Neon fish are perhaps one of the most common inhabitants of home aquariums. Watching these charming glowing creatures is a pleasure. In addition, neon fish are unpretentious and have a peaceful disposition. They feel best “in the company” of 6-7 people like themselves.

The neon fish (or neon tetra) belongs to the order Cyprinidae, family Characinidae. It got its name because of the luminous strip along its entire body.

There are several types of neons:

• blue (ordinary);
• red;
• black;
• blue;
• gold and diamond (artificially created);
• voile and orange (rare).

Blue
Red

Black
Blue

Golden
Diamond

Veiled
Orange

The size of this fish does not exceed 3–4 cm. You can distinguish females and males by their abdomen: in females it is more rounded, and in males it is flat. Such characteristic differences appear only in adult fish; in young fish it is almost impossible to determine the sex.

Content Rules

If you want to get fish for the first time, ideal option– fish neon. Maintaining and caring for them is not particularly difficult even for a novice aquarist. They are usually bred in large quantities for sale.

Despite their miniature and fragility, aquarium fish neons are quite hardy and adapt well to new conditions. But a sudden change in habitat is a difficult test for them. Therefore, they need to be launched into a prepared aquarium with settled water and an established ecosystem. IN favorable conditions blue neon can live 3–4 years.

How to set up an aquarium

For neons to feel comfortable, there must be a lot of water and greenery. For 4–6 fish you need an aquarium of at least 10 liters. They prefer standing water, so small quantity small bubbles will be enough for them. A compressor with a fine spray is suitable for this.

Water parameters:

• The optimal water temperature is between 18–24 degrees. By the way, the lifespan of neons directly depends on it. If at a temperature of 18 degrees they live on average 4 years, then at 27 degrees - no more than 2 years. The fact is that as the temperature of their habitat increases, their biorhythms increase. Therefore, keeping neon tanks in cool water will allow them to live longer.
• Hardness dH – 5–8, acidity pH – 5.5–6.5 – these are ideal parameters. In reality, common neon can feel fine in harder and more acidic water.
• Change water every week - 1/4–1/3 of the aquarium volume.

Neons do not need bright lighting; a cozy, dim light is enough for them. And it is not necessary to cover the aquarium; the fish are not so active that they jump out of it.

But the greens need to be thick and voluminous. Little “fireflies” love to scurry playfully in the lower layers of algae. The presence of dark areas, stones and snags at the bottom will bring living conditions as close as possible to the habitat habitual for neons and will help them feel “at home”. In addition, against the background of dark soil, their luminous stripe will appear brighter and more beautiful.

What and how to feed

Neons are unpretentious to food, so there are no special requirements for their feeding. It is enough to follow some simple rules:

• Give food once a day.
• Don’t forget about live food, it is needed for proper nutrition of fish.
• Once a week, do not feed them at all, give them a “hungry” day. Surprisingly, they are prone to obesity, especially females. Fish can swell to enormous sizes, as a result of which their spawning process is disrupted and they die.
• Pour in the food little by little so that it does not have time to fall to the bottom. As a rule, neons take it from the surface of the water or in its thickness.
• The food should not be too big for their small mouths.

Neon fish eat both live food and dry food equally well, so the question of what to feed the neons will not arise. If you want to pamper your pets, give them bloodworms or tubifex - this is their favorite treat. And, of course, we must remember that the diet should be varied and complete.

Diseases

The symptom of this disease is fading of color and body position with the tail up.

There is no treatment for plastiphorosis. They destroy not only sick individuals, but also everyone in the aquarium, since even a seemingly healthy fish can be a carrier of a harmful fungus. The aquarium is cleaned and disinfected.

Compatibility

Neonki – peaceful fish, which cannot get along with predatory or large species of their own kind. They are also not friends with goldfish and cichlids.

Neons can only have peaceful and small fish like themselves as neighbors. Cohabitation with such species as:

• Guppy.
• Sword bearers.
• Rasbory.
• Molly (mollies).

Goes well with neons. He calmly cleans the soil in the aquarium and does not disturb his little nimble neighbors.

Reproduction

Breeding aquarium neon fish is relatively easy. She doesn't need special conditions. We discuss this topic in more detail in a separate article.

