Neon tetra

Neons can be raised in water under 12 dH. Feed them waterevr you have, as long as it's highly varied -- that way you get a good mix of nutrients. Live foods are good, but not essential for *raising* the fish. They are adult and ready to spawn when they are some 1.5" long. I have heard that neons get to be over 2" if raised in very large tanks, but they need not to be that big to spawn. You will know they are ready to spawn when you can easily tell the slender males from the bulkier, larger females, visibly swollen with eggs. Wild-caught neons need very soft water to spawn. The tank-bred ones may be less picky about it, but the wild ones want it very soft. Hetch Hetchi water is a good choice, especially around the mid-summer to fall, when it's under 2 dH. You would need to adjust the pH to be around 5.5-6.0. Peat does wonders for that. The fish will spawn over/into fine leaved plants (Java moss, etc.). Some books seem to imply that a coarse nylon floss is a good substitute. I would not bother, since Java moss is good enough and easier to grow than nylon. Temperatures of 70-75F are sufficient. They are said to spawn best when the sunlight hits the tank in the morning. Neons are voracious egg eaters. Remove the adults within hours after spawning. You can try using a coarse mesh at the bottom of the tank, some 1" off the bottom or so, to let the eggs fall through out of reach of the adults. The powerfilters will likely suck all the newborn fry out and mince it into the fish paste, so use box or sponge filters. Infusoria and rotifers on the Java moss will feed them for a day, but after that you will have to add infusoria for a few days until the fry get big enough to eat baby brine shrimp. You can find more info in the various fish breeding books, available in the pet shops and libraries.

Neon Tetra
Neon tetras are the most popular and most beautiful fish in the United States. They deserve specail treatment in the community tank. But breeding them aren't easy. Thus is why they aren't commercaily bred in the U.S. I'll go step by step on how to breed neon tetras. equipment needed. 10 gallon aqaurium baby neon food;live brine rain water (if possible) Requirements water at 75 to 78f for spawning 7.0 ph level still water before spawning no gravel; expecially sand no snails, for they eat eggs foilage (meaning plants) The breeding tank should be clean of everyhing except a single foliage (plant). Some aquarist think it's ok to keep snails in the breeding tank. This is not true. Snails are scavenders. They eat eggs. Before putting the parents in the breeding tank, the water should be stertilized by boiling for twenty minutes. This will kill any bacteria in the water (stertilizes). The pH should be as close as you can get to 7.0. The water temputer should be 75-78f for the spawing. Rain water would be the best for this is you can gather it. Once you choose the male and female put the into the breeding tank. Female being round in comparison to the slim male. Refer to Fish Facts for help. Use a dim light or cover the

aquarium with a sheet to dim the sun's light. If your lucky, they'll start breeding the next morning. The eggs are about the size of a grain of sand and practically invisable. This is why you can't have gravel or sand. The eggs fall at random and will be lost if fallen on any gravel. Once the spawning is over and the eggs are laid, the female should be removed first for she will eat them. The male will chase here around the yank to prevent this. Have plenty of brine shrimp ready for the offspring will hatch the next day or in 36 hours.

The Neon Tetra

The Neon Tetra is synonymous with freshwater fish-keeping. One can walk into most any pet store in America and see a tank full of these silver, red, and blue fish swimming by. In the natural world, this fish is found in moderate sized rivers and tributaries in Eastern Peru and South America. This is an excellent community fish and does very well in large groups. In fact, this fish should only be kept in shoals, or groups of 5 or more fish. As a schooling fish, it seeks security from others of its kind. Neons are a very peaceful fish, and seldom nip at any other fish. You can watch in amazement with all the darting to and fro within the aquarium. Neons can live for many years with proper care. It's been reported that a longevity of 10 years is not to be unexpected. In addition, they are a relatively easy to breed aquarium fish. Once the females lays the eggs, they will hatch within 24 hours, and the fry will be free-swimming in 4 to 5 days. It's best to feed a diet of infurosia or baby brine shrimp. Because of its popularity, the Neon Tetra has arguably been named the "most" popular aquarium fish. In terms of sheer numbers sold, they may have that distinction. Fortunately, the majority of these fish offered for sale are captive bred in fish farms. Most of these farms are located in the Southern United States, and many are in Asia. The last I heard, many of the US Neons were still arriving from Hong Kong farms.

