Are Fruit Tetras dyed or natural?

[Mrs. Burns]

This may be a stupid question because they definitely look dyed. But I asked the lady at a LFS and she said these fish were natural. She said yes! So, does anyone here know?

[Slappy*McFish]

Yes, they are dyed and should be avoided.

[Roan Art]

Dyed and they will lose the color in about a year.

http://www.deathbydyeing.org/

Here are the "fruit" tetras, about half-way down the page:

http://www.deathbydyeing.org/colormedead.htm

You could print that page out and give it to your LFS ;)

Roan

[mykidsmylife]

Dyed and they will lose the color in about a year.

Roan


Roan, you forgot to add that they usually die of bacterial or fungal infection long before they get the chance to lose their color. Such a sad thing.

[rrkss]

I bought white skirts unintentially not knowing they were dyed. They were died pink and blue at the time. I've had them for quite a long time (few years) and they are some of the healthiest fish I own though any traces of the dye are long gone. Good care and healthy water can go a long way even with fish treated this poorly.

[Mrs. Burns]

I've had experience with dyed fish. I bought 3 glass fish (dyed) and found out about it here. 2 of them died. I still have one. But they all got lymphocystis. It's gone from the one now. My daughter loves those pink fish. I just wanted to make sure before I tried. I guess we'll keep looking for something pretty and pink.

[Zeromason577]

Well a week or so ago i got a 2 blueberry tetras not knowing they are dyed fish!
Im really mad at my lfs for carrying these and soon I will be having a converstation with them to hopefully stop them from carrying these fish!


BUT Im glad that I at least gave them a nice home to carry out their lives in.

[Mrs. Burns]

I took good care of my glass fish and he's fine. But I had a talk with one of the lfs's and they practically asked me to leave! I'll be going back to the lfs that told me these fruit tetras are natural. Before long, I'm going to have to drive hours just to get fish!!! LOL! I already have to drive 45 min to get them!

[Roan Art]

A lot of LFS that really don't specialize in fish often have no clue of what they are ordering. They just look at their catalog, listen to what their source tells them sells best and order.

Most of them really don't care, either. Fish are just a commodity to them. I've a pretty good LFS nearby that was carrying dyed fish, but since I'm a very frequent visitor and have spent large amounts of $$ there, they listen to me. I made noises about the dyed ones and they don't get them in anymore. I hope it stays that way.

Roan

[Zeromason577]

Yeah I live within 10 minute walking distance from my LFS and they have been in the same small shop since 1976 so I know they are trustworthy, but I never would of thought they would carry dyed fish...The only ones I have seen so far are the blueberry tetras.

[Roan Art]

I took good care of my glass fish and he's fine. But I had a talk with one of the lfs's and they practically asked me to leave! I'll be going back to the lfs that told me these fruit tetras are natural. Before long, I'm going to have to drive hours just to get fish!!! LOL! I already have to drive 45 min to get them!
Well, why don't you remind us what size your tank is (you post a lot, but I can't remember everyone's tank size ;) ) and how you are currently stocked. Maybe we can recommend some pink fish for you? An LFS can often order them in if they don't carry them as part of their usual merchandise.

Just how pink is pink for you?

Roan

[mtiller]

you could get pink kissing gouramis, but i wonder if you'll have to get another tank? i went to a new wal-mart and saw those poor things in there, i refused to buy ANYTHING out of there, most of the angelfish were rotting in their tanks and two black ones were still alive, even their cordyoras were sick and that just did it for me because at my local wal-mart even though tanks are severely overstocked lol the cory are always happy-erm healthy looking and swimming around. i bought a normal glass fish from Petsmart and it only eats bloodworms and even then rarely what do these fish eat? i googled them but just sites against colored ones came up with no helpful feeding information :help:

[Roan Art]

Kissing gouramis get 12" and need at least 55g for one of them.

Think LITTLE pink fish. Like the size of the tetras Mrs. Burns was looking at.