Neon blues are considered sexually mature at 6–9 months. The most the best manufacturers individuals are considered to be 10–12 months old.

Preparation for spawning: males and females are placed in different aquariums, where they are kept in each other for a month cool water(about 19 degrees), they are fed well and varied with live food.

Spawning: in evening time“potential parents” are transplanted into a separate aquarium in a ratio of 1 male and 1 female or 3 males and 1 female. You cannot feed them during this period. Typically, aquarium fish spawn early the next morning. But it also happens that spawning lasts for 3 days.

Females lay from 50 to 200 eggs at a time. Caviar should never be exposed to light! Therefore, immediately after spawning, the aquarium with eggs is darkened, and the parents are separated so that they do not eat their offspring.

Incubation period caviar is approximately 22 hours. But during the first 4 hours after spawning, you need to carefully monitor the eggs. If white eggs appear, you need to quickly remove them.

Caring for the fry: the larvae first hang motionless in the aquarium, and by 4–5 days the fry begin to swim and eat. They need to be fed little by little: boiled egg yolk, ciliates, rotifers or special food for juveniles. Maintain the water temperature within 20–22 degrees. There should be little of it, no more than 10 cm from the bottom, replace 1/10 of it daily. Increase the light level in the aquarium gradually, reaching normal lighting by 1 month of the fry’s life.

Conclusion

If you are interested in aquarium keeping, keep neons in your aquarium. It is not as difficult and troublesome as it seems at first glance. And you will see how many pleasant moments amazing moments will bring you glowing creatures called neon fish.

Paracheirodon innesi

Neons are one of the most popular aquarium fish. These inhabitants of the Amazon attract attention with their bright, unusual coloring: a glowing blue neon stripe runs through the entire body of the fish.

The maximum body length of an adult is 4 cm. The female is larger than the male, she has a fuller abdomen and the neon line is slightly curved in the middle.

Neons are schooling fish, so you need to purchase at least a dozen of them. If you have an aquarium with a volume of 50 liters, then you can put 30-40 pieces in it. The main thing is that there should be at least 1 liter of water per one such characin fish. The water temperature in the aquarium should be maintained at 24-26℃, pH 5-6.5, hardness up to 8°. Required condition is aeration and filtration of water, as well as its weekly replacement by 20-25% of the volume.

It is advisable to put dark soil in the aquarium, and it is better to use a dark background too. You can put and plant an aquarium on the bottom with long-stemmed plants such as hornwort, ambulia, etc. In such a home pond, a school of neon fish will look very attractive.

Feeding Neons

Neons prefer live food (small bloodworms, daphnia, mosquito larvae, tubifex), but they will not refuse dry food, as long as it is not large.

Compatibility of neon with other fish

Neons are peaceful fish and can get along with any proportionate non-aggressive neighbors. Of course, you shouldn’t place them, for example, with other predators like or. Other small characins and other small peaceful fish will suit them as cohabitants.

Neons themselves rarely get sick, but when treating other sick fish in the same aquarium with neons, you must remember that they have increased sensitivity to medicines based on copper, so the dosage should be halved from that recommended in the instructions.

Neons reach sexual maturity at 7-8 months, after which it is not difficult to force them.

IN good conditions The lifespan of these fish is 3-4 years.

Neons and Labeo - a dangerous neighborhood - video

In the article I will consider the conditions of keeping and feeding neons - fish that are best kept in a school. I will list the features of the varieties: red, black, blue and green neon. I'll consider which others aquarium fish, they are compatible, and with which ones they should not be placed. I will also reveal the secrets of their breeding and reproduction. How long does spawning last?

Neons were discovered in 1930 in America. All types of neons live in this area.

The fish are popular due to their unusual color. They have a bright blue stripe on their backs, which gives them a special appearance. She seems to glow. Neons lose it only in 2 situations:

1. When fish get scared, they try to become invisible and hide their color, and after a while they show their beauty again.
2. The beginning of plistophora disease, which ends tragically. The fish dies because the disease cannot be treated.

With normal care, neons grow quickly. The length of an adult reaches 4 cm. The life cycle of these fish does not exceed 4 years.

Popular types

There are several varieties of neons. The most popular of them include the following types:

• red;
• blue;
• green;
• black.