The ideal tank for the Neon would include many live plants, a pH of 7.0 and subdued lighting. They should not be kept with larger fish, as they will often become lunch rather than a tank companion.

Quick Information
Common names: Neon tetra, neon Scientific/Latin names: Paracheirodon innesi, formerly Hyphessobrycon innesi for the regular neon tetra and P. simulans for the green neon tetra Maximum length: 1.5 inches Colors: Silver, white, red, and blue (orange and green for other varieties) Temperature preference: 73 to 79 degrees F, can withstand 68 to 85 degrees F pH preference: 5 to 7 Hardness preference: Soft Salinity preference: 1 Tablespoon per 2 to 10 gallons (less when not breeding) Compatibility: Good Life span: Up to10 years Ease of keeping: Easy Ease of breeding: Moderate if eggs separated from fish

Description and Varieties

Neon tetras, or Paracheirodon innesi, are beautiful fish that come from the Peruvian Amazon. They live in large schools in plant-filled waters. Keep at least six to a tank. They like the shade produced by live plants and ornaments. Their tanks should not have strong lighting at the bottom, and the gravel should be dark. Neons grow up to 1.5 inches long but some sources say up to 1.8 inches. Neons are beautiful fish with an almost fluorescent blue or greenish stripe down their bodies from the mouth to the adipose fin. A wide red band goes from the middle of the body to the

beginning of the tail. Cardinal tetras are often confused with neon tetras. In the cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), the red band begins at the mouth. The rest of the neon tetra is a mix of white and clear or natural colors. If you surprise neons while they are in the dark by turning on the light, they will appear to be glowing in the dark for a while. There are at least three varieties of neon tetras including the original, the green neon tetra (actually another species, Paracheirodon simulans), and the gold neon tetra (partial albino).

Setup and Water Preferences

Neons come from soft and acidic water. They do best between 73 and 79 degrees F but can live for short periods with temperatures in the 60's or up into the low 90's. Over the long term, 68 to 82 degrees F will do. They prefer a pH of about 6 but can live in a pH from 5 to 7. While neons can adapt to water with a pH greater than 7, they will not breed in such alkaline water. The water should be clear and clean so frequent water changes are needed. The water should be very soft. Neons eat most flake foods and small live, freeze-dried, and frozen foods. Like most small tropical fish, they really enjoy small live (or frozen or freeze dried) animals like brine shrimp, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, blackworms, etc. Most neons swim in the middle and lower portions of the tank. Neons can get neon tetra disease caused by the sporazoan Plistophora hypessobryconis. Symptoms include losing color, milky coloration, sluggishness, eratic swimming, jerking movements, separating from the rest of the school, restlessness, weight loss, and a pale area beneath the dorsal fin. Neon tetra disease is said to not be treatable; therefore, quarantine is best to prevent spread of the disease. All infected tanks should be disinfected with bleach (soak them in 5% bleach, rinse, and soak in fresh water with dechlorinator before re- using.)

Sexing
In sexually mature fish, the females are larger, rounder, and fatter. From above, the female appears wider. There is a rule that some people believe is true and other aquarists say no way it is true. Some say that the male neon tetra has a straight stripe while the female has a crooked one. Once my fish mature, I may be able to add my opinion. This may have to do with a female's egg-laden size distorting the "straightness" of the stripe.

One person whose neons spawned said they did so at about 1.25 inches in size, and the females looked like "little whales."

