Neon Tetra: The Fish That Defined the Community Tank

In this guide

Overview

Few fish are as instantly recognisable as the neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi, with its iridescent blue stripe running the length of the body above a red stripe that covers roughly the back half. First brought into the aquarium trade from the Amazon in the 1930s, it remains one of the most widely kept fish in the world.

Adults reach three to four centimetres and are entirely peaceful, making them a natural fit for the classic Indian community tank alongside similarly small, calm fish.

Tank and water requirements

Neon tetras are shoaling fish and should be kept in groups of at least eight to ten, ideally more, in a tank of forty litres or larger. They come from soft, acidic blackwater in the wild but have adapted well to a wider range of aquarium conditions over decades of captive breeding.

A stable temperature of twenty two to twenty six degrees suits them well, and they are sensitive to sudden swings in water chemistry, so gradual acclimatisation when introducing new fish matters more here than with hardier livebearers.

Diet and a health note

Small flakes and micro pellets form the bulk of their diet, with occasional live or frozen daphnia and brine shrimp appreciated. They are not fussy eaters once settled.

Neon tetra disease, a genuine parasitic condition named after the fish, causes fading colour, restlessness and eventual muscle wasting, and unfortunately has no reliable cure once established, so isolating any newly bought fish for a couple of weeks before adding them to an established tank is a sensible precaution rather than overcaution.

Buying tips

• Among the cheapest tetras available in India, often ten to thirty rupees per fish
• Buy in a group rather than one or two, since neons kept alone or in pairs tend to stay stressed and pale
• Avoid tanks with any fish showing faded colour or a curved spine, an early sign of neon tetra disease that can spread to healthy stock

Article content © Ravi Teja. All rights reserved.