Thursday, November 13, 2008

Neon Tetra



The Neon Tetra is one of the most attractive of all the readily available tropical fishes. They have been getting a bad reputation in recent years for the difficulty in keeping them alive in the home aquarium. This bad reputation could be attributed to the increasing public demand and the methods by which breeders are meeting those demands by the inbreeding of this once hardy tropical fish.

Try to add at least 6 or more neons to your mature, fully cycled aquarium in order to increase your chances of success. Spending a little more time during the acclimation process may help as well. If you do the floating bag method, at least try to add small amounts of the tank water into the bag every 10 minutes so that they can slowly adjust to pH as well as temperature. Float them and add the small amounts of tank water for an hour.

Keep up with those water changes to prevent the nitrate levels from getting too high!

These tetras, like many, will accept tropical fish flakes, frozen and freeze dried foods.

Scientific Name : Paracheirodon innesi

Common Names : Neon Fish

Care Level : Moderate - it's a good idea to stay on top of your water changes to prevent the nitrate levels from accumulating.

Size : Up to 1.5 inches (4 cm)

pH : 5 - 7.5

Temperature : 69°F - 79°F (21°C - 26°C)

Water Hardness : 1° to 10° dH

Lifespan : 5 - 8 years

Origin / Habitat : South America

Temperament / Behavior : Neon Tetras are peaceful tropical fish and best kept in schools of 6 or more.

Breeding / Mating / Reproduction : They are difficult to breed in the home aquarium.

Tank Size : 10 gallon or larger.

Compatible Tank Mates : Many, given their peaceful nature. Avoid keeping with tropical fish large enough to eat them.

Neon Tetra Disease : Freshwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment

Diet / Fish Food : Will go after flakes, live and freeze dried foods.

Tank Region : Mostly middle to bottom.

Gender : The male is usually smaller than a female of the same age.


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