Roan

[mtiller]

:p: oh little sorry hehe, ummm i'm guessing they'd be community fish soooo :read: wonder if bettas can be pink? i've had one like that afore, aha! pink convict cichlids, dono how common they are tho. all other pink fish i've seen when i googled are pink clown fish

[flyfly]

Well a week or so ago i got a 2 blueberry tetras not knowing they are dyed fish!
Im really mad at my lfs for carrying these and soon I will be having a converstation with them to hopefully stop them from carrying these fish!


BUT Im glad that I at least gave them a nice home to carry out their lives in.


OFF TOPIC: Zeromason, what store do you go to?

[Mrs. Burns]

My tank is 10 gallon with 2 guppies(male) 1 glass fish, one angelfish, and four ghost shrimp. I'll soon be moving my angelfish to a 20 gallon. I'm not sure if I'll move any of the others. But this is why I'm looking for something my daughter can call her own. We tried a betta. He looked pink at first. Now, he's pink, and purple and blue. She named him Danny, but he's not the one she wants. They change color. She is obsessed with pink. And mtiller, I feed my glass fish flakes and bloodworms. One night I caught him eating a small ghost shrimp. Oh, I just remembered they will eat fry mine ate a guppy fry when I brought him home.(I guess they threw him in there for him for the ride home.) Everyone here is so helpful and nice. Thanks!

[Zeromason577]

OFF TOPIC: Zeromason, what store do you go to?


cayes aquarium on 136th and Division.
very nice people, have been going their since i was pretty young, even before i started to keep my own tanks.

[Gumby131]

my experience with dyed fish is a blood parrot saying i love you on the side i got off my missus, and a silver shark that had flames up the side of it, we orderd in a lot of 150 sliver sharks and he was in there with them, (we soon changed breeder!!) i brought him home cos he looked sick, but i still have them both! (the SS is about a foot long!!!)

[rrkss]

Nice small pink fish would be Rosy Barbs, they are very active swimmers and have rather docile personalities. As long as they are kept in groups of 6 or more, you won't have any problems with them though they are the biggest pigs (other than goldfish) when feeding time comes around.

[flyfly]

cayes aquarium on 136th and Division.
very nice people, have been going their since i was pretty young, even before i started to keep my own tanks.

I'll have to check it out

[Mrs. Burns]

Can anyone tell me if glow light tetras are natural or dyed? I thought they were natural, but my friend is telling me she KNOWS they are dyed.

[flyfly]

natural

[Mrs. Burns]

We looked at the rosey barbs. I think we'll go with them when it comes that time. The males are pretty. And thanks flyfly for settling this ongoing battle for me over the glo-lights!

[Slappy*McFish]

Yup, Glowlights are all natural...you should bet her $20. ;)

[rrkss]

We looked at the rosey barbs. I think we'll go with them when it comes that time. The males are pretty. And thanks flyfly for settling this ongoing battle for me over the glo-lights!

Get at least 6 or 7. The females in a healthy tank will turn from yellow to more pinkish (that is what my females did). My males turn bright red specially in the mornings. Here is a picture of a female Rosy Barb in my tank. You can tell that it is female because it has a more plump build and the colors are lighter than the males. Also looking at it from a top down view will show the rounder stomach. Males are more slender and much redder. They also have a darker black dorsal fin. This picture shows what a healthy low stress environment does to a Rosy Barb's color. Sorry that it is somewhat out of focus but this picture was taken to illustrate a nutrient defficiency in that plant. It also has a picture of a healthy *fruit tetra* which is what a white skirt tetra would look like after the dye has faded away.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c379/rrkss/Rosy.jpg

[Mrs. Burns]

Thanks, rrkss! So, you have males and females together. Do you have to worry about them breeding?

[rrkss]

They are second in the eating heirarchy after goldfish. Chances of any eggs surviving are very slim. I have yet to see a single fry survive as they rather quickly consume any caviar and my tank is rather heavily planted which should normally provide tons of hiding places but not from their mouths so far.

[Mrs. Burns]

Thanks. Males and females together will be more colorful. Thanks again!!!