You may have seen Neon Tetra before. The neon tetras are the most popular species of aquarists worldwide. Neon Tetra is a clean and fun freshwater fish that you can find inside the tanks of favorite people worldwide.
That is because they are beautiful, healthy enough, smooth to care for, and non-violent. This guide will learn all you need to know about Neon Tetra care. We will include things like their health, proper tank conditions, the food they want, or how to breed them!
Table of content:
- Types of Neon Tetras
- Neon Tetra Diseases
- Neon Tetra Lifespan
- Neon Tetra Breading
- Neon Tetra Aquarium Setup
- Neon Tetra Tank Mates
- Neon Tetra Tank Size
- Neon Tetra Price
- Neon Tetra Water Parameters
Origin of Neon Tetra Fish
The glittering jewels of the aquatic landscape anywhere, a small solid neon tetra fish changed into an original import from South America. Neon tetra should be stored in groups of at least a dozen different neon tetra as they are the most sensitive species. With a calm demeanor, they can also keep a variety of fish. They live a long and respectable life of 5 years.
Neon tetras originated in freshwater and black streams and tributaries of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in Brazil, Columbia, and Peru. Those areas with dark water under the canopies of sizes with dense forests allow little or no passing. Neon tetras live in fields mainly in shallow water and feed on worms and small crustaceans.
However, due to their durability, neon tetras have low preferences, making fish a popular choice for anglers. The neon tetra is usually domesticated, and the majority come from some distance. A few types of pet models are now available.
Those include neon tetra with long fins, though not uncommon, in addition to the semi-albino gold-plated stress and the diamond neon tetra.
Types of Neon Tetras
There are many different types of neon tetras that include:
- Longfin Tetras: This species has fins almost twice as long as the wild neon tetra.
- Albino Neon Tetras: They are Unusual for their pale white body and pink eyes.
- Diamond Head Neon Tetras: Those fish appear to be wild neon tetras but have diamond-shaped heads.
- Golden Neon Tetras: Those fish appear to be albino neon tetras but are more colorful than albino fish.
- Black Neon Tetra: Those fish have silver bodies and a dry black line running from the back to the tail.
- Green Neon Tetra: The bluish-green area on their bodies is usually very bright. If you come from afar or before looking at everything, they look like many Cardinal Tetra or the main Neon Tetra. Their body shape and original blue color are the same!
- The male neon tetra is usually brighter in color than females. Males also have flat bellies than women and straight blue stripes, while women have blue lines that bend at the top due to the form of a round female frame.
Neon Tetra Diseases
In severe cases of tanks or disturbed areas, neon tetras are at risk of many common aquarium diseases. Neon tetra disease is, referred to as the disease, was first detected in neon tetras caused by the Microsporidian parasite.
Neon tetra disturbances cause instability, color deficits, cysts, and difficulty swimming. There’s no acknowledged treatment for neon tetra disorder, so you should remove all infected species to prevent the disease from spreading to all populace in the tank.
- Ich
In any other case known as ick or white spot ailment, Ich is a parasitic disorder due to the protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Ich fish have white spots, such as salt on their bodies, tails, and fins, and they rub their bodies on hard surfaces to relieve itching.
To treat Ich, separate the affected fish in a separate tank. Load one teaspoon of salt in line with 5 liters of water in the tank and increase the water temperature by two stages.
- Fine Rot and Tail
Neon tetras that live in poor water environments are at risk of fin rot and tail rot. The disease begins to appear at the ends of the fins or tail and is actively toward the fish’s frame, causing the wings to age and disperse. Deal with fin rot with the help of playing the whole water trade and using antibiotics if recommended by your veterinarian.
Neon Tetra Lifespan
When set in a fixed tank with the right conditions, the neon tetra lifespan in the aquarium is somewhere between 5 to 10 years. You can imagine that this width will decrease if you forget about them for a long time. No matter how strong the fish, you often need the goal of giving them a place where they can thrive.
