Green neon tetra

Paracheirodon simulans

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–86°F (22–30°C)
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 15 gal (55 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Origin: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia
Family: Characidae

Overview

This is a schooling fish that needs numbers, so keep at least eight to ten and more if you can. They swim in the middle of the tank and are entirely peaceful, though their small size means tankmates should be small and gentle too. They take warm water well, from the low 20s up toward 30 C, and prefer soft, acidic conditions. Feed small foods such as fine flake, micro pellets, and tiny frozen items like cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

In the wild

Green neon tetras live in the Rio Negro and Orinoco basins across Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. They sit in slow, blackwater streams shaded by forest, where the water is very soft, acidic, and stained dark with tannins. A blackwater style tank fits them best, with dim light, plants, leaf litter, driftwood, and soft acidic water on the lower end of their pH range.

Good to know

Paracheirodon simulans is a small characin in the family Characidae, a close relative of the common neon tetra. It is tiny, only about 2.5 cm grown. It is an egg scatterer, and breeding is difficult, needing very soft, acidic water to get viable eggs. Most fish in the trade are wild caught.

Did you know

It is often confused with the regular neon tetra, but the green neon carries the blue-green stripe almost the full length of its body with much less red. It also handles warmer, softer blackwater better than the common neon, which is part of why it is a favorite for true Amazon biotope tanks.