Editing Neon tetra (section)

==In the aquarium==
[[File:Neontetra tmy.JPG| thumb|A shoal of neon tetras in a home aquarium]]

In the wild they inhabit very soft, acidic waters (pH 4.0 to 4.8)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SIws-q85lvcC&pg=PA79|title=Fish Physiology|date=1983-12-01|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-08-058530-7|language=en}}</ref> Ideal pH for aquarium is 7.0, but a range of 6.0 to 8.0 is tolerable.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Burkhart|first1=Alice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzBBzzop8QwC&q=%22neon+tetra%22+ph&pg=PA105|title=Pocket Guide to the Care and Maintenance of Aquarium Fish |last2=Crow |first2=Richard |last3=Keeley |first3=Dave |date=2002|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.|isbn=978-1-85648-632-3|language=en}}</ref> They can have a lifespan of as long as ten years,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hargrove|first1=Maddy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l-qrDxOwa9IC&pg=PA105 |title=Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies |last2=Hargrove|first2=Mic|date=2011-03-03|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-05097-2|language=en}}</ref> but normally just two to three years in an aquarium.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Agutter|first=Alastair R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_46DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT65|title=Tropical Fish Keeping Journal: Book Edition Four|date=2017-09-05|publisher=Alastair R Agutter|isbn=978-1-9761-4058-7|language=en}}</ref>

Neon tetras are considered easy to keep in an aquarium of at least {{convert|10|USgal}} with a temperature range of between {{convert|72|-|76|F|C}}, a water pH of between 6.0 and 7.0, GH of below 10 dGH and KH of 1–2 dKH, and under 20 ppm of nitrate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://modestfish.com/neon-tetra/|title=Neon Tetra Care Guide: How To Create The Optimal Environment|website=ModestFish|date=5 January 2022 }}</ref>

They are shoaling fish and must be kept in groups of at least six, but will be more active in groups of eight to 12 or more.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.buildyouraquarium.com/neon-tetra/|title=Neon Tetras: The Ultimate Care, Diet, Breeding, & Info Guide|website=buildyouraquarium|date=27 February 2023 }}</ref> Neon tetras are best kept in a densely planted tank to resemble their native Amazon environments.

===Nutrition===
Neon tetras are [[omnivore]]s and will accept most [[flake food]]s, if sufficiently small, but should also have some small foods such as [[brine shrimp]], [[daphnia]], freeze-dried [[Glycera (genus)|bloodworm]]s, [[tubifex]], which can be stuck to the side of the aquarium, and micropellet food to supplement their diets. A tropical sinking pellet is ideal, as most brands of these include natural color enhancers that bring out the color in neon tetras. Some frozen foods, including frozen blood worms, add variety to their diets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thesprucepets.com/neon-tetra-paracheirodon-1381835
|title=Neon Tetra Fish Species Profile
|website=the spruce pets}}</ref>

===Breeding===
[[File:NeonTetra.JPG|thumb|Neon tetra]]

The male is slender, and the blue line is straighter. The female is rounder, producing a bent blue line. Some aquarists say the females look plumper when viewed from above. However, the straightness of the line and the plumpness of the female might occasionally be due to the eggs she is carrying. A neon tetra can appear slightly plump in the belly due to having overeaten.

Neon tetras need dim lighting, a DH less than one, about 5.5 pH, and a temperature of {{convert|75|F|C|0}} to breed. There also needs to be a lot of tannins in the water. Neon tetras are old enough to breed at 12 weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/how-to-breed-neon-tetras/
|title=How to breed Neon tetras
|website=Practical Fishkeeping|date=13 June 2016
}}</ref>

Breeding neon tetras is considered to be difficult in home aquariums.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://freshwatercentral.com/breeding-neon-tetras|title=Breeding Neon Tetras|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-01|archive-date=2019-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509064558/https://freshwatercentral.com/breeding-neon-tetras|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, it is becoming more common, with less than 5% of specimens currently sold in America caught in the wild, and more than 1.5 million specimens imported to America each month from fish farms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesprucepets.com/neon-tetra-paracheirodon-1381835|title=Brightest Little Fish Has an Amazing History|website=The Spruce Pets|language=en|access-date=2019-05-01}}</ref>

===Disease===
Neon tetras are occasionally afflicted by the so-called "neon tetra disease" (NTD) or [[pleistophora]] disease, a [[sporozoan]] disease caused by ''[[Pleistophora hyphessobryconis]]''. Despite being a well-known condition, it is generally incurable and often fatal to the fish. However this disease is also generally preventable.<ref name="aquarium-pond-answers.com">{{cite web|title=Neon Tetra & FNT Disease; Sporozoan Fish Infection|website=Aquarium-Pond-Answers.com|url=http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2007/02/neon-tetra-disease.html|access-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> The disease cycle begins when [[microsporidian]] [[parasite]] spores enter the fish after it consumes infected material, such as the bodies of a dead fish, or [[live food]] such as [[tubifex]], which may serve as [[intermediate host]]s. The disease is most likely passed by newly acquired fish that have not been quarantined.

Symptoms include restlessness, loss of coloration, lumps on the body as cysts develop, difficulty swimming, curved spines as the disease progresses, and secondary infections, such as [[fin rot]] and bloating.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Tetra Disease Treatment & Prevention  |date=22 June 2021 |url=https://tankquarium.com/neon-tetra-disease/|publisher=Tankquarium}}</ref>

A so-called "[[false neon disease]]", which is bacterial, shows very similar symptoms. It is impossible for the home aquarist to determine for certain the difference between NTD and false NTD on the basis of visible symptoms alone, without laboratory backup. This disease has also been confused with [[columnaris]] (mouth rot, mouth fungus, 'flex').

Generally the best 'treatment' is the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish, although some occasional successful treatments have been performed that include fish baths and a "medication cocktail". The use of a [[diatom filter]], which can reduce the number of free parasites in the water, may help. As with Pleistophora neon tetra disease, prevention is most important and this disease is rare when good preventive measures are performed.<ref name="aquarium-pond-answers.com" />