# Painted Glass Tetras- I DIDN'T KNOW!! (Also, how do you sex them?)



## dormfish

So, I've just returned from my local pet store with a pair of painted tetras. So, like a responsible fish owner, I go online when I get home to do some basic care research. But what's this? Deathbydyeing.org !! I had no idea that these fish were treated so cruelly. I had always thought that their colors were the result of selective breeding and genetic manipulation. Poor little fish! 

On another note, how do you sex glass tetras? Females are larger than the males, correct? And any tips for a new tetra owner? I also have 2 platys in the tank. The people at the pet store said they should be fine. Are they right? 

Thanks a bunch,

DormFish


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## brownmane

Yeah, it is too bad that more people are not aware of this. Just take good care of them.

If you use Tropical Fish Profiles tab at the top of the screen, it has fish descriptions along with how to sex them. I think that in most tetra, the female is more rounded, though I have 7 lemon tetra and still cannot see the difference. For all I know, they may all be male :dunno:


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## Tiw

I know it catches purchasers by surprise that anyone would actually do that to a living creature. I do not know if you will even have to ever worry about sexing them because from what I have heard [I have not and will not ever purchase them myself] is that they do not live long enough from the damage that has been done to them. Correct me if I am wrong on that though.


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## Reece

I'm confused. What happens to glass tetras?


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## Tiw

Reece said:


> I'm confused. What happens to glass tetras?


Glass Tetras in their normal unaltered physical state they are just like any other fish. But *Painted Glass Tetras* are a different matter. They are fish that are normally clear but are artificially dyed in order to appeal to people who are novice fish keepers who buy them because they are bright neon colors that nearly glow in the dark. The worse way, and what must be the most damaging, is taking needles and injected the dye into the fish but I guess they can dip them into the dye but I do not know how successful that is.

There are several humane societies and aquarium magazines that are fighting to ban the dyeing of the fish because it is inhumane. The fish tend to suffer physically from this. They have a higher mortality rate and a higher rate of infections. Practical Fishkeeping [United Kingdom] has an excellent article on dyeing and tattooing of fish and their stance on it.

"This practice should be condemned as being cruel and totally unnecessary. It devalues living creatures and treats them as if they were some inanimate object that can be decorated purely for whim or commercial gain. For too long, fish have been widely perceived as cold, unfeeling creatures that do not perceive pain, but we know this is far from true. This despicable practice only serves to perpetuate the myth."
Dr. Peter Burgess
Company offers custom fish tattoos with laser | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Check out the article. It is pretty interesting on this subject.


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## dormfish

Oh, Whoops! seems that the pet store people have told me the wrong name for these fish. They are "fruit tetras" or White Skirt Tetras. Odd. Anyway, there is medicine in the tank right now to treat some fin/mouth rot on one of the platys, but it's also a medicine for treating wounds, so hopefully that will help poor Barbie and Ken, the tetras (I'm so original with my names, aren't I?) Poor Barbie. You can see where they punctured her with the dyeing needle. She seems to be doing pretty well, though. Lol, she's a moody one. It always looks like she's giving the other fish the '"stink-eye" I never knew fish were even capable of that.


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## Tiw

dormfish said:


> Oh, Whoops! seems that the pet store people have told me the wrong name for these fish. They are "fruit tetras" or White Skirt Tetras. Odd. Anyway, there is medicine in the tank right now to treat some fin/mouth rot on one of the platys, but it's also a medicine for treating wounds, so hopefully that will help poor Barbie and Ken, the tetras (I'm so original with my names, aren't I?) Poor Barbie. You can see where they punctured her with the dyeing needle. She seems to be doing pretty well, though. Lol, she's a moody one. It always looks like she's giving the other fish the '"stink-eye" I never knew fish were even capable of that.


Fish have personality, which is one of the reasons I keep them. I am glad that you as a newer member of the aquarium hobby is finding this out rather quickly! Some fish have a lot more personality than others [this is why I am a big fan of New World Cichlids and Anabantids or Labyrinth fish because they tend to like to show their personalities off more than other fish] and they can be quite entertaining to watch.


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## BillyNoMates

Tiw said:


> I know it catches purchasers by surprise that anyone would actually do that to a living creature. I do not know if you will even have to ever worry about sexing them because from what I have heard [I have not and will not ever purchase them myself] is that they do not live long enough from the damage that has been done to them. Correct me if I am wrong on that though.




I fell into that trap a year ago. I saw them under blue light in the lfs glowing looking stunning. I then read about them on the Internet and was horrified how they get their colour. As they get bigger the fades to almost nothing. I still have 8 out of the 12 a year on. I too would love to know how to sex them


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