Breeding Neon Tetra
How to breed Paracheirodon innesi: sexing, soft acidic water, dim light, fine-leaved spawning medium, and infusoria-based first foods for the light-sensitive fry.
Overview
The Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is an egg-scattering characin whose captive reproduction is rated intermediate in difficulty. Spawning is considered difficult in home aquaria and depends on very soft, acidic water and subdued light. Fish become old enough to breed at about 12 weeks.
Sexing
Sexually mature females are normally noticeably rounder-bodied and a little larger than males. The straighter blue line on the slimmer male contrasts with the slightly bent blue line of the rounder female.
Conditioning the Breeders
Condition the breeders heavily on plenty of small live foods. For pair spawning, the most productive method, condition males and females separately in different tanks or behind a divider, then transfer the fattest female and best-coloured male to the spawning tank in the evening.
Breeding Setup
- Light: very dimly lit; eggs and fry are light-sensitive in the early stages
- Water: pH 5.5-6.5, hardness around 1-5, with abundant tannins
- Temperature: 24-29 °C (about 75-84 °F)
- Spawning medium: clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss, spawning mops, or a mesh base that eggs fall through but adults cannot reach
- Filtration: a small air-powered sponge filter bubbling gently
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
In group spawning, condition about half a dozen of each sex together. In pair spawning, a conditioned pair introduced in the evening should spawn the following morning. The eggs are scattered among the fine-leaved medium.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and the fry become free-swimming about 3-4 days post-hatch. Because the eggs and fry are light-sensitive, keep the tank dark in the early stages. First foods are an infusoria-type food for the first few days, progressing to microworm or brine shrimp nauplii once the fry are large enough.
Common Challenges
The main difficulties are achieving water soft and acidic enough to allow fertilisation and protecting the light-sensitive eggs. Adults will eat scattered eggs, so a mesh base or prompt removal of the spawners is recommended.