Fish-Cam.Net - Tropical Freshwater Aquarium

Neon Tetra

The Neon Tetras are brightly coloured little guys, they've been in the tank from the start and I lost a couple in the first few days, but after that the rest (7 of them) have survived my learning curve, and the tank's initial cycle.

When I've been working on the tank they form a small school, but when all is peaceful they split up and find their own little niches. As with the Serpae tetras, they could do with being in a larger group, and I'll definately migrate them to a bigger tank later (maybe a school of 20 or more).

The information below is taken from The Tropical Tank, a great resource for fish info.

Common name(s):Neon tetra, Neon

Scientific name: Paracheirodon innesi

Synonyms: Hyphessobrycon innesi (not valid)

Size: 1.5" (4cm)

Origin: Peru

Tank setup: Planted tank, with peaceful tankmates

Compatibility: Peaceful, community - may be eaten by larger tankmates.

Temperature: 22-26oC (72-79oF)

Water chemistry: Around neutral, soft to medium hard.

Feeding Omnivorous: small frozen/live foods and dry foods such as flake, micro-pellets and granular foods.

Sexing: Males slimmer, females have a deeper body.

Breeding: Very soft and acidic water is recommended, though there are reports of this species, being bred in harder water. Use Java moss or other fine-leaved plants (or a synthetic equivalent) as a spawning substrate. Parents should be removed after spawning. Eggs hatch in around 24 hours. Feed the tiny fry on infusoria initially, followed by brine shrimp nauplii.

Comments: One of the most instantly recognisable fish in the hobby, they are commonly referred to as simply "Neons". Best appreciated in a tank with a dark background or substrate. They do not always shoal together as readily as some other species of tetras, but like other tetra species they should be kept in a shoal of at least 5-6 fish.

Back 26.03.2006.