Glofish Sharks are a fantastic addition to a new freshwater aquarium if you’re seeking a pet fish with bright colors.
As there are many distinct kinds of Glofish, their tank requirements are flexible and can accommodate a wide range of sizes.
So, in this post, you’ll learn about –
- How Long Do Glofish Live?
- Factors Impacting Glofish Sharks Lifespan.
- What Can You Do To Increase Their Lifespan?
- And Glofish Shark Care Guide straight from expert aquarists.
But before I share all this with you, here’s a list of basic information about the Glofish Sharks –
GloFish Basic Information
| Original Species | Rainbow Shark |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Average adult size | Up to 2 inches long |
| Average life span | Up to 3 years with good care |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Minimum aquarium size | 20 gallons or more |
| PH: | 7.0 – 7.2 |
| Water temperature | 23-27°C |
| Temperament | Semi-Aggressive |
| Colors | Cosmic Blue, Galactic Purple, Electric Green, And Sunburst Orange |
How Long Do Glofish Tetras Live?
Like the rainbow shark, the glofish shark has a relatively short lifespan.
They only live for four to eight years at the most. Unlike their rainbow shark relatives, glofish sharks don’t make it in the wild.
This shark can survive up to eight years in the wild. Both types of sharks have a shorter life expectancy in captivity, somewhere between four and six years.
However, it takes a lot of work to get a shark to age 6. This organism is susceptible to rapid changes in water conditions.
It’s crucial always to maintain them in pristine condition. This is one of the reasons why they can be challenging for newcomers.
Several health problems can also shorten a shark’s life expectancy.
Constipation, bloat, dropsy, and ich are the most frequently encountered medical problems.
These conditions are entirely treatable if they are diagnosed and treated early. The risk of death increases if you ignore them.
Factors Impacting Glofish Sharks Lifespan
The water parameters in which your Glofish Sharks are kept constitute a significant factor in how long they will live.
The longevity of your GloFish Shark is directly proportional to the quality of the water in which they are kept.
Toxic levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates can form in water that hasn’t been maintained, which is bad news for your Shark.
The general health of your GloFish Shark will suffer, and its lifespan will be drastically reduced if the water in which it lives is dirty.
Further information on how to ensure your GloFish Shark live a long and healthy life follows, but first, here are a few additional factors that may affect how long your Glofish Sharks live.
- Tankmates
- Stress
- Disease
- Capacity of Tank
- Water Quality Indices
- Keeping a Regular Dietary Routine
- Tank Temperature
- Tankmates
How To Increase the Lifespan of Glofish Sharks?
Like I said before, there are things you can do to make your GloFish Shark as healthy as possible and extend its life span.
I’ve listed them here in no particular order.
1. Choose The Right Size GloFish Shark Tank
Maximize your GloFish Shark longevity by choosing the appropriate tank size.
Many diseases and conditions can affect GloFish Sharks if they are confined to a tank too small for them to swim and grow in.
Some of them include Disfigurements, Muscle Atrophy, and Spinal Pressure.
In addition to other issues that can shorten their lives.
GloFish Sharks, even those that aren’t usually aggressive, may become territorial if kept with others in a small tank.
Eventually, some GloFish sharks die due to injury, stress, lack of food, or lack of rest.
2. Proper Water Conditions for Glofish Longevity and Good Health
As I mentioned, water quality is the most critical factor in determining your GloFish Shark’s overall lifespan.
Fish waste sinks to the bottom of the tank, where it gradually breaks down into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.
This constantly happens in every tank and is known as the nitrogen cycle.
Fish can suffer a slow and painful death from a buildup of toxins in the water if you don’t change it regularly.
Your GloFish Shark’s lifespan is also affected by stress, disease, and infections caused by subpar water quality.
Of course, there’s a lot more to water quality than just how pristine it is.
The pH, hardness, and softness of the water and the temperature and oxygenation level (which we’ll get to in a minute) will all affect your GloFish Shark.
To provide the best possible environment for each GloFish Shark species, it is essential to learn about them.
3. Provide Required Oxygen Supply
Fish require oxygen to breathe, just like all other living creatures.
So maintaining well-oxygenated water is crucial.
You do not need to immediately go out and buy an air pump as a result. Understanding how oxygen enters the water in your aquarium is vital.
When surface water is disturbed, oxygen will naturally enter the water.
As a result, if your aquarium’s surface water is being stirred up by a filter output, bubbler, or even an air pump, you are probably giving it adequate oxygen.
If your GloFish Shark appears to be gasping or rising to the surface in search of air, you can tell they are deficient in oxygen.
As you may expect, a GloFish Shark tank devoid of oxygen can seriously affect the health of your fish and shorten their lifespan.
