The
neon tetra (
Paracheirodon innesi) is a
freshwaterFreshwater is naturally occurring water on the surface such as bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground in aquifers and underground rivers. Freshwater is characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts...
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
of the characin
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
(family
CharacidaeThe Characidae, characids or characins are a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family...
) of
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
CharaciformesThe Characiformes are an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. There are a few thousand different species, including the well-known piranha and tetras.-Taxonomy:...
. The
type speciesIn taxonomy, a type species is a technical phrase, involved in the application of formal names...
of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, eastern
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
, and western
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
, including the tributaries of the
SolimõesSolimões is the name often given to early stretches of the Amazon River from the border of Brazil and Peru to its confluence with the Rio Negro.Further upstream from the order the name of the river seems to depend on the speaker...
where the water is between 20–26°C. It is not found in the
whitewaterWhitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
rivers of
AndeanThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
origin. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to
conspecificsConspecificity is a concept in biology. Two or more individual organisms, populations, or taxa are termed conspecific if they belong to the same species....
in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity as a
tropical fishTropical fish include fish found in tropical environments around the world, including both freshwater and salt water species. Fishkeepers often use the term tropical fish to refer only those requiring fresh water, with saltwater tropical fish referred to as marine fish.Tropical fish are popular...
.
Description
The Neon Tetra has a light-blue back over a silver-white
abdomenIn vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
. 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 an 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—it reactivates once it becomes active in the morning. It grows to approximately 3 cm (1.2 in) in overall length.
Sexual dimorphismSexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. Examples include colour , size, and the presence or absence of parts of the body used in courtship displays or fights, such as ornamental feathers, horns, antlers or tusks.-Examples:In...
is slight, the female having a slightly larger belly, and a bent iridescent stripe rather than the male's straight stripe.
Economics
The Neon Tetra was first imported from
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
and was described by renowned ichthyologist Dr.
George S. MyersDr George Sprague Myers, 1905-1985, spent most of his career at Stanford University, where he was one of the leading American ichthyologists of the twentieth century. He served as the editor of Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin as well as president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and...
in 1936, and named after Dr.
William T. InnesWilliam Thornton Innes III, L.H.D. was an American aquarist, author, photographer, printer and publisher. Innes was the author of numerous influential books and hundreds of articles about aquarium fish, aquatic plants and aquarium maintenance during the formative years of the aquarium hobby in...
.
P. innesi is one of the most popular
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fish, having been bred in tremendous numbers for the trade. Most neon tetras available in the United States are imported from
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
,
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
, and
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
, where they are farm raised, or to a lesser extent (<5%) from
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
,
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
, and
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
, 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°C most tropical aquaria are maintained at. Neon Tetras can have a lifespan of up to 10 years, normally about 5 in an aquarium.
Neon tetras are considered easy to keep in a community aquarium that is at least 60 cm (24 inches), with a pH of 6.0–7.8 and KH of 1.0–2.0. However, they will die if traumatized by 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 tetraThe rummy-nose tetra, Hemigrammus rhodostomus, is a species of tropical freshwater characin fish originating from South America, popular among fishkeepers as an aquarium fish. one of many small tetras belonging to the same Genus, it is a 5 cm long fish when fully grown, and is a long...
,
cardinal tetraThe cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, is a freshwaterfish of the characin family of order Characiformes. It is nativeto the upper Orinoco and Negro Rivers in South America....
, 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 six or more, for the
shoalingIn biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
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 and feel more secure. 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. Neons 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.
Nutrition
Neon tetras are
omnivoreOmnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
s and will accept most flake foods, but should also have some small foods such as
brine shrimpBrine shrimp is the English name of the genus Artemia of aquatic crustaceans. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, have evolved little since the Triassic period...
,
daphniaDaphnia are small, planktonic crustaceans, between 0.2 and 5 mm in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because of their saltatory swimming style...
, freeze-dried bloodworms,
tubifexTubifex is a cosmopolitan genus of tubificid Annelids that inhabit the sediments of lakes, rivers and occasionally sewer lines. There are over ten known species of Tubifex, but the number is not certain, as the species are not easily distinguishable from each other.The genus includes the following...
, which can be stuck to the side of your aquarium, and micro pellet food to supplement their diet. A tropical sinking pellet is ideal as most brands of these include natural color enhancers that really bring out the color in neon tetras.
Breeding
The male is slender, and the blue line is straighter. The female is rounder, producing a bent blue line. Some say that the females look plumper when viewed from above but this is disputed. However, the 'straightness' of the line and the plumpness of the female might occasionally be due to the eggs she is carrying.