All these fish are similar to each other and the principles of care remain the same, but there are still some differences between them.

So, let's start in order. The red neon (also called pink) is similar to an ordinary one, only it distinctive feature there is a red stripe in the lower abdomen. It passes through the entire abdomen, but in its relative it only reaches half. In addition, this species is larger in size. Under good conditions, its length reaches 5 cm.

Red neons are sensitive to water parameters. It must be clean and soft, and frequent changes lead to the death of the fish.

Cyan (blue)

Blue or blue neon is not much different from regular neon, but you can still notice the difference in color. This fish has a luminous stripe running from the eyes to the adipose fin. The red stripe is pale and almost invisible. Male blue neon are small. They barely reach 2 cm in length.

Green

Another representative is green neon, which differs from its relatives in its green color. The golden speck at the tail gives this fish a unique twist. The body length of green neon reaches 4.5 cm.

Black

And finally, the black neon look. This species has an elegant coloration. It has an olive back and a silver belly. 2 stripes extend from the gills to the tail. The upper one is light and narrow, and the lower one is wider and almost black. The fish has yellow fins, which differ from the red dorsal one. Otherwise, she is similar to her relatives.

Living conditions and care at home

Before you start breeding neons in community aquarium, prepare a habitat for them. For fish you need to choose the right:

• aquarium;
• water temperature;
• filtration;
• lighting.

Due to their small size, neons do not require a large aquarium. So you can put 4 of these fish in a ten-liter container.

Water temperature

You should also be careful with the water temperature, because the higher it is, the shorter the neon will live:

• at 8° – 4 years;
• at 22° – 3 years;
• at 27° – 1.5 years.

No less important is the issue of lighting, since neons do not like too bright light. In addition, they need to be provided with a darkened corner in which they can hide and rest.

In order for the fish to feel good, they need regular water changes. This should be done once a week. Change 1/3 part.

The lifespan of neon fish depends on water temperature

As for decorative decorations, choose any driftwood, plants and castles, just don’t forget to leave free space for the neon to float.

Feeding

Although neons are not picky in choosing food, they still need to organize balanced diet. It is better to feed at home with fresh, frozen and dry food. Of course, what these fish like to eat most is bloodworms, tubifex worms or brine shrimp. But don’t be upset if you don’t have these delicacies. You can always take a piece of frozen beef heart out of the freezer and scrape it for neons.

All types of food must be crushed before being poured into the aquarium.

Once a week they arrange for these fish fasting days. At the same time, do not worry about your little ones, they will not die of hunger, since they will easily burn the calories accumulated over 6 days. Neons will not miss the chance to profit from the remains of food that have settled on the bottom of the aquarium or algae.

Compatibility with other fish

Now let's talk about compatibility. Neons are harmless and calm fish, so they get along with any neighbor. However big fish don't mind including these babies in your diet. Therefore, it is strictly not recommended to house neons with. These little ones will feel comfortable next to fish that are as small as they are. It could be , or .

Neons are compatible with fish of the same size

Reproduction and breeding in a community aquarium

Although neons do not cause problems and are easy to care for, they are not entirely easy to breed.

The fish are not viviparous. They are ready to breed already at ten months of age. The difficulty with spawning lies, first of all, in the fact that males’ sperm matures later than females’ eggs. To stimulate these processes, neons are planted in an aquarium for a short period of time, where fish of different sexes will be alone. Repeat this procedure about 5 times.

Female representatives are able to reproduce every 7 days, but male representatives - every 14.

It will not be difficult to distinguish a male from a female during the spawning period. At this time, their swim bladder is clearly visible, which descends close to the anus.

The place for throwing caviar should also be properly prepared:

1. Take a cast container that does not have sharp edges so as not to damage the eggs.
2. Water is taken that has been settled with a pH level of up to 7.0.
3. The water should be heated to 26 0.
4. You need to plant algae, the eggs will cling to them at first, which remain sticky for 3 hours, and then at the slightest fluctuation in the water, roll off the leaf and fall to the bottom.

The parents are released into the aquarium overnight, and in the morning you can watch the process of spawning. Spawning lasts no more than 4 hours, after which the neons are removed from the aquarium so that they do not eat the eggs. After mating, the fish must rest for about 4 months, and then begin the breeding process again.

