follow the directions on the specific conditioner that you have, but you should be aware that most conditioners require you to put the conditioner in the water at least 24 hours before you put the fish in.
Water conditioners are essential if you fill your tank with tap water. This is because tap water contains harmful chemicals to fish, including chlorine and chloramines. If you don’t condition the water, your Glofish will keep on dying.
While it probably wouldn’t kill your Glofish in a day, an underperforming filter can certainly lead to poor water quality that can kill your Glofish. Make sure you have a filter that can adequately pump all the amount of water that you have in your tank. I also suggest that you regularly test your water chemistry, especially if one of your Glofish dies.
If the water condition is poor, your glofish will likely start developing strange habits. This can include change in eating habits and swimming sideways.
Stress
Stress can also cause your Glofish to die in one day. Luckily, there are many things you can do to help mitigate this risk.
For starters, you should make sure you are very gentle when you transport your Glofish home. Make sure that the bag doesn’t toss and turn a lot. Going back to my earlier point, you should also make sure that your Glofish doesn’t experience any extreme temperatures while you transport it home. You should also try to make sure that the trip home doesn’t last longer than an hour.
Secondly, you need to have the right tankmates for a Glofish. You should know that Glofish are school fish, so they prefer to be around other Glofish. I suggest that you get at least 5 Glofish. If you only get two Glofish, they might get stressed and start attacking each other.
It is also important that you don’t put Glofish in a tank with an aggressive fish or one that would make it uncomfortable. Due to their small size, I suggest you don’t put a Glofish in the same tank as a fish that is much bigger. Not only will a large fish scare your Glofish, but it also might eat all the food.
If you want to know some options for tankmates, you should read my guide on can glofish live with other fish.
Diet
An improper diet can also be the reason why your Glofish died in one day. I have found that my Glofish prefer small, flaky food. You can also feed them small insects/bloodworms. However, you need to make sure that they are small enough so that your Glofish doesn’t choke on them. You should also never feed your Glofish human food.
It is also important that you don’t overfeed your Glofish. I suggest that you feed them enough for them to eat in one minute. Not only will overfeeding your Glofish cause health problems, it will also lead to more bacteria in your tank if the uneaten food floats to the bottom.
It is important to know that refusal to eat could mean that your glofish is dying.
Fish had underlying issues
While this usually isn’t the case if you buy them from a reputable pet store, your turtle might have died in one day because it was already sick. Most pet shops do a great job of breeding healthy fish, but of course there will always be some that fall through the crack.
One way to help prevent this is to observe the fish in the pet store before you choose one. Look for a Glofish that swims normally. Ideally, you should also want one that is swimming and interacting with the other fish.
Some signs that might indicate the fish is sick include:
- Erratic swim patterns
- Floating
- Large stomach
- Hanging out in the corner of the tank
- Staying by itself and not interacting with other fish
Luckily, even if your Glofish does die within a day of you getting it, most pet shops will give you a refund. I’m not sure about other pet stores, but I know that Petco has a 30-day money back guarantee if your Glofish dies. For this reason, it is important to always keep your receipt when you buy a fish.
Conclusion
I hope this article gave you some clarification on why your Glofish might have died in only one day. As I mentioned already, the key to avoiding this is to make sure your Glofish has a comfortable, healthy habitat to live in. If your Glofish does die quickly, don’t be discouraged. Go back to the pet store and get a new one.
If your Glofish keep on dying, I recommend talking with a specialist at the pet store to make sure you have the proper set up for you Glofish going forward.