To breed Neon Tetras, place a pair of the species in a breeding tank without any light, and gradually increase the lighting until
spawningSpawning is the production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water. The process is done by aquatic animals such as amphibians and fish.- Types of egg-layers :*egg scatterers*nest builders*egg hangers*mouth breeders*egg buriers...
occurs. Other inducers include mosquito larvae and a hardness of less than 4 degrees. Some also recommend letting the level of nitrates rise, then do at least 50% water change to simulate the fresh rain the tetras get in their natural habitat, the Amazon. It is recommended that everything you place in the aquarium be sterilized, as well as the aquarium top. Because the adults will often eat newly-hatched
fry-Places:* Fry, Seine-Maritime, France* Federal Republic of Yugoslavia* Fry Canyon, Utah* Fry's Island, England-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan...
, it is best to remove them as soon as the eggs have been laid. The eggs are especially sensitive to light. Eggs will
hatchHatch may refer to:* Hatching, also called "cross-hatching", an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects using closely spaced parallel lines* Hatching, the emergence of a young animal from an egg...
within 24 hours of the laying.
Fry-Places:* Fry, Seine-Maritime, France* Federal Republic of Yugoslavia* Fry Canyon, Utah* Fry's Island, England-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan...
can be fed rotifers, especially
infusoriaInfusoria is a collective term for minute aquatic creatures like ciliates, euglenoids, protozoa, and unicellular algae that exist in freshwater ponds...
and
egg yolkAn egg yolk is a part of an egg which feeds the developing embryo. The egg yolk is suspended in the egg white by one or two spiral bands of tissue called the chalazae...
for 1 to 4 weeks, followed by
naupliiA nauplius is the first larva of animals classified as crustaceans . It consists of a head and a telson. The thorax and abdomen, characteristic of adult crustaceans, have not developed yet....
of brine shrimp, shaved cattle liver, and formulated diets. Fry will achieve their adult coloration at approximately one month of age. Adults can spawn every two weeks.
Disease
Unfortunately, neon tetras are occasionally afflicted by the so-called "Neon Tetra Disease" (NTD) or Pleistophora, a sporozoan disease caused by
Pleistophora hyphessobryconis. Despite being a well-known condition, it is currently incurable and often fatal to the fish.
The disease cycle begins when microsporidian parasite spores enter the fish after it consumes infected material such as the bodies of a dead fish, or
live foodLive food is living food for carnivorous or omnivorous animals kept in captivity; in other words, small animals such as insects or mice fed to larger carnivorous or omnivorous species kept in either in a zoo or as pet....
such as
tubifexTubifex is a cosmopolitan genus of tubificid Annelids that inhabit the sediments of lakes, rivers and occasionally sewer lines. There are over ten known species of Tubifex, but the number is not certain, as the species are not easily distinguishable from each other.The genus includes the following...
, which may serve as intermediate hosts. The disease is most likely to be passed on from newly acquired fish, which have not been quarantined.
Symptoms:
- Restlessness.
- Fish begins to lose coloration.
- As cysts develop, the body may become lumpy.
- Fish has difficulty swimming.
- In advanced cases the spine may become curved.
- Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating.
Note that there is a so-called "false neon disease", which is bacterial, and shows very similar symptoms. It is impossible for the home aquarist to determine for certain the difference between NTD and false NTD on the basis of visible symptoms alone, without laboratory backup. This disease has also been confused with
ColumnarisColumnaris is a symptom of disease in fish which results from an infection caused by the bacteria Flavobacterium columnare. The disease is highly contagious and the outcome is often fatal.-Causes:...
(mouth rot, mouth fungus, 'flex').
To date, there is no known cure: the only 'treatment' is the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish, but no way to save the diseased fish. The use of a diatom filter, which can reduce the number of free parasites in the water, may help.
Related species and other "neon tetra"
The
green neon tetraThe green neon tetra is a freshwaterfish of the characin family of order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Orinoco and Negro Rivers in South America....
(
P. simulans) and
black neon tetraThe black neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characinfamily oforder Characiformes. It is native to theParaguay basin of southern Brazil....
(
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) are distinct species—the latter belong to an altogether different
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
—and not color varieties. The
cardinal tetraThe cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, is a freshwaterfish of the characin family of order Characiformes. It is nativeto the upper Orinoco and Negro Rivers in South America....
(
P. axelrodi)—also sometimes called the red neon—is a very similar species, and is often confused with the true neon tetra. In a domestic aquarium, the two species will school together. The cardinal tetra's larger size and greater extent of red coloring distinguishes it from the neon tetra. The term
Hyphessobrycon innesi, does not denote a species, it is an obsolete synonym for
P. innesi, the neon tetra itself.
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