Neon Tetra Breeding
Breeding Neon Tetras is not a smooth business. Performance requires very different lighting and water conditions. It calls for vigilance and resilience. To reproduce neon tetras, observe those steps:
- Choose neon tetra for healthy mating partners. It needs to be at least 12 weeks old and ready to breed.
- At night, keep the tetras in a dedicated breeding tank. The tank should have a reduced pH range of 5.0 and 6.0, and the neon tetra temperature of the water should be reduced to 75°F. Place a clear spot inside the tank and move the tank to an area with low light.
- Allow tetras to remain inside the breeding tank for up to two days. If the fish are not fertile, make sure the water temperature and pH are correct, and make the water softer than usual to mimic the rainy season in the wild.
- After two days, if tetras have not yet given breed, add a large amount of soft water to the tank.
- If breeding fails, review the female with other females and keep controlling tank conditions.
- The male and female will lay their backs on the plant or cave, and the female will lay 130 eggs in a substrate and the plants inside the tank.
- When you see the eggs, throw the parents in the tank to save the fish from eating their babies.
- About 50 eggs will hatch in about 24 hours.
- The small tetra is easily affected, so you should keep the fish in the dark for the first five days.
- A baby neon tetras will get enough nutrients for the first three days of its life by eating its egg sacs.
- Feed the baby fish, special fried foods, and baby brine shrimp.
- After three months, place the babies inside the home tank with the old fish.
Neon Tetra Aquarium Setup
When decorating a neon tetra aquarium setup, remember to pack your fish with plenty of aquarium light for neon tetra outings. Neon Tetras live in dark streams that slowly transfer because the water does not pass much in the wild. The natural calculator stays in a shallow point of movement and decomposes.
It results in dark and difficulty looking at the water. It would be best not to make your tank murk like its medicinal properties, but you can slightly keep the lighting conditions down. It would be best to combine the life of dense vegetation with driftwood.
Floating plants and natural wood parts will create dark spots on your fish to emerge in a relaxed environment. Neon Tetras spend a lot of time in the middle of the tank. They will climb to the top to feed, but otherwise, they will swim around to medium depths. It means you don’t have to worry too much about getting an herbal-looking substrate.
Fish go well with rock, sand, and other materials you want to use. Just make sure the substrate works with any living flowers you plan to install in the tank.
Neon Tetra Tank Mates
It usually retains neon tetra to twelve or more abilities as it is a species of fish that needs to be present in one of its kind. Non-violent small fish that include rasbora, small tetra, dwarf gouramis, cory, and various small catfish are another appropriate option as partners.
Avoid large tetras, as they will eat neon tetra early in the season. The experience-based approach is that if the fish’s mouth opens wide enough to swallow neon, it will eventually do it. It means that fish like African Cichlids and bettas are not a strange suit.
How Many Neon Tetras Should Be Kept Together?
They are a schooling species, so you have to maintain a minimum of six to ten neon tetras together in a single tank. Neon tetras will feel uncomfortable, get stressed, and perhaps even die if you keep too few of them collectively.
Moreover, neon tetras are active fish that require plenty of swimming area. Even if you pair with non-aggressive fish, you want to make sure that tank mates are not enough to swallow them! Their bright colors and short stature make it clear that large fish make a mistake as food instead of friends.
Rasboras, Barbs, and Dwarf Gouramis are some of the highlights of Neon Tetra Tanks. It is good to combine them with fish that take other parts of the tank. Those who live in the background like small catfish, for example, will not encounter fish at all.
As any non-violent fish will do outstanding with Neon Tetras, your high-quality bet always adds the same kind of fish. It would be best if you keep a collection of 15 Neon Tetras so that you can rely on each other as they do in the wild.
Neon Tetra Tank Size
As they are considered Nano fish, the purpose of why this species does not perform well in a beautiful small tank (think 5 liters) is simple. The minimum number of neon tetras you can load is about 4-5 neon tetra in a 5-liter aquarium. However, if you can, you need to upgrade to a 10-liter aquarium.
