How to Use a Black Light With GloFish

GloFish are fluorescent, genetically modified zebrafish that absorb and reflect light. Black light (a type of light with a purple-blue bulb shaped as a bar) used at night in a dark room can make GloFish glow in the dark. Black light is often used in theatrical productions: Actors dress in black to give off the effect that set pieces and props are moving by themselves, since the nonblack props appear to glow in the dark, while everything and everyone else is cast in darkness.

Things You'll Need

  • GloFish
  • Aquarium
  • Black light
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a balanced proportion of the three available GloFish colors: Starfire Red, Electric Green and Sunburst Orange.

    • 2

      Neutralize the water being used in the aquarium (see Resources). Tap water may contain chlorine and ammonia, which are dangerous to zebrafish.

    • 3

      Cycle the water (see Resources). This will ensure that beneficial bacteria remains in the water and protects the GloFish from any adverse reactions from being moved to a new environment.

    • 4

      Float the bag of fish in the aquarium for 30 minutes. This will slowly adapt the fish to the aquarium's water temperature. GloFish prefer a water temperature between 72 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 5

      Open the bag and pour in one cup of water every 10 minutes until you double the amount of water in the bag. Release the GloFish from the bag.

    • 6

      Feed the GloFish a little bit of food once or twice a day.

    • 7

      Purchase black-light lamps at a novelty store if you're on a limited budget. There are higher-end (i.e., more expensive) black-light lamps that are also available.

    • 8

      Experiment with the black-light lamp to see at what distances from the aquarium it will produce the best effects (see Resources).