Neon Fish – Neon Tetra

  The neon tetra  is a small freshwater fish native to South America.Due to its vibrant colors and ease of care, it is one of the most popular fish  among fish breeders.Its peaceful temperament and simple dietary needs make it an ideal fish for beginners.

Common name  -            Neon Fish, Neon Tetra

Scientific name -            Paracheirodon innesi, Hyphessobrycon innesi

Aquarium capacity  -    37 liters, 75 liters for a school of 15 specimens

Temperature  -                Between 21° and 28° C

pH -                                 Between 4 and 7.5

GH -                              Less than 8

Temper-                          Calm

Diet  -                                Omnivore

adult size -                   2 - 4 cm

Life expectancy -          Between 5 and 8 years

Difficulty level  -          Easy

Coloration-                Iridescent blue on top and iridescent red on bottom. The rest of the body is                                                white or transparent

swimming level-        Mean level of the water column

Source-                       Amazon Upper Course

commercial origin- Farms, mostly Asian

Breeding Difficult due to ideal conditions but not impossible

Price-                     One of the cheapest fish you can find in stores. From €1 to €2 depending on size

                                    taxonomy

Kingdom-             animalia

Edge-                     Chordata

Subedge -                    Vertebrate

Class-                    Actinopterygii

superorder-           ostariophysi

Order-                   Characiformes

Family-                   Characidae

Gender-                  Paracheirodon

Species -            P.innesi (Myers, 1936)

Synonymy

Hyphessobrycon innesi Myers, 1936

The neon tetra  also known as the neon fish , was first discovered in 1934 in the jungles of the Amazon.

It is a freshwater fish that belongs to the Characidae family and is known for its dazzling colors and energetic temperament. So much so that it is one of the best-selling fish. The vast majority of neon tetras are bred in captivity.

They are a great fish for community aquariums , they are not aggressive, and they spend most of their time in the middle part of the water column.

Usually these fish must be kept in schools with at least 15 members . Smaller groups may feel threatened and this can cause stress. Although, of course, this depends a lot on the companions who have the neons in the aquarium.

The first thing that attracts everyone is its sensational color. It has a turquoise blue line that extends from its eyes to its adipose fin (the small rounded fin between the tail and the dorsal fin).

In addition to the blue coloration, they also have a red stripe that runs from the middle of their body to the tail fin . This brilliant iridescence helps fish locate themselves in murky water conditions.

Their color combination has helped make them one of the most prized fish among hobbyists.

Interestingly, except for their blue and red color, they are transparent ; In the wild, this feature helps them hide from predators. When they feel really threatened, they can even turn off their iridescent red/blue hue to keep themselves safe. Their coloration will also fade when they are sleeping or sick.

As for their body type, they have a fusiform body (elongated ellipse shape) and a rounded nose. Large eyes make up most of its head. They can grow up to 6 cm long; however, the average size is around 3-4 centimeters , with females being slightly less in length.

In the wild, they live up to 8 years. However, in aquariums, neon tetras generally live for around 5 years .

Differences between the neon tetra and the cardinal tetra

This fish is often confused with the cardinal tetra.If you look closely, you will see that the neon tetra's red horizontal line only runs from the middle of its body to its tail.While, in the cardinal tetra, its red line runs through the entire body .

Habitat - 

Neon tetras are native to the warm rivers of South America, including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The highest concentration of them can be found in the Amazon River basin.These rivers generally flow through thick forest with dense canopies that block out a lot of natural light. Within these dark waters, there are usually many fallen leaves, vegetation, and tree roots. This is why its coloration is so vivid; It helps them identify their schoolmates in these dark, murky waters.

aquarium conditions -

As we always recommend, you should try to reproduce the natural environment of the fish you have in your aquarium as closely as possible.Following this logic, to keep neons your aquarium should be heavily planted. You can use driftwood to help create even more shade and darkness for them. You should also make sure that the substrate you use is a rather dark color; You can use small rocks and pebbles like you would find in a river bed.

Before talking about the required conditions, it is important to say that tetras are very sensitive to changes in water conditions.

This means that freshly cycled tanks are not suitable for your tetras ; usually changes in water chemistry during this time will kill them. Tetras should only be added to a mature, established aquarium.

The ideal water conditions for tetra neon are as follows:

The water temperature must be between 21° C and 27° C. 

You should keep the pH level below 7.0 and above 6.0 .

As for lighting, they prefer dim lighting ; a low wattage fluorescent light can be used. You should provide about 0.25 watts per liter.

Tetras produce a very small bioburden, so their filtration needs are small; a regular sponge filter will do. Finally, in terms of water changes, you should aim to do a 25% water change every week. Be sure not to exceed this recommendation, as too many water changes can be deadly for neons .

As for the size of the aquarium, it depends on the number of neons you plan to have.

The smallest size is 37 litres. However, if you want to keep the minimum amount of tetras we recommend (15), then you should get a tank of at least 75 liters.

behavior and compatibility -

They are peaceful and non-aggressive fish and are the perfect companions in a community tank, both for their behavior and their color.You will notice that they spend most of their time in a group and will swim in the middle part of the water column.In general, Neon Tetras are very peaceful fish and tend to be perfect community fish . A good school of them really helps to fill your aquarium with vibrant colors.

Shoal of Neon Tetras

Since they are such small fish, you should only place them in a community tank with other non-aggressive fish that are not big enough to eat them . The peaceful little bottom dwellers are perfect tank mates for them. As for the ideal companions you could think of:

Gouramis (avoid giant, pearl, and opal)

barbels

Small catfish (for example, corydoras)

Dwarf cichlids (such as ramirezis)

And companions to avoid include:

Bettas   Scalars

medium or large cichlids

A rule of thumb to follow is that if the fish's mouth is big enough to swallow a neon, don't put it in the same tank. In fact, it is a rule that works for almost any combination of fish that you can put in a community aquarium.

If you plan to keep a school of them, you should ideally keep at least 15-20 of them. An aquarium of at least 75 liters is needed to maintain this number in optimal conditions.

As a general rule, the larger the school, the more comfortable your eons will be.