Mike’s Fish Tank – Neon Tetra

The neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characin family. This type of species is native to blackwater clearwater streams in the Amazon basin of South America.Its bright colouring makes the fish visible in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity among tropical fish hobbyists.

It grows to approximately 3 inches in overall length. The female having a slightly larger belly, and a bent iridescent stripe rather than the male’s straight stripe.They have recently become available in a long-fin variety,but those are hard to get at the present time.

Most neon tetras available in the United States are imported from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand, where they are farm raised, or to a lesser extent from Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, where they are collected from the wild. I have found while doing some research that 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.

The color and the iridescent stripe of this fish 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.

You may often read that the neon tetras like a low pH and high acidity, but these captive raised neons do just fine in a higher pH and low acidity. They are susceptible to ick if chilled. I stock them and rarely lose any of them. They are a much hardier fish then they used to be.

Pets A Plenty is located on Rte 281 Cortland, across from Tops Market in the TJ Nails Plaza. 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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