Glofish are slowly becoming one of the most popular pet fish on the planet. With their bright fluorescent color, they are fascinating to observe. If you have a glofish that is acting weird, you might start to panic. This article will breakdown exactly how to tell if your glofish is dying, and how to save it.
How to tell if your glofish is dying?
The main signs of a dying glofish are reduced activity, staying at the top or bottom, irregular swimming, change in diet, and abnormal growth.
I will breakdown each of the following symptoms below so that you know what to look for.
Reduced activity
The main sign of a dying glofish is reduced activity. Glofish tend to be active fish that love to swim around. If you notice one of your glofish is swimming significantly less, it could be the sign that there is something wrong with it.
Whether it is a disease or a result of poor water conditions, a glofish will lose a lot of energy which will cause them to stop swimming.
That being said, if your glofish has reduced activity for only a day or two, there is no need to worry yet. You should start to worry if your glofish stops swimming for a period of 3 days or longer.
Staying at the top or bottom of the tank
Glofish will typically swim through the entire tank. If you notice your glofish is staying at the top or bottom, it could be a sign that they are dying.
If they are staying at the bottom, they might not have the energy to swim up. That being said, it is perfectly normal for your glofish to sleep at the bottom of the tank.
If they are staying at the top of the tank, this likely means there is something wrong with the water. Most of the time, this is a result of low oxygen.
The glofish will stay at the top because that is usually where the most amount of oxygen is. They might also crows the corner of your fish tank where there are air bubbles.
A great way to combat this is to get a glofish air stone.
Irregular swimming
If you notice a change in your glofish’s swimming pattern, it could also be a sign that they are dying. They might start swimming erratically, or even start swimming sideways.
This usually means they have a disease that is affecting their buoyancy in the water. The altered buoyancy could cause them to swim upside down.
However, glofish typically swim pretty fast, so don’t worry if you notice that your glofish is swimming faster or chasing each other.
Change in eating habits
Another sign of a dying glofish is a change in appetite. While they might start eating more, a dying glofish will typically stop eating as much or stop eating at all.
If you notice one of your glofish is consistently not eating, it could mean they are about to die.
Abnormal growth
Lastly, if you notice that your glofish has an abnormal growth somewhere on their body, it should be a cause for concern. It could be a fungal infection, or something called swim bladder disease. However, if you have a female fish, there is a chance they are just pregnant.
What to do?
If your glofish is experiencing one of the above signs, don’t panic. If you have a group of glofish and none of them have died yet, you don’t need to worry. You just need to ensure that you are providing your glofish with the proper environment.
However, if your fish completely stops moving or another one of your glofish has died recently, then you need to act fast.
Below are some things you can do to try and save your glofish before it’s too late.
How to save a dying glofish?
To save your glofish, you should check the water chemistry, perform a water change, produce more oxygen, switch their food, or salt treatment.
Water chemistry
The first thing you should do is get a strip test to see what the water composition is in your tank. If you notice any dangerous levels of chemicals such as nitrate or ammonia, you will need to act fast. You should either add water conditioner to your water or perform a complete water change.
A hazardous water chemistry can cause your glofish to die in one day.
Perform water changes
Speaking of water changes, this is something you should regularly do. I suggest that you perform a 25% water change for your glofish at least once a month. You might have to do this more frequently if you have a lot of fish, or if your tank is really small.
Produce more oxygen
One of the main reasons glofish can die easily and fast is because of a lack of oxygen. Luckily, this can easily be fixed. The easiest way to do this is to buy a water pump. It naturally disrupts the water surface, which causes bubbles, and in turn produces oxygen.
If you don’t have a pump, you can also manually disrupt the water. You can also perform water changes more frequently to increase the oxygen levels in your tank.
Lastly, underwater plants can help produce more oxygen.
Switch their food
While glofish aren’t very picky eaters, there is a chance they despise what you are feeding them. I suggest you switch up the type and flavor of food to see if your glofish will eat it. As a reminder, you should never feed your glofish human food.
Salt treatment
If you are confident that your glofish is dying, you can use this last ditch effort. It involves removing your fish from the tank and putting them in water with a small concentration of salt. To learn more, you can check out this article on salt treatment for fish.
Conclusion
If your glofish starts to act weird, you might start to panic. However, unless your glofish is experiencing the symptoms mentioned in this article, they probably are not dying. If you suspect they are dying or sick, I hope my recommendations gave you some helpful ways to cure your fish.
If you have ran out of all options, or you have already had some glofish die, I suggest you move your glofish into a new tank with fresh water. While this will probably cause shock and stress, it might be the only way to save your glofish.