After spawning, neon fish need to be removed from the aquarium so that they do not eat the eggs.

Raising fry

From this moment the most difficult stage begins. Larvae are subject to merciless attacks by fungi and bacteria, so experts recommend using Tripaflavin, which prevents their spread. In addition, after 10 hours, after spawning, all frozen eggs should be removed, otherwise a fungal infection can affect healthy specimens.

After a day, fry will begin to hatch from the transparent larvae.

The water in the aquarium should have a hardness level of no more than 12, otherwise the babies will be affected by plistophora.

The fry do not require special care, but their nutrition must be balanced. The type of food depends on their age:

• five-day-old fry are given Cyclops nauplii;
• Enchitrae is suitable for one month olds.

As you can see, even though neons are not fastidious fish, breeding them is still not so easy. Therefore, for beginners in this matter, it is better to practice mating other species of fish, which are not so susceptible to diseases, and their fry are easily born.

Neon, blue neon, content, neon breeding, photo - 3.4 out of 5 based on 18 votes

Neon blue

Neon (blue or regular) belongs to the characin family.

The body is narrow, graceful. A shining blue stripe runs along the sides, and underneath it is the same bright scarlet one. The fins are transparent, uncolored.

The female grows up to 4 centimeters, the male is usually 0.5-1 centimeter smaller than the female.

In an aquarium, blue neon can live 3-5 years.

Optimal water parameters: dH 5-7°, pH 6.5-7, temperature 23°C -24°C. The fish will survive water temperatures of 28°C, but this significantly accelerates aging.

Lighting in an aquarium, it is desirable to have a weak light; if there are brightly lit areas, they should be adjacent to dense shadow.

In a neon aquarium priming should be dark and the vegetation dense. On dark soil the fish look brighter.

Thick vegetation necessary, but there must also be room for swimming.

Neon food

Neon diet: small bloodworms, cyclops, enchytraea, small daphnia, tubifex, coretra, various freeze-dried or frozen foods, various flakes and granules of suitable size.

Adult fish need to be fed once a day. Once a week there is a fasting day. Neons are prone to obesity, and obesity leads to premature death.

Neon Breeding

Females can be distinguished by their full abdomens, they are somewhat larger than males, and their blue stripe is slightly curved.

Sexual maturity occurs after 5-8 months of life.

Before spawning, the breeders are seated in different aquariums with a water temperature of 19°C -20°C and fed only with live food - cyclops, moin, small bloodworms. Spawning is paired or schooled. The spawning tank is 6-10 l and 25-30 l, respectively, the water level is 10-15 cm and 20-25 cm. Distilled or cationized water is used. In the first case, the water should sit in the light for 2 weeks, in the second, the fish can be planted the next day. A separator mesh is installed at the bottom.

Water hardness 0.5-3°, pH 6-6.5, KH 0-1°, temperature 23°C-25°C. Water should be disinfected with ozone or ultraviolet irradiation.

Lighting is not needed, or very weak. Light negatively affects the development of eggs. Producers are placed in the spawning tank in the middle of the day or late afternoon. The next morning (or 2-4 days later) spawning occurs, which lasts about three hours. Productivity – 50-150 small transparent eggs.

After spawning, the spawners are caught and again placed in different aquariums. After 5-6 spawns, repeated every 6-8 days, the fish should be allowed to rest for about a month.

The caviar should be darkened. Remove the whitened eggs 2-4 hours after spawning. The incubation period is 20-24 hours. On the 4-5th day the fry swim. The hardness of the water should be gradually increased, otherwise dropsy will develop.

Neon aquarium fish are popular pets. The most common fish in home aquariums are the common or blue neon fish (Latin: Paracheirodon innesi). Natural environment habitat – freshwater rivers South America. Neons were first cultivated in the 30s of the twentieth century, after which the demand for them has not stopped. Blue Neons live in a flock, creating an impressive appearance inside the aquascape. The neon fish has a fantastic appearance: on its silver body you can see a horizontal, neon stripe that flickers even at night. Also, all types of neons are distinguished by their peaceful disposition, unpretentiousness in maintenance and care.

