Green neon tetra is a very active swimming fish with a vibrant coloration that will often occupy the middle and top levels of an established community
Green neon tetra, also called as Blue Neon, False Neon Tetra and its scientific name Paracheirodon simulans, is a beautiful fish with a clear blue color. It is a very active swimming fish with a vibrant coloration that will often occupy the middle and top levels of an established community tank.
GREEN NEON TETRA DESCRIPTION:
Green neon tetra is mainly found in black water rivers of the South American tropics. It is similar in appearance to the closely related and better-known neon tetra, but it is slightly smaller, and the red patch on the lateral body is less pronounced. The lateral blue-green stripe extends to the base of the caudal fin. Also, its body is slimmer than that of the neon tetra. It grows to a maximum overall length of about 3.5 cm.
In general, this fish show the same coloration, and both males and females are a pretty close match in appearance. However, the most reliable indicator of gender in these fish is their relative size. Males are a little smaller than females, and the female fish tend to have a rounder, more bulbous appearance, especially during the spawning season when they are swollen with eggs.
Green Neon tetra is a peaceful, schooling fish that is happy to mind its own business, inhabiting the middle of the water column and flitting in and out of the plants and ornaments in the aquarium. Ideally it should be maintained alone or at most with diminutive, non-aggressive characids and smaller callichthyid or loricariid catfishes. They are shoaling fish, so you will need to keep at least 6 individuals.
GREEN NEON TETRA CARE:
To keep the fish happy and healthy, you’ll need to try to replicate that diet as closely as possible in the tank environment. So, be sure to adjust your filter pump so that the fish are not buffeted around by a strong current that could stress them. Because these jungle waters are typically shaded by overgrown trees, it is best to duplicate this natural shading by making the sides and bottoms of the aquarium dark.
Green neon tetra like acidic water at temperatures around 24 to 27 °C but can tolerate the temperature range of 21 to 35 °C. Do not allow the temperature to fluctuate too much and too often, as they are not very resistant to changes in the water. The minimum tank size is 10 gallons. pH levels should be between 5 and 6.5, and water hardness should ideally be very soft. You can put peat in the filter to acidify the water, but there’s no need to use natural peat, the collection of which is both unsustainable and environmentally-destructive. You could also use dried alder plugs to lower the pH.
The intensity of the Green Neon Tetra’s color is heavily influenced by the ambient lighting conditions in its environment, as well as being in close proximity to its own species.
In their natural habitat, these fish tend to eat small live foods such as crustaceans, fish larvae, and insects. Basically everything that fits in the mouth was eaten. Both dry food and live food and flakes. Feed your fish twice daily, offering them just enough food that they clear it within a couple of minutes.
GREEN NEON TETRA BREEDING:
Although you can breed in an aquarium environment, you’ll need to be patient and ensure that the tank conditions are absolutely right to be successful. Often, increasing the water temperature slightly and lowering the pH levels can go some way toward replicating the water conditions that the fish would experience during their natural spawning season in the wild.
Green neon tetra generally spawn in schools, although single males and females may become closely associated while the female releases her eggs and the male releases his sperm. The male follows the female closely, waiting the fertilize the eggs as soon as they are laid.
This fish take no further part in raising their young, and, if left in the tank, will probably eat the eggs and any fry that hatch. Once the eggs have been fertilized, you should remove the parents from the tank..
The fry hatch after about 24 hours or so. It’s best to begin feeding the tiny fry with infusoria for their first week or so until they are large enough to cope with commercially made fry food or baby brine shrimp that you can buy from fish stores.
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