New Danio Tank Help

[fropuf]

Hi.
 
My brother wants some fish, and he already has selected the fish he want's: 5 danios (Glofish)
I am going to have a 33 gallon for him soon to use, and it has a filter, heater, everything.
I need to know how much maintenance this species will need, as well as how well they can deal with over/under feeding. (My brother has killed many fish this way)
 
I myself am an experienced beginner, so I know a little of how to take care of these fish, as these were my first fish. I didn't take the best care of them, though, as I bought another fish later that killed them all. 
 
Anyways, main point. How much work will danios be for someone who has absolutely zero fish experience?
 
Thanks

 

[Byron]

All fish require a basic level of maintenance, which I would take to mean regular once a week partial water changes (no less than 1/3 of the tank volume, but a bit more will not hurt and benefit the fish), and daily observation and during feeding is a good time (this alerts us to any problem before it is too late).  Danios are generally considered low maintenance and "hardy" but that is no reason to neglect their care.  Obviously don't overfeed, this is worse than the opposite; missing a day once or twice a week will do no harm.  I would feed a variety of foods, say two or three different brands; most foods now contain the necessary nutrition, but fish do sometimes seem to prefer some over others.
 
Byron.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

missing a day once or twice a week will do no harm.
 
Byron.

I actually fast my fish two days a week, and they are still a bit fat. I'm considering doing 3 or 4 days a week of fasting (that is, if my mom'll let me...). I think it's good for them if you miss a day or two every week... I just make it every Wednesday and Saturday.

 

[NickAu]

 
My brother wants some fish, and he already has selected the fish he want's: 5 danios (Glofish)

Personally I hate Glofish, They are injected with dye basically, it is not natural and is cruel, and as fish keepers we should not support this practice.

 

[ginaekdal]

My few cents; before acquiring any living being you should read up on the responsibility involved, and be prepared to take it on. If you read up on it and find that you are not, then you should not go ahead and acquire an animal that will depend on you to provide the optimal care for the rest of its life.
 
Before being set on a specific species, such as danios; find out what kind of water parameters you can provide, and choose fish that will thrive in these.
 
I imagine most fishkeepers will have made a mistake or two as they started out; the good that will come out of this is that we (presumably) learn and refrain from repeating said mistake twice over.
 
If feeding has been a problem to the point where fish have been killed, I find it hard to see how the practice has been allowed to continue. If your brother for example is young and therefore unable to grasp the correct ways to feed fish, he should not have that responsibility alone just yet.
 
I echo what was said above about "Glofish". It is unethical and it can severely shorten the lifespan of the fish subjected to it. You might end up purchasing fish that are on their way to dying, which does not seem to me a good introduction to fishkeeping.
 
Set yourselves up to succeed from the start instead.

 

[Munroco]

"making glofish" is a disgusting business. Anyone keeping tropical fish should argue against this practice and certainly shouldn't encourage it by buying them.

 

[fropuf]

A few points.
 
To those concerned about over feeding, this happened over 5 years ago, so my brother has grown.
 
Second, I understand the glofish concern about dye injection, but they market it as genetic modification. This is a bit safer for the fish. Off brand glofish may inject dyes, but we have the money to buy the genetic mutation brand.
 
Third, my brother will probably need some help taking care of the fish, so I am planning on stepping in if it gets too overwhelming.
 
I just want to know if anyone who has owned these fish has had to do a lot of maintenance or very little.
 
Still, all this advice has made me consider trying to find a more hardy fish for my brother. He may forget to change the water for long periods of time, and I may become too busy to help with his tank as well as my own. Any suggestions for fish that can handle less periodic water changes well? Bettas are out of the question currently.

 

[Byron]

I had missed the "glofish" part previously, so my appreciation to those members who rightly picked up on the practice.  To make sure everyone knows just what is involved, here's an excerpt from the profile of Brachydanio rerio (Zebra Danio) on Seriously Fish:
 
More recently, transgenically-modified ‘Glofish’ which flouresce constantly have appeared on the market.
These were originally produced by the National University of Singapore in an attempt to mutate a fish so that it would literally glow in the presence of certain environmental toxins and are available in a number of colours, including yellow, green and red.
The substances causing this effect are proteins extracted from a particular jellyfish (green and yellow forms) or coral species (red form). An American company quickly purchased the rights to market Glofish in the United States where they’ve achieved a fair level of popularity.
As things stand they’re illegal to buy, sell or own within the European Union although several instances of smuggling have been recorded, the punishment for which is a hefty fine.
 
There is often only one effective way of discouraging and (hopefully) stopping such a practice, and that is for none of us to purchase the fish in question.  In this instance, what may have started out as somewhat justifiable, was turned by the US firm into nothing less than a cheap gimmick to make money.  The illegality of these glofish in Europe is intelligent and meaningful.
 
And while the individual fish may not be injected, the practice is still condemed by all serious aquarists.  This sort of meddling in science can lead to truly disastrous and dangerous ends.
 
Byron.
 
P.S.  Partial water changes are essential for the health of all aquarium fish.  If these are not intended, forget fish please.  It is not kind to the fish to make them exist in polluted water without weekly substantial water changes.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

When I first saw a Glofish in the Petsmart tanks I thought to myself, "That glowing doesn't seem natural. I don't know if I should get one of those... let's do more research." Sure enough, they are genetically modified, which, in my OWN opinion, is very bad for the fish. Personally, anything genetically modified is not only NOT HEALTHY, but unethical, as it is changing the DNA structure of a living thing, plant or animal.

 

[fropuf]

I know the water changes are necessary now, thanks. I'm not going to try and put any fish through that torture. I think I'm going to tell my bro that he should help with my tank first, and then I'll get him his own tank. Thanks.

 

[StevenF]

 
 
Personally I hate Glofish, They are injected with dye basically, it is not natural and is cruel, and as fish keepers we should not support this practice.

 
 
I echo what was said above about "Glofish". It is unethical and it can severely shorten the lifespan of the fish subjected to it. You might end up purchasing fish that are on their way to dying, which does not seem to me a good introduction to fishkeeping.

The glow fish you buy in the store was not injected with die.  It was born that way.  Years ago researchers inserted a gene into two or more fish.  The gene is then passed down to the decedents.  The gene was inserted into the fish to help researcher study chemical know Endocrine disruptions such as BPA used  in some plastics.  BPA is in most people there was a  need to understand how this affects people and animals.  
 
Once that research was done what do you do with the fish.  Kill them? Is that an ethical solution? Is it even ethical to keep fish in cage?  The researchers decided to use  them for more research and when that was done  sell them.  While they don't interest me and in my opinion we shouldn't be creating more.  There is however no evidence that the gene insertion done 17 years ago has hurt the decedents, affected the health, or  resulted in a shorter life span.  The only torture these fish are currently getting is from people that are ignorant in how to care for them.