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External characteristics

Common neons are small schooling fish, the body size of which reaches an average of 3 cm. Neons are distinguished by a bright blue stripe that runs through the entire body. Parallel to it is a bright red stripe, which runs from the middle of the body and ends at the caudal fin. All fins are small and transparent.

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced - females are plumper, which is noticeable in a school of fish, males have a flat abdomen, compared to females they look angular. Sex can only be determined in adults, in early age it's practically impossible. It is better to buy a school of 6-8 fish, and over time pairs will form in it.

The most common disease of this type is plistiphorosis (neon disease). Its symptoms are loss of scale color and further death, since the disease is not treated. It appears as a result of severe stress and inappropriate care.

Look at the neon and zebrafish in the aquarium.

Rules of maintenance and care

Neons are not suitable for new, recently launched aquariums. Although they are distinguished by their endurance, their small bodies can hardly withstand sudden changes. aquatic environment. Place these fish in an aquarium with prepared, infused water, where an eco-system has already been installed. Recommended parameters of the aquatic environment: temperature 18-24 degrees Celsius, acidity 5.5-7.5 pH, hardness 8-10 o on average, although they can tolerate 20 o.

In natural reservoirs of South America, neons live in dark water, at the bottom of which there is a lot of fallen leaves and plants. It is important to create diffused light in the aquascape, install stones, plants and driftwood that would shade the space. You can choose dark sand as a substrate, against which the fish will look beautiful. Maintaining and caring for an aquarium will not be difficult even for a beginner in aquarium keeping. Maintain the water temperature, siphon the bottom in time and purify the water by changing the water once a week, 25% of the total volume. Use external and internal filter.

Neons are unpretentious in feeding - they eat live, frozen, and artificial food, but not large ones, since they have a small mouth. Please note that neons float in the bottom layers of the tank, so all food should fall slowly and not dissolve in the water. It is preferable to give chopped tubifex, brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and food with plant components. It is better not to overfeed with bloodworms; you can also buy food for small tetras, which will make the color of the fish brighter.

All types of neons are characterized by non-aggressive behavior, they do not touch their neighbors in the aquarium, they easily get along with peaceful and small fish. If they settle in the wrong way (with predators, large species), they become their victims. They get along well with angelfish if they grew up with them from the age of young animals. They live well with corydoras, platies, rainbowfish, tetras, cardinals, labeos and other peaceful inhabitants of the underwater world.

Watch a video explaining the contents of red neons.

Varieties: brief description

Black neon is endemic to the Brazilian rivers Rio Paraguay and Rio Taguari. Nowadays, this species is bred on fish farms and in home aquariums; the sale of fish caught from rivers is prohibited. By appearance resembles blue neon, however, the color of the stripe on the body is not blue, but dark. Body dimensions – 4 cm in length. The water in the biotope of a natural reservoir is colored dark color due to fallen leaves and branches on the bottom. Therefore, keeping such fish requires the creation of a natural biotope. Line the bottom of the tank with branches and leaves, you can add a little peat extract to color the water and create a slightly acidic, soft water environment. Recommended water parameters: temperature 22-28 degrees Celsius, acidity 5.5-7.5 pH, hardness 2-15 o. Feeding is preferably varied.

Red neons are distinguished by their original body color. The color of the back is olive-beige; a horizontal luminous stripe runs from the eye of the adipose fin, which changes its color depending on the light spectrum. There is a bright red stripe on the side of the body. The fins are all transparent and small. Like blue neon, females are denser and rounder than males. These are schooling fish, which can be kept in a school of 6-8 fish. Caring for them is easy even for a beginner - they tolerate minor changes water parameters. They prefer diffused light, partial shade, and are very sensitive to bright light.

Neon green – small schooling fish, which is also endemic to South American rivers. Mostly wild-caught fish appear on sale. Thanks to their endurance and high adaptability, they take root well in captivity. The body color is bluish-green, and flickers with multi-colored highlights depending on the spectrum of light. Body length 3-3.5 cm. Green neon does not like water with increased acidity and rigidity. Acceptable parameters of the aquatic environment: temperature 22-27 degrees, acidity 4.0-6.5 pH, hardness 0-8 o. It is recommended to feed with artemia, daphnia and frozen food.