Detailed Information About the Blue Neon Tetra Aquarium Fish

---

Blue Neon tetra

Brief Overview

The Blue Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish is a fan favorite amongst fresh water hobbyists. Its beautiful neon blue sheen is attractive to the beginner and avid hobbyist alike. Being very small Blue Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish are easily traumatized during tank transfers from the store to your tank at home. With this in mind be certain to only introduce Neon Tetra into a tank that is already well established. Beware of fin snippers like Chichlids, Angels, or Sharks (or many others) as they WILL nip at and eventually eat your tetra. Neon Tetra are for the community tank of peaceful fish like other small Tetra, Molly's, Cory's, Guppy's, or other species of a similar, less aggressive nature. Blue Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish are best kept in groups of at least three to five, and you will be rewarded with beautiful schooling behaviors if you can have twenty or more without overpopulating. Some good possible tankmates for Blue Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish are Guppy's, Molly's, Black Neon Tetra and Albino Cory Catfish.

To watch a Youtube video of this fish click here.

Detailed Wikipedia Information

The Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish has a light-blue back over a silver-white abdomen. The fish is characterized by an iridescent blue horizontal stripe along each side of the fish from its nose to the base of the adipose fin, and an iridescent red stripe that begins at the middle of the body and extends posteriorly to the base of the caudal fin. Most, if not all, will develop a olive green sheen lining their backs. The fish is completely transparent (including fins) except for these markings. During the night,the blue and red become silver as the fish rests then it reactivates once it becomes active in the morning. It grows to approximately 3 cm (1.25 in) in overall length. Sexual dimorphism is slight, the female having a slightly larger belly.

Physical description

The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimes where the water is between 20 degrees 26 degrees C. It is not found in the whitewater rivers of Andean origin. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams,[citation needed] and is also the main reason for its popularity as a tropical fish.

Economics

The Neon Tetra was first imported from South America and was described by renowned ichthyologist Dr. George S. Myers in 1936, and named after Dr. William T. Innes. P. innesi is one of the most popular aquarium fish, having been bred in tremendous numbers for the trade. Most neon tetras available in the United States are imported from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand, where they are farm raised, or to a lesser extent (<5%) from Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, where they are collected from the wild. During a single month, an average of 1.8 million neon tetras with an estimated value of $175,000 are imported into the United States for the aquarium trade. With the exception of home aquarists and a few commercial farms that breed neon tetras experimentally, captive breeding on a commercial scale is nonexistent in the United States.

In the aquarium

While commercially bred neon tetras have adapted well to a wide range of water conditions, in the wild they inhabit very soft, acidic waters that are usually cooler than the 25 degrees C most tropical aquaria are maintained at. Neon Tetras have a lifespan of about five years.

Neon tetras are considered easy to keep in a community aquarium that is at least 60 cm (24 inches), with a pH of 5.0 and 7.0 and KH of 1.0 and 2.0. However, they will not tolerate dramatic changes to their environment. They tend to be timid and, because of their small size, should not be kept with large or aggressive fish who may bully or simply eat them. Fish that mix well in an aquarium are other types of tetras, such as the rummy-nose tetra, cardinal tetra, and glowlight tetra, and other community fish that live well in an ideal Tetra water condition. Mid-level feeders, they are best kept in schools of five to eight or more, for the "shoaling" effect when they move around the tank. They shoal naturally in the wild and are thus happier, more brightly colored, and more active when kept as a shoal as opposed to singly. Their colour and the iridescent stripe may become dim at night, and can be virtually invisible after a period of darkness. The color may also fade during a period of stress, such as human intervention into the tank. Neon Tetra Tropical Aquarium Fish are best kept in a densely planted tank with subdued light and an ideal temperature of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit to resemble their native Amazon environment.

HOME

Click here to read full Wikipedia Article and get EVEN MORE great information!

Some common Favorites