If you want to keep a large number of fish, then the neon tetra 55-gallon aquarium is big enough to hold 28 to 36 faculty of Neon Tetras. Fifty-five-gallon tank sizes for neon tetra are one of the most popular tank sizes, and they are usually one of the giant tanks with the highest value per liter.
You should not forget the small tank size of anything less than 10 liters. However, we are strong supporters of the best 20-gallon tanks you can shoot.
How to Keep Neon Tetra in an Aquarium?
Neon Tetras is a learning school fish, so you need to provide enough space for the whole team! It can help them feel safer, less stressed, and now they are less cramped. Of course, you can immerse your fish in a tiny tank (provided it has the proper pH, water temperature, and other water solution and natural nutrients) and keep them alive.
However, this is not healthy for fish and is not the best living condition for tetra at any given time. An inexperienced neon tetra is a satisfying form of tetra for small marine areas because of its small length. Ember tetra is a better choice because it stays smaller than inexperienced neon’s.
Neon Tetra Water Parameters
If you are an amateur aquarist student, the only thing that will bother you when setting up a new aquarium is to set up water. Water restrictions are the key to the nutritional health of all fish, including neon tetras. So, what are the water limits of neon tetra?
Ideal Conditions for Neon Tetra Temperature:
Neon Tetra Water temperature 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C), pH 6 to 7, ammonia and nitrite levels 0 ppm, low nitrate levels 20 ppm, water hardness 2 to 10 GH, alkalinity 1 to 2 dKH (17.8 to 35.5 ppm) and minimal salt.
Maintaining proper temperature aquarium neon tetra can be difficult. The neon tetra is a tropical fish found west and north of the Amazon Basin in eastern Peru, southeastern Colombia, and western Brazil.
Neon tetra lives naturally in acidic dark water. Water in its natural state is usually brown. Its brown color is due to vegetation and fossils of decaying plants. However, the water does not stay dark. Sometimes even the tannins seem to glow. Neon tetra cannot remain in the mud. They live in clean water free of pollution and cracks in their natural environment.
Neon tetra prefers dark acidic water streams, but you can find them in freshwater. In the wild, the ideal water temperature for neon tetras is usually 20°C to 28°C (68°F to 82°F). The pH level is between 4 and 7.5.
Cardinal Tetra VS Neon Tetra
Domesticated fish are immaculate to care for, depending on the type of fish you choose, and many smaller species are ready to survive in a Nano tank. That makes them ideal for children and renters. The most suitable small tropical aquarium fish species are tetras, with Cardinal tetra and Neon tetra being the most popular. The two species look very identical, but they may be different.
However, the Cardinal tetras are slightly larger than the Neons, and the red line on the lower part of the fish frame always travels from fish to eye to tail. In Neon tetras, the red line begins in the middle of the body, just below the dorsal fin, and extends to the rear.
Cardinal and Neon tetras are types of tetras, although they are both members of the same family, Characidae. Cardinal tetras are nearly larger than Neons, reaching about 2 inches in length compared to 1 inch. If you need to breed your fish at home, Neon tetra is usually easier to produce than their Cardinal-like cousins.
The neon tetra is generally more robust than Cardinals, mainly because Neon tetra keeps in large quantities, especially for different animals. Over the years, that has made the Neon tetra withstand a wide variety of water conditions. Cardinal tetras, therefore, are more susceptible to unstable or diverse water conditions.
Each Cardinal and Neon tetras train fish requires to keep in companies of at least six people to succeed in captivity.
Neon Tetra Size and Appearance
Neon tetra has bright blue heads and backs, with a deep blue stripe from head to tail and a bright pink line on each side of its body. The structure of the neon tetra is small and made of torpedo, and the fins and tail of the fish are intertwined, flexible, and straight.
Sometimes, the blue and blood-red ones turn gray or dark at night because the fish are resting. It also works when it gets more substantial in the morning. It grows to about four cm at all times.
