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376 Featured Specimen
Neon tetra

Details

Neon tetra

Paracheirodon innesi

Size
3–4 cm · 1–2 g
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Loose group
Lifespan
5–8 years

The neon tetra is a tiny characin with glowing blue and red stripes. It forms loose schools in shaded forest streams and picks at fine foods.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It lives in forest creeks and blackwater streams of the Neotropics. Leaf litter, roots, shade, and gentle freshwater flow are typical.

Appearance

Length 3-4 cm; weight 1 g-2 g. A bright blue stripe runs along the side, with red on the rear half of the body. The small translucent form is conspicuous in dim water when schooling.

Behavior

Diurnal and loosely schooling, it tightens the group when threatened. Fish retreat quickly into plants or root cover.

Feeding

An omnivore, it eats tiny crustaceans, insect larvae, and fine organic matter. It snatches drifting food from the water column.

Reproduction

Adults scatter adhesive eggs near plants or leaf litter. There is no parental care, and larvae grow on very small foods.

Notes

It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.