Neon Tetra

Neon Tetra

Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) has one of the most extraordinary origin stories in the freshwater hobby. In 1934, French adventurer Auguste Rabaut was deep in the Peruvian Amazon collecting butterflies when an indigenous woman showed him something glowing in the dark water — a fish with a stripe so vivid it seemed to produce its own light. He brought specimens to Paris where European aquarists were stunned. By 1936 thousands of visitors lined up at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago just to see it. Named Hyphessobrycon innesi by ichthyologist George Myers in honor of publisher William Innes, it was later moved to Paracheirodon. Today approximately 2 million Neon Tetras are sold in the United States every month.

Feeding & Care Tip: Hikari Micro Pellets (crushed or soaked briefly) and Sera Vipan Baby make excellent daily staples. Supplement 2–3× per week with Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Baby Brine Shrimp and Hikari Frozen Daphnia. Feed small amounts 2–3 times daily in a calm environment.

The iridescent blue-green stripe is not produced by pigment — it is a structural color generated by guanine crystals in specialized cells that reflect light. In darkness the stripe shifts from blue-green to indigo as the crystals reorient. In the wild, the stripe helps schoolmates find each other in the dark, tannin-stained blackwater streams of the western Amazon where visibility is extremely limited.

Native to the blackwater and clearwater tributaries of the Amazon in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Captive-bred fish — which make up virtually all stock in the trade — are considerably more adaptable than their wild ancestors and thrive in a wide range of conditions, though soft slightly acidic water produces the richest coloration.

Keep in groups of at least 10 — a school of 20 or more Neon Tetras moving through a planted aquarium is one of the iconic images of the hobby. Compatible with all small, peaceful fish.

Care & Ideal Parameters