Neon Tetra Price
Neon tropical fish is widely available inside of us. You can buy neon tetras at nearby pet stores and online. Many stores may have many items and offer promotional fish for many people, but due to their price, availability, and self-promotion problem, many stores rarely inventory them. One neon tetra will never be happy and lonely wherever you put it.
The cost of a neon tetra is $3– $5. Neon tetra should be stored in at least six companies, citing a total value of up to $18– $30. LiveAquaria sells neon tetra and a few versions of neon tetra, such as black neon tetras. Imperial Tropicals sells neon tetra to three companies, 10, 25, and 50.
How Big Do Neon Tetras Get?
The neon tetra is one of the smallest aquarium fish species, while the simplest neon tetra grows up to 4 cm in length. Old neon tetra males are the same size, so you do not worry about how big tetra fish get, but males have longer dorsal and anal fins than females.
Male and female neon tetra live for about the same time as up to 8 years. In the wild, fish can live up to 10 years, relying on the population of predators in their habitat.
Is Neon Tetra Aggressive?
Neon Tetras is not competitive yet can show aggressive behavior when pressed or uncomfortable. The difficulty may be exacerbated by the help of space loss in the tank while keeping neon tetras aquarium, incorrect tank partners, adverse water conditions, or chaos.
Tetras are public, so make sure you have their skill in your tank. A few species are more aggressive than others and can bite their long-term mate, such as betta fish. Due to their short stature, tetras are pure prey to predatory fish such as cichlids, so avoid having those in your tank.
Are Neon Tetras Friendly?
Neon tetras do well in a public tank as long as the opposite types are large or competitive. Non-violent small fish that include rasbora, small neon fish, dwarf gouramis, over Cory, and different small catfish are accurate options as partners. Avoid large tetras, as they will consume neon tetra at the earliest possible.
How to Care For Neon Tetra?
Neon tetra care is easy. The neon tetra is hardy fish that can adapt to brackish conditions and freshwater. However, a smooth freshwater tank set will ensure the fish are healthy when confined. Neon tetras are omnivores and have an excellent digestive system in the wild, which you should show off in a private home aquarium.
A newly installed neon tetra tank is not suitable for neon tetra fish care because they will no longer tolerate repairs that occur at some early stage or start the cycle. Just add neon tetra while your tank is fully ripe and has solid water solvents.
Water should be smooth and acidic in neon tetras, meaning a pH lasting above 7.0 and a hardness of no more than ten dGH. You can use Blackwater plants or driftwood to darken the water, capture acidic pH, and soften water.
How Often Do You Feed Neon Tetras?
The neon tetra is an omnivore, meaning they will use each plant and animal. All good food choices are large flake foods, tiny granules, live or frozen shrimp brine or daphnia, and frozen blood worms. Provide a variety of foods, including organic foods, once per day to create a desirable life.
Providing a place with plenty of hiding places with little light is essential. Provide plant aquarium neon tetra, including the life of floating plants if they can function. Driftwood will provide hiding places as well. The black substrate will replicate the natural habitat when neon tetras feel more relaxed.
What Are Blue Neons?
The neon blue belongs to the tetra family and appears to be the neon red and neon tetra, yet biologically it is not yet associated with them. However, the fish look very similar, and it is not uncommon for confusion to occur. The blue neon is the smallest of its kind, yet it may be the most amazing due to its highly blue material.
All three species have something in red and blue. However, neon blue is the most effective to have a continuous blue fluorescent line that exceeds the total body length. The white fins show this. The lower part and the back of the abdomen are pink, and this is more like a neon red than a neon tetra.
Final Words
Neon Tetras is a pleasure to have in your tank and smooth to maintain. There is a reason why they are so popular and why people look for how to care for neon tetra. If your tank contains large or aggressive fish, do not get neon tetra or set up a separate tank to store these tetras.
As long as you keep the neon tetra in non-violent community tanks with appropriate water conditions, the fish will thrive in the local aquatic environment. In the meantime, you should understand everything you need to make sure your fish are thriving and stay healthy.
