nm123 - 2012-01-30 i would buy as much of these fish as you can and breed them so they dont get a chance of being dyed again by another fish store lisen to me no one has a chance of stoping tetras glofish exc from being dyed but you can make the fish hapier by only bredding it with non painted white skirt tetras that will eventually cause the colored skirt tetra to be less and less populer in your area
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erin - 2012-09-04 Glofish are genetically altered, not artificially dyed. and if people start buying a whole bunch of the dyed fish, there will be more demand so they will start making even more. I have 2 of them (I didn't know they were artificially dyed until after I bought them) but with the proper care they are happy and act like un-dyed white skirt tetras
Lindsey Escudero - 2012-07-30 Hello everone! Just have a few questions about my colored skirt tetra. I have had it for a year or so now, and really I am ashamed to say I really haven't taken good care of it. I had no idea fish needed so much care until now. So here's the deal: I just transfered my fish into a different tank yesterday and she's (am convinced its a girl) been chasing her reflection- well I think it is her reflection, I don't really know since I can't see her point of view- is this good for her? She never did it before.and she hasn't eaten since I switched her. Is this normal? please help
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Charlie Roche - 2012-07-30 Yep, normal. You moved her and it will take a few days for her to adjust to new tank. It's just different and she's looking around. She probably could not see her reflection in the other tank with the light or size and she can in this one and it interests her. Just different.
lindsey escudero - 2012-07-31 Thank you so much for your reply. It conforts me to know this:)
sandi - 2012-07-29 Plzzzzz help me I love my fish. I just got a painted tetra fish and I've had it 4 days now and he won't eat. What's wrong with him and he keeps swimming back and forth in the tank, he is also so rooming with a moor goldfish
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-07-30 Check your ammonia levels. Goldfish aren't usually a good match for tetras as they are sensitive to water conditions. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia.
Charlie Roche - 2012-07-29 Probably nothing wrong, he is just getting used to a new place to live. Watch his behavior for a couple more days and check out if eating. OK?
Melody - 2012-05-12 Hi I have two blue skirt tetra's and one has something wrong with it's one eye,since i got them this has bin a problem with my one tera now. It started by looking like pop eye then the eye is still poped out and blood filled?? Can anyone give me an idea as to what i'm dealing with?!
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-05-13 Could be from an injury or water conditions. Did he come from the pet store like this?
sean - 2011-11-01 I bought four of these fish because they looked cool. I've heard of fish being injected with dye but never dawned on me that this breed could be one that they do this two. I have a green, blue, and pink ones. My fish seem to be healthy but I would have never bought them had I known that. I guess I'll do the research before I buy anymore fish. This is truely horrible
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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-01 Yes, I was a little shocked too. Doesn't sound great to me. However, it is done and you have your fish so just enjoy them. Maybe the coloring came about through the foods.
Eric Dancel - 2011-08-12 I can't get it. My tetra just looks like it's original form plain white. But my aunt have her tetra fish now look like a balk skirt tetra. How did that happene? Reply please. My aunt is annoying me please reply ASAP as soon as posible
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Charlie Roche - 2011-08-12 Attached is article from Animal World and it will tell you more about the colored skirt tetra - including color additives for the fish. The link is
stephanie - 2011-07-28 Not all of the color tetra are dyed using syringes and dye. I have a pink one and it simply gains its color from the food its fed. I use Tetra Color plus. Its specialized food for fish hat have colors. It enchaces their color naturaly.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-28 Didn't know you could do that - thanks
janelle Oldham - 2010-07-21 I couldn't believe what I have learned after reading several posts and several sites about these "fruit Tetras" we however bought 7 of them at our local Petsmart, not knowing what kind of fish they were, I did some research. After I was done, I was sick inside. The torture these little fish have to go through to become these "pretty" fish is horrible. I will never buy or support this cruel procedure again. I could see walmart doing something like this, but not petsmart. If enough people that read these posts, before they buy, we maybe can stop this from happening to these poor fish. Nobody buys, so now they can't be sold.
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Gena S - 2011-05-16 I also bought some tetras. Eleven of them from Kahoots, but they're called painted tetras. I bought them because they are soo beautiful, but as mentioned in previous comments, if I would have known I would not have purchased them. This is terrible. What I don't understand is how are the pet stores allowed to sell them? A part of me wants to take them back and get a refund, but at the same time I don't, because I'm sure they will either resale or kill them. Any suggestions?
Victoria - 2011-04-03 I have two of the rainbow tetras, about 1 year now, the blue has a fat rib cage and the pink never looks bigger. This week I have noticed that the blue is chasing the pink around the tank. I haven't separated them from the tank and wanted to know if they are in the breed process or egg laying process? I don't see any eggs. And I can't tell by the dorsal fin who is the male.
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2011-04-03 Generally when breeding colored skirt tetras (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi), you would want to keep the males and females separated until they are primed for spawning. Once ready to spawn, it usually occurs within a few days, and you will want to remove the parents immediately so that they do not egg their eggs. It is possible that they have been spawning this week, however you need to keep an eye out for eggs (usually landing on the plants). If you have not seen any eggs, then they may not actually be breeding, they may still be in the process of breeding, or they have already finished breeding and have eaten their eggs. Continue to watch them closely and make sure to remove them from the tank if you see any eggs.
