Blind Tetra?

I have 5 GloFish tetras (white skirts). I have 2 red ones. One perfectly normal black eyes, the second one however, his eyes are red. It reminds me of what Albino eyes would look like, but with him being a GloFish, not sure how that would show up. He definitely acts like he can't quite see right. Hides in the back, and it takes him quite awhile to come when he is being fed. I tried to get a picture, but he is hiding. I will try again when I feed them later. Is this even possible? Do I need to do anything special for him?

oh and I just got him last Friday. He came that way. Aside from staying away from the other fish, his behavior is perfectly normal. Once he realizes there is food in the tank, he is super excited and goes after the food like crazy.

*added pictures* there is one of my normal black eyed one in there too.

 

I posted this under the Tetra board, but didn't get any responses. Hope it is ok to repost here instead.

I have 5 GloFish tetras (white skirts). I have 2 red ones. One perfectly normal black eyes, the second one however, his eyes are red. It reminds me of what Albino eyes would look like, but with him being a GloFish, not sure how that would show up. He definitely acts like he can't quite see right. Hides in the back, and it takes him quite awhile to come when he is being fed.

Is this even possible? Do I need to do anything special for him?

oh and I just got him last Friday. He came that way. Aside from staying away from the other fish, his behavior is perfectly normal. Once he realizes there is food in the tank, he is super excited and goes after the food like crazy.



You can see here how his eye looks next to the blue Tetra



Here is my normal looking red.




And another of the little guy.

 

Well, there's definitely something odd with that fish. Note that the fins have red pigment in them, which your "normal" red Glofish does not have, nor does the blue one have any blue pigment in its fins. It is possible that this fish received some different genes, considering that these are GMO. Another possibility is that the odd one was dyed, rather than being a Glofish. Or, it's even possible that it is a Glofish that got dyed somehow, though that seems totally outlandish.

My opinion is that the fish has some genetic differences that have caused the odd coloration, perhaps a Glofish that happened to get albino genes. Not sure it is albino, however, as the eye color is the wrong shade of red for that.

You have a unique specimen there, I'd consider contacting the people who developed Glofish to see if they have some insights.

 

Is it missing it's eye? To me it looks as if that's just the eye socket, and there's no eyeball in there.

 

Well, there's definitely something odd with that fish. Note that the fins have red pigment in them, which your "normal" red Glofish does not have, nor does the blue one have any blue pigment in its fins. It is possible that this fish received some different genes, considering that these are GMO. Another possibility is that the odd one was dyed, rather than being a Glofish. Or, it's even possible that it is a Glofish that got dyed somehow, though that seems totally outlandish.

My opinion is that the fish has some genetic differences that have caused the odd coloration, perhaps a Glofish that happened to get albino genes. Not sure it is albino, however, as the eye color is the wrong shade of red for that.

You have a unique specimen there, I'd consider contacting the people who developed Glofish to see if they have some insights.

You are totally right. The fins are different. I kept checking the fins because I could tell something was different, but I just couldn't figure it out. He is much smaller than all my others also, but I just thought he must be younger, but who knows at this point. I will contact the GloFish company and see what they have to say. He seems happy and healthy otherwise, I don't mind having a special need Fish as long as he isn't sick. Thanks for the help!

 

Is it missing it's eye? To me it looks as if that's just the eye socket, and there's no eyeball in there.

Nope he has his eyes. They do move around, both of them look exactly the same. There is definitely an eyeball in there. He tends to be a bit more light sensitive than the others, so I know he can see at the very least light and dark. I am going to figure out some sort of added shade for him or a darker area that he can swim in. Although I spent my allotment of fish money this week, so it will have to be next week lol

 

Ah, alright lol. Maybe it's a deformity or damage that he's gotten earlier in life. Or, a genetic mutation. As long as he acts healthy and eats, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe contact the GloFish people to ask about it.

 

I believe he is albino with the glo dna "overlaid" so the eye takes on the color of the body, there are blues, greens (and the other colors) like this as well. Which you don't notice when they are in the store's tank dashing away from the net, but I don't think it is harmful for them.

 

I believe he is albino with the glo dna "overlaid" so the eye takes on the color of the body, there are blues, greens (and the other colors) like this as well. Which you don't notice when they are in the store's tank dashing away from the net, but I don't think it is harmful for them.

I was leaning towards the albino type of anomaly too. It just makes sense. I did message the GloFish company and am waiting to hear back. Thanks for your input

 

Wow that is odd... It will be interesting to see what the Glofish company has to say...............

 

This is what the GloFish Company had to say.. not sure I totally agree.

Hello Allison,

Thank you for contacting us and for sending the photos of your GloFish fluorescent fish!

The color you see in your Starfire Red Tetras eyes is completely normal. As you can see, even the red tetra on our website has the red eyes- . As long as this particular fish continues to eat normally and interacting with the other fish as usual, you can be sure that he is not blind or having vision issues.

If you are still concerned about this particular fish, we recommend that you speak with either a local veterinarian who works with fish, and/or an expert at your local fish store, as they are an excellent source of information on tropical fish and can hopefully diagnose any problem. For reference, the care requirements for fluorescent fish are the same as their non-fluorescent counterparts.

As for his size, you are correct in saying that he is probably just a younger fish. GloFish tetras can grow up to two inces in length when fully mature.

Thank you again for contacting us and please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any further questions or concerns.

Best regards,
GloFish Support

 

Merged your threads. Please only create one thread per topic. Ask to have it moved before making a duplicate thread.
Thanks,
Mike

 

Merged your threads. Please only create one thread per topic. Ask to have it moved before making a duplicate thread.
Thanks,
Mike

Oh ok. Sorry about that. I was wondering what happened to the other one. Thanks for the help