4. Perform Regular Tank Cleaning
Another crucial step in extending your GloFish Shark’s life is cleaning the tank.
Maintaining your aquarium’s water parameters and preventing the growth of hazardous algae and other organisms requires a regular maintenance routine.
5. Feed Nutritious Food at the Right Time
It’s ideal for keeping your GloFish Shark on a healthy diet of foods they are accustomed to, just like any other fish species.
While some GloFish Sharks require more protein, some require more greenery.
Make sure to give your GloFish Shark the food they require to remain healthy.
Feeding quantity and frequency are also crucial to guarantee a long, healthy life.
If you overfeed your GloFish Shark, it may become fat and sluggish and perhaps experience other adverse consequences besides polluting your water.
Your GloFish Shark will eventually starve to death if you feed them too little since they won’t have enough energy to swim or fight off illnesses or infections.
Enhance GloFish Shark’s health by giving them regular meals and rotating their diet to ensure it contains the ideal balance of all the nutrients required to stay healthy.
6. Choose Only Recommended Glofish Shark Tankmates
If you want to keep some friends in the tank, you’ll need to ensure that you mix similar temperaments of GloFish Shark.
It would be a horrible idea to mix cichlids with guppies – you’re guppies’ life would be over before you finish reading this article.
The wrong tank mates can bully, fin nip, injure, or worse, eat each other if you’re not careful.
It only takes a few minutes, and you can find some great tank mates for almost any GloFish Shark out there.
How To Identify Glofish Shark Sickness
The good news is that most GloFish Shark infections are easily treatable, preventable, and identifiable.
Some common indicators to watch for are;
- Beware of fading coloration.
- Watch the fins on your GloFish Shark.
- Look for sluggishness.
- Watch what your GloFish Shark eats.
- Look for any spots.
- Check for breathing issues.
- Track any rubbing or scratching from your GloFish Shark.
- Look for additional bodily signs.
Glofish Shark Care Guide
GloFish shark makes a fantastic addition to any aquarium. One must be aware of the maintenance requirements before purchasing one.
Tank Size
Because of their high activity levels, GloFish sharks need a spacious aquarium with many swimming places.
Therefore, we favor a long, shallow tank over a bowl-shaped one or a design that towers over its surroundings.
When adding more GloFish Sharks to your arrangement, you need also attach a top or cover slide to keep them from jumping out.
A shark should be kept in a tank of at least 50 gallons in size.
An aquarium of at least 6 feet in length and 125 gallons capacity is required to house more than one specimen at a time.
Tank Preparation
GloFish sharks require territories that they may call their own.
You can attract GloFish Sharks by creating a variety of hiding spots, such as caves, overhangs, driftwood, and dense vegetation.
Because of their delicate skeletons, sharks do best on a fine, sandy gravel substrate.
Tank Filteration Setup
In the wild, sharks prefer to live in rivers because of the abundant oxygen and swift currents.
A high-quality mechanical filtration system is essential in an aquarium, and a bubbler can be added to the setup to increase oxygen levels in the water.
The quantity of gallons per hour, the standard measurement for filtration systems, is printed on the box.
The GPH rating refers to the unit’s ability to recirculate water at a certain number of gallons per hour.
The optimal GPH is at least five times the aquarium’s entire water capacity.
For instance, a filter unit with a GPH of at least 200 is required for a 55-gallon tank.
Remember that the GPH is based on an empty aquarium or one with a few GloFish Sharks, so choose a filter with a GPH slightly higher than what you’ll need.
Check Water Conditions
Since GloFish sharks are a tropical species, their ideal water temperature is between 23 and 27 degrees Celcius.
Tank Lighting
For the most part, sharks can see quite well in the dark, and most plant life only needs the light from a single, ordinary, broad-spectrum bulb to perform the photosynthesis necessary to survive.
However, the vibrant colors of your GloFish will stand out when you utilize an LED lighting unit with blue or black lights.
The four separate light settings of the GloFish Cycle Light are also great for bringing out the full spectrum of color in your GloFish Shark and tank ornaments.
Are GloFish Sharks Good For Beginners?
GloFish may be a good option for beginners, depending on your species.
It’s essential for would-be GloFish Shark owners to do their homework on the species they’re interested in buying because certain fish, like other fish, require more advanced care than others.
Conclusion
They are the most recent genetically modified color morph to join the GloFish family of GloFish Shark.
GloFish sharks aren’t everyone’s taste, but they can provide a fun splash of color to your aquarium and are relatively low maintenance.
Tiny and difficult, GloFish Sharks have only the bare essentials for survival.
The biggest problem is that they don’t swim in schools. As a result, it’s crucial to choose the perfect companions for them in the aquarium.