The Colored Skirt Tetra is a beauty in the soft pastels of its naturally occurring colors!
i would buy as much of these fish as you can and breed them so they dont get a chance of being dyed again by another fish store lisen to me no one has a chance of stoping tetras glofish exc from being dyed but you can make the fish hapier by only bredding it with non painted white skirt tetras that will eventually cause the colored skirt tetra to be less and less populer in your area
Glofish are genetically altered, not artificially dyed. and if people start buying a whole bunch of the dyed fish, there will be more demand so they will start making even more. I have 2 of them (I didn't know they were artificially dyed until after I bought them) but with the proper care they are happy and act like un-dyed white skirt tetras
Hello everone! Just have a few questions about my colored skirt tetra. I have had it for a year or so now, and really I am ashamed to say I really haven't taken good care of it. I had no idea fish needed so much care until now. So here's the deal: I just transfered my fish into a different tank yesterday and she's (am convinced its a girl) been chasing her reflection- well I think it is her reflection, I don't really know since I can't see her point of view- is this good for her? She never did it before.and she hasn't eaten since I switched her. Is this normal? please help
Yep, normal. You moved her and it will take a few days for her to adjust to new tank. It's just different and she's looking around. She probably could not see her reflection in the other tank with the light or size and she can in this one and it interests her. Just different.
Thank you so much for your reply. It conforts me to know this:)
Plzzzzz help me I love my fish. I just got a painted tetra fish and I've had it 4 days now and he won't eat. What's wrong with him and he keeps swimming back and forth in the tank, he is also so rooming with a moor goldfish
Check your ammonia levels. Goldfish aren't usually a good match for tetras as they are sensitive to water conditions. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia.
Probably nothing wrong, he is just getting used to a new place to live. Watch his behavior for a couple more days and check out if eating. OK?
Hi I have two blue skirt tetra's and one has something wrong with it's one eye,since i got them this has bin a problem with my one tera now. It started by looking like pop eye then the eye is still poped out and blood filled?? Can anyone give me an idea as to what i'm dealing with?!
Could be from an injury or water conditions. Did he come from the pet store like this?
So what do you guys think of slowing down the production of dyed white skirt tetras in your area
plz get back to me asap
I bought four of these fish because they looked cool. I've heard of fish being injected with dye but never dawned on me that this breed could be one that they do this two. I have a green, blue, and pink ones. My fish seem to be healthy but I would have never bought them had I known that. I guess I'll do the research before I buy anymore fish. This is truely horrible
Yes, I was a little shocked too. Doesn't sound great to me. However, it is done and you have your fish so just enjoy them. Maybe the coloring came about through the foods.
I can't get it. My tetra just looks like it's original form plain white. But my aunt have her tetra fish now look like a balk skirt tetra. How did that happene? Reply please. My aunt is annoying me please reply ASAP as soon as posible
Attached is article from Animal World and it will tell you more about the colored skirt tetra - including color additives for the fish. The link is
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/ColoredSkirtTetra.php
Hope that helps
Not all of the color tetra are dyed using syringes and dye. I have a pink one and it simply gains its color from the food its fed. I use Tetra Color plus. Its specialized food for fish hat have colors. It enchaces their color naturaly.
Didn't know you could do that - thanks
I couldn't believe what I have learned after reading several posts and several sites about these "fruit Tetras" we however bought 7 of them at our local Petsmart, not knowing what kind of fish they were, I did some research. After I was done, I was sick inside. The torture these little fish have to go through to become these "pretty" fish is horrible. I will never buy or support this cruel procedure again. I could see walmart doing something like this, but not petsmart. If enough people that read these posts, before they buy, we maybe can stop this from happening to these poor fish. Nobody buys, so now they can't be sold.
I also bought some tetras. Eleven of them from Kahoots, but they're called painted tetras. I bought them because they are soo beautiful, but as mentioned in previous comments, if I would have known I would not have purchased them. This is terrible. What I don't understand is how are the pet stores allowed to sell them? A part of me wants to take them back and get a refund, but at the same time I don't, because I'm sure they will either resale or kill them. Any suggestions?
I have two of the rainbow tetras, about 1 year now, the blue has a fat rib cage and the pink never looks bigger. This week I have noticed that the blue is chasing the pink around the tank. I haven't separated them from the tank and wanted to know if they are in the breed process or egg laying process? I don't see any eggs. And I can't tell by the dorsal fin who is the male.
Generally when breeding colored skirt tetras (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi), you would want to keep the males and females separated until they are primed for spawning. Once ready to spawn, it usually occurs within a few days, and you will want to remove the parents immediately so that they do not egg their eggs. It is possible that they have been spawning this week, however you need to keep an eye out for eggs (usually landing on the plants). If you have not seen any eggs, then they may not actually be breeding, they may still be in the process of breeding, or they have already finished breeding and have eaten their eggs. Continue to watch them closely and make sure to remove them from the tank if you see any eggs.