# Another Community Beginner



## AirstoND (Apr 26, 2011)

Hey Yall,

2 questions

1) I started with 6 glofish danios in a heated, start-up treated 15 gallon tank. I've also have two airstones. After 4 weeks I'm down to 3 glofish (red,yellow,orange). I was thinking of getting two 3" blue gouramis. How long should my ammonia levels be 0 (I'm using the API kit) before I know tank is cycled or ready?

2) I got Walmart aquarium plants (lily and aponogeton packs) in separate cups with tank water trying to get them all to sprout. What will get them all to sprout. Will a bright 7000k bulb light for 12hrs/day + Miracle Grow do it?

Thanks for all your experienced suggestions.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm not very experienced with plants, but I'll try to help with your first question. 

If a tank can convert 1 ppm of ammonia to nitrates in a day, then it's probably cycled.  However, since you have living fish already in the tank, introducing 1 ppm of ammonia might well kill your fish. 

Do you have a filter? What kind? I see you have airstones, but I don't see a filter mentioned...

If your ammonia levels are consistently at 0 with those three fish, then your biological filter should be pretty decent. 

Glofish are genetically modified zebra danios, but still danios "at heart", if I can put it that way. That means that they are schooling fish: they need to be in groups of SIX or more. Starting out with six was a good decision, but now that the number has dwindled down, your remaining fish will not be happy. 

Instead of buying new species (the gouramis), I would focus on keeping the current fish happy and healthy. Perhaps your could add another three or four danios (I think regular zebra danios will school will glofish, so you could buy either).

While initially this may not seem as fun as getting other kinds of fish, danios will definitely repay you. If you get some regular zebra danios and give them decent care, you'll start seeing babies (fry) in your gravel. 

The reason I said "regular" zebras was because I'm not sure about the glofish. I also haven't a clue about how legal it is to breed/sell them. They're patented, so it may well be illegal in the States. 



The offical Glofish website said:


> Exactly how is the fluorescent protein gene added to the fish?
> Every line of GloFish® fluorescent fish (i.e., GloFish® Starfire Red® Zebra, GloFish® Electric Green® Zebra, and GloFish® Sunburst Orange® Zebra) starts with a single fish. The general process of developing fluorescent fish, as illustrated in this chart, begins by adding a fluorescence gene to the fish before it hatches from its egg. Once the gene integrates into the genome (i.e., genetic code) of the embryo, the developing fish will be able to pass the fluorescence gene along to its offspring upon maturity. Because of this, the gene only needs to be added to one embryo; from that point forward, all subsequent fluorescent fish are the result of traditional breeding.


Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions.


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## Lanette001 (Apr 7, 2011)

Intentionally breeding and selling Glofish is illegal because they are patented. It is also highly illegal to release them into the wild, though it usually is with most fish!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You don't need any light or plant food to sprout those bulbs. They're bulbs, after all, and have their own food. Just add water on those, and stand back. The lily bulbs are slow to sprout and slow to grow, but the regular aponogetons will shoot up like rockets and turn you tank into a jungle in a month.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

if it is illegal to breed and sell glofish ; how is it that they are for sale all over the country ???
it is only illegal to release them into the wild because they are not native species..


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

dont put miracle grow!


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## Lanette001 (Apr 7, 2011)

lohachata said:


> if it is illegal to breed and sell glofish ; how is it that they are for sale all over the country ???
> it is only illegal to release them into the wild because they are not native species..


There is a company that sells them. It is based out of California and they are the only company that can breed and sell them and they have made it illegal for others to intentionally breed and sell them. I'm just relaying information from their website...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

breeding a patented fish is like the genetically modified grain, you need to pay a license. Did you read about some farmers being forced to destroy their crop or be charged with theft just because their crop was downwind from the GM crop and got the 'wrong' pollen?

Ruin the business, flood the market with free glo-fish. I think they can only go after the profits from selling fish. But don't count on that lasting. remember the music and porn industries suing the bit-torrenters?


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