A 2.5 gallon tank is very small. Glofish (zebra danios) are very active schooling fish. They are peaceful, but like to be kept with a few others of their kind and move around a lot.....which they can't do in a tank that size. Fancy male guppies can get picked on by a lot of different fish types, even those that are normally peaceful. You may want to consider keeping a single male betta in that tank...which would be colorful and peaceful.

Thanks for the input native....funny you should mention the beta..thats exactly what my wife said! I never would have expected the Glofish(thanks for the correction) to do what it did, but you never know. So you think 2.5 is too small? I really like the color of Glofish and wish we could add a couple more, but I guess the beta is probably the best bet. They are solitary in a natural setting if what i remember holds true...then again i'm a total newb to aquarium culture so that doesnt really mean much!! thanks again

Those small aquariums are cute and people assume they will be the perfect starter aquarium. However, it harder to keep fish in a smaller tank than a larger.....so a larger tank (within reason!) is actually easier to maintain. The fish have more room to behave normally, and the water is more buffered (due to increased volume) to fluctuation in temperature, ammonia (fish waste) etc. If you and your wife and daughter enjoy your new pets.....maybe a larger aquarium (with 3 or 4 glofish) may be in your future....

Congratulations on entering the world of aquariums! I have to agree with the others, that your tank would probably be better suited to a single betta than several tropicals. Bettas are perfect for small tanks, since they really are low-maintenence fish and aren't as picky about things like pH or water temp (though they are definitely not "no-maintenence" fish, and do need regular care and water changes!). I'd suggest looking for a crowntail variety if you can find one. In my experience, their tails are bigger and flashier and when they puff up and pose, they are truly glorious! I don't know if you've learned much about your GloFish, but I've attached a link to the Wikipedia entry. You might find it interesting to do a little research about them. Though their history is fascinating (they are genetically altered using florescent genes from jellyfish and colors from corals, and are the first genetically altered organisms available as pets in the U.S.) they really are "man-made" fish, or at least their colors are, since ""Starfire Red," "Electric Green," and "Sunburst Orange" danios donÂt occur in the wild. I'm pretty sure they are still not legal in the California, the European Union, or Canada, because of their genetically altered status. Personally, I try to stay away from the GloFish as well as the artificially dyed fish in neon colors (especially these, since most of the dyeing processes are pretty horrific), not so much because of worries about safety from their genetically altered status, but just because I don't particularly agree with the idea of artificially enhancing an animal to make it more marketable; but then again, I have no problem with goldfish, and they are also a completely "man-made" fish, though they came about from long-term aggressive selective breeding rather than genetic enhancement. Anyway, even though IÂm certainly not hard-core opposed to the GloFish, I think the genetics debate in aquarium fish is incredibly interesting, and thought I'd share some info. Best of luck!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia's Entry on

I have the same problem. Aggressive glow fish. For months I have had one glow fish and an algae eater ( the glow fish will not bother the algae eater) I have an average size tank, definetly not a tiny one but not huge either. I went to try and buy new fish again to add to the tank. I informed the sales clerk of my dilemma she told me that it's getting more and more common. That she has customers bringing them back because they are to aggressive but she did say that out of all in the tank about 90% of them will end up showing no aggression. She suggested I leave my tank as us or put the glow fish in his own smaller tank. He's killed platys, beta, catfish, other glow fish. First it was only fish that were added after him, then it was the slower fish. This time I decided to try 6 neons. They move fast and in a large group so I'm hoping that will work. I have artificial plants and structures but nothing helps. Someone suggested I flush him but I would like to find a better solution.

I bet if you added more goldfish (or zebra danios or leopard danios......all the same species) they wouuld interact more with each other and bother the other fish a little less. These are schooling, "minnow" type fish.