However, a dark substrate, such as black sand, will make your neon tetra feel at home and will show off the fish's wonderful neon colors.

The neon tetra's natural environment has low light levels, which may be simulated by darkening three sides of the aquarium's glass paneling. Neon Tetras are generally hardy fish that can be kept in community tanks with smaller non-aggressive species. Neon tetras are generally a long-lived species.

While some aquarists have reported they live up to 10 years, the average lifespan of neon tetras is closer to years. This is just an average, however; some fish can live longer than that, and others die after only a few months.

Neon tetras are a little bit difficult to breed and it can be tricky to raise the fry successfully due to their small size which makes them vulnerable to predation from larger tank mates or other fish species. The fry grows very quickly so it is important that they have enough food available at all times or else they may starve before they have time to develop properly.

The best way to get the Neon Tetra to spawn is by keeping them in a small tank that can be placed in a dark place such as a closet. The water temperature should be around 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and the pH level should be around 6. The tank should have plenty of hiding spots for the male and female to feel safe when they are not mating, but there should also be open space for them to swim around in so that they can find each other more easily.

Before placing the breeding couple in the breeding tank, feed them live meals to prepare them. Start with absolutely no illumination in the tank when you put the breeding couple in there for the first time.

To encourage spawning, gradually raise the lighting level the next day. At this time of day, females are most likely to mate. During spawning, the male will clasp the female and then release more than eggs.

Transparent and slightly sticky, the eggs will adhere to plants. As soon as the eggs are deposited, the breeding couple should be separated since they can devour the eggs very rapidly. The eggs and fry are both vulnerable to high levels of light.

In around 24 hours, the eggs will hatch, releasing small fry that will feed on their egg sacks for a few days. Hatch rates are low, therefore only about a third of the eggs will hatch into fry.

When the fry is three to four days old, they will be able to swim on their own, and they will need to be given very small meals. Soon, they'll be big enough to eat fresh brine shrimp. The fry will begin to show its beautiful and amazing hues after the first month. Neon Tetras are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant material and animal matter.

In the wild, they feed on algae and other types of plant matter that grow on rocks and other submerged surfaces. They will also consume insect larvae and any invertebrates that they can catch in their mouths.

They will also eat some types of live foods such as brine shrimp, blood worms, daphnia, and tubifex worms. You should feed your neon tetras a variety of animal and plant-based meals to recreate their natural habitat diet. A good diet for neon tetras consists mainly of flake food with some frozen or freeze-dried blood worms added to it once or twice per week.

You should also include high-quality tropical fish flakes as part of their diet since this will help promote their growth rate and overall health. Put your primary emphasis on Daphnia as a live food as well as NorthFin foods such as Flake, Veggie, and Community formula.

Take care to include enough plant items in the diets of neon tetras. The fish can receive algae wafers as well as fruits and vegetables as often as three times a week. Neon tetras need to be fed twice a day for the first six months of their lives. To maintain good water quality, feed the tetras for two minutes, then discard any uneaten food.

Neon tetras can become ill if they are overfed, so keep to a feeding plan and don't overfeed your fish. Neon tetras come in many different varieties including black neon tetras, blue neon tetras, red neon tetras, green neon tetras, and so on.

Each variety has its unique coloration which makes them all appealing to aquarists who want something different than just another standard neon tetra type fish in their tank!

The neon tetra has a streamlined body. Its body color is blue with black vertical stripes. Some species have red accents on the anal fin, but these are not as common as the blue or black varieties.

The male has a longer dorsal fin than the female and he also has more vibrant colors than his female counterpart. In addition to the red, blue, and silver-bodied neon tetras the first fish that interested me , there are other varieties of neon tetras to choose from.

Typical Neon Tetra species include:. Neon Gold Tetras have a red and silver color combination on their bodies. They have bright blue eyes that jut out. They have a transparent peach-colored body with a silvery sheen.

From its nose to its tail, it bears a reddish-orange stripe that runs through its body. The edge of their dorsal and anal fins are both red, whereas their pelvic and anal fins are both white.

One inch long is the maximum size. Gold Neon Tetras are docile and simple to care for, making them a good choice for beginners. Neon tetras, cory catfish, and certain barbs and danios are all good companions for these species.

Gold neon tetras should be kept in groups of at least six. A Gold Neon Tetra may live for up to five years. They consume both plant and animal matter and require a pH range of 5.

They can be contained in a rectangular tank that has at least 15 gallons of water in it. They can withstand temperatures of up to 28°C. It is not uncommon for Gold Neon Tetra to also consume frozen flakes in addition to the live food that they consume.

It's best to feed them regularly but in tiny amounts. Because of selective breeding, Diamond Head Tetras have a diamond-shaped patch on their back, between their eyes, as well as a dorsal fin that has been formed over time.

The vast majority of consumers purchase fish when they are still juveniles, and they typically look for colorful varieties of juvenile fish. This species' shimmering skin develops as the fish matures, giving them an absolutely lovely look when they are fully grown. The body of this tetra species is striped with blue and red horizontal stripes.