Breeding
Neon tetras can begin breeding by about nine months of age. Neons will breed in tanks with other fish but due to the likelihood that the eggs will be eaten, they are most often breed in a small tank with a pair or small group of neons. A few breeders suggest adding 2 teaspoons of salt per 2-5 gallons in the breeding tank (each source I have has a different recommended amount from 1 teaspoon per gallon up to one per 10 gallons). A pH between 5 and 6 as well as very soft water are often necessary for successful breeding. A good breeding temperature is 75 degrees F. Neons often spawn in the morning. While spawning, neons will chase each other through any plants. While all the neons may spawn in one day, the actual act is done between a pair. The male and female intertwine, and the female may become vertical. Each female produces 60 to 130 eggs all over the plants and ground. The eggs are not sticky. The parents should be removed so they do not eat the eggs. The eggs are light sensitive so keep the developing eggs out of direct light. Eggs are prone to fungus especially in light (for more information on egg fungus, check out my fish health page. The eggs hatch in about a day. After the fry are freeswimming in about four to five days, they can be fed strained egg yolk, infusuria, other microscopic live foods, or Liquifry (which is mostly yolk). Provide subtle lighting over the tank once the fry are swimming so they can see their food. Often, some fry will not survive. One aquarist whose neon tetras spawned indicated that it may have been triggered by allowing the nitrates to build up in the water and then doing a 50% or so water change. His neons spawned the next day. These neons were fed live brine shrimp too. The pH was about 6.7 and the temperature was about 76 degrees F. Of course, the water was soft (dKH of about 5). Another aquarist says they tried letting the nitrates build up and then did a huge water change, and his neon tetras spawned within a week too. Also, visit my breeding and fry care page for more information on how to care for fry (tank setup, feeding, cleaning, etc.).

My Neon Tetras
I currently have no neon tetras left. I had gold and green neon tetras in my 20 gallon tank. I also had a gold neon tetra and a green neon tetra that I bought on 1/29/00 and put in a 3 gallon Eclipse tank and then into the 20 gallon tank where they vanished around 8/12/01. They were gorgeous. An additional green neon tetra died on 10/9/00 after lying on the bottom, unable to swim, for over a month. He/she may have had neon tetra disease. Yet another tetra, a gold neon tetra, died on 7/2/01 after being in the 20 gallon tank for nine days. He/she had a dark internal mass for many months. Luckily for the neons (but not the goldfish), my three goldfish in my 50 gallon tank died in spring of 2001. After disinfecting, I moved the 20 gallon fish to the 50 gallon tank. After disinfecting the 20 gallon tank, the fish in the 3 gallon Eclipse tank including the three neons got to move to the 20 gallon tank on 6/23/01. I am sure the neons thought the place was huge! On 7/8/01, four additional small gold neon tetras were bought and added to join the surviving gold neon tetra and green neon tetra for a total of six neons. All but a few of the new gold neons vanished around 8/12/01. By 8/13/01, I can only count a single surviving gold neon tetra. The rest died (most of the bodies were never found).

I do not know why (no injuries, no outward signs of parasites or disease, no bloating, no abnormal behavior aside from hiding the last 24 hours before dying). I killed them and will no longer buy neon tetras. Apparently soft water with great water quality is not good enough for them. I should have left the others in the little 3 gallon tank as they lived there for 1.5 years! So, it is not always better to give fish a larger home as it apparently scares them, to death. Neon tetras are the one fish most suited to my water but also the ones that I just cannot seem to keep alive. Certainly, I am no expert! By 9/9/01, the last neon tetra simply vanished. Bodies were never found. In 1996, I tried I think four neon tetras in my 10 gallon tank which had a paradise fish and a few other fish in it at the time. The neons all died within a week (no other fish died). I have no idea why. Never before have fish died so quickly and with no apparent reason. My water is very soft. Perhaps one of the other fish stressed them or they came in with a disease that killed them and not the other fish in the tank. I am usually pretty good with aquarium fish but when I find a species that does not fare well in my tanks like the neon tetra, I do not get more. A few people admonished me for torturing the ones I had. Do not worry, I will never have neon tetras again. The other species of fish I do have now (12/19/03) are thriving, and my rarest fish (glowlight danios) just had fry that are doing well