Neon Tetra Care Guide - Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Neon Tetra is a small, elegant schooling fish with a vivid electric-blue stripe running from the eye to the adipose fin and a bright red stripe extending across the rear half of the body. Its silvery underside and translucent fins create a striking effect as a group moves through the aquarium.

These peaceful characins are active but not aggressive, and they are most impressive when swimming together in a coordinated shoal. Their compact size allows them to use the middle levels of an aquarium without overwhelming larger planted displays.

In nature, Neon Tetras inhabit slow-moving forest streams, small tributaries and flooded woodland waters. These habitats are often shaded by dense vegetation and tinted brown by leaf litter and other natural tannins.

Paracheirodon innesi was first described in the 1930s and quickly became one of the most recognisable freshwater aquarium fish. Its brilliant colour, peaceful temperament and sociable behaviour have made it a long-standing favourite among community fishkeepers.

Neon Tetras originate from the upper Amazon Basin in South America, particularly blackwater tributaries and forest streams of western Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

A group of Neon Tetras should have at least a 60-litre aquarium, with a footprint of approximately 60 x 30 cm or larger. Use gentle filtration and provide open swimming space alongside dense plants, driftwood and shaded areas that reflect their forest-stream habitat. A dark, fine-grained substrate helps their colours stand out, while floating plants and leaf litter can create useful shelter and subdued lighting.

Up to 4 cm (1.6 in) in length. Females are usually slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males.

Neon Tetras are omnivores and do best on a varied diet of high-quality micro pellets or finely crushed flakes, supplemented with small frozen or live foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and mosquito larvae. Their small mouths require appropriately sized food, and variety helps support colour, condition and overall health.

Neon Tetras are well suited to peaceful community aquariums with small rasboras, other gentle tetras, Corydoras, otocinclus, peaceful dwarf gouramis and small, non-aggressive livebearers. Avoid large cichlids, predatory catfish, fin-nipping barbs and any fish capable of swallowing them. They should also not be housed with aggressive or highly boisterous species.

Neon Tetras are egg scatterers that breed most successfully in a separate, dimly lit breeding aquarium with very soft, acidic water. Condition a group with small live foods, then introduce mature fish and remove the adults after spawning, as they may eat the eggs. The eggs hatch in roughly 24 hours, and the tiny fry initially require infusoria-sized foods before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Females are generally fuller-bodied, especially when carrying eggs, and their blue stripe may appear slightly less straight. Males are slimmer and tend to have a more streamlined profile.