They can reach a maximum length of 2. The Diamond Head Tetra is an easy-to-care-for fish with a laid-back personality. One should utilize taller plants in the aquarium since they are mid- and top-level swimmers.

Another specie of tetras is referred to merely as black neon. For its adaptability to a wide range of water parameters, this fish is a popular choice for aquariums.

It has a one-of-a-kind look. Above its large eyes, there is an orange semi-circle. On either side of the caudal fin, you can see thin horizontal lines. The body has a greyish brown tint with some shimmering yellowish and greenish markings, with one black and one bluish-white line.

A group of six or more Black Neon Tetras is preferable, as is the case with other neon tetra species. They have a decently long life expectancy of 5 or more years. Neon tetras originated from the clear water and blackwater streams and tributaries in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins in Brazil, Columbia, and Peru.

These are regions of blackwaters beneath dense forest canopies that allow very little light to get through. Neon tetras live in shoals mainly in the middle water layers and feed on insects, worms and small crustaceans.

Neon tetras are generally all captive-bred, with most coming from fish farms in the Far East and Eastern Europe. Several varieties of captive-bred specimens are now available.

These include the long-finned neon tetra, though they are rather rare, as well as a golden strain that is basically a semi-albino variety, and a diamond neon tetra that appears sprinkled with metallic scales along the top portion of the body. One variety has the blue stripe but not the red coloration.

The neon tetra has a slender torpedo-shaped body that reaches no more than an inch and a half in length. What this fish lacks in size, they make up for in color. From the tip of the nose to the adipose fin, the neon tetra has a bright neon blue stripe.

It is believed this bright stripe makes them more readily visible to each other in blackwater conditions. Below the blue stripe, the neon tetra sports a white-silver belly.

Past the belly, a bright red stripe extends all the way to the tail. The striking red, white, and blue combination make the neon tetra one of the most popular of all aquarium fish. The fish is rivaled only by the cardinal tetra , for which they are often mistaken. The key difference between the two fish is the red stripe.

In the neon tetra, it only extends from the middle of the body to the tail. In the cardinal tetra, the red stripe runs the entire length of the fish, from snout to tail.

Like other colorful fish, the bright colors of the neon tetra will fade at night when they are resting, when they become alarmed or when they are ill.

At the pet store, choose specimens that are actively swimming and robustly colored, as faded colors can be an indication of poor health. Neon tetras are peaceful fish that get along well with most community fish. Always keep neon tetras in schools of a half dozen or more as they are a shoaling species that requires the presence of others of their kind.

Neon tetras do well in a community tank as long as the other species are not large or aggressive. Small peaceful fish such as rasboras, small tetras, dwarf gouramis , corys, and other small catfish are good choices as companions.

Avoid larger tetras, as they will eat neon tetras at the first opportunity. The rule of thumb is, if the mouth of the fish opens large enough to swallow the neon, they will do it sooner or later. Newly set up aquariums are not suitable for neon tetras as they will not tolerate changes that occur during the initial startup cycle.

Only add neon tetras when your tank is fully mature and has stable water chemistry. Water should be soft and acidic for neon tetras, meaning a pH that is not above 7.

Blackwater extracts or driftwood are often used to darken the water, maintain an acidic pH, and soften the water. In their natural habitat, neon tetras live in areas of dark water with dense vegetation and roots.

Providing a habitat with plenty of low-light hiding places is important. Give them plenty of plants, including floating plants if possible. Driftwood will provide hiding places as well. The dark substrate will replicate the natural habitat in which the neon tetras feel most comfortable.

Some fishkeepers will put a dark background on three sides of the aquarium to achieve the desired low-light habitat. In nature, neon tetras are omnivores that will eat both plant and animal material. Fine flake food, small granules, live or frozen brine shrimp or daphnia, and frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms are all good food choices.

Offer a variety of food, including live foods, to ensure good health. You should feed your neon tetra two to four times per day and only give them the amount of food that they can eat in two minutes. Overfeeding can cause your fish to look visibly bloated, cause appetite suppression, as well as constipation.

Make sure to clear any food leftovers out of the tank as this leftover food can cause high ammonia levels in the tank, which is dangerous for neon tetras.

Gender differences are not overtly apparent in neon tetras. Generally, the female will have a larger more rounded belly than the male. This rounded belly can even make the blue stripe appear curved on the female, in contrast to the very straight blue stripe on the male.

Neon tetras can be challenging to breed, due to their need for very specific water conditions. If you wish to attempt to breed them, set up a separate breeding tank. Water hardness in the breeding tank should be only 1 to 2 dGH, and pH 5.

Use a sponge filter for filtration, and provide live plants. Spawning fish will often jump, so make sure the tank has a cover. Cover the sides of the tank with dark paper to reduce light in the tank. Water temperature should be kept between 72 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit degrees Celsius.

Neon tetras can be bred every few weeks. Condition the breeding pair with live foods prior to placement in the breeding tank. When introducing the breeding pair to the tank, begin with no lighting at all.

The next day, increase the lighting and continue to do so gradually to induce spawning. Spawning will generally occur in the morning.