Are neon tetras hardy?
- Thread starter djdk
- Start date
IME, they are very hardy. The one thing you have to be really careful about is that the water isn't too warm or they will slowly dwindle away, and may appear to have died without any reason.
I bought six last august, all are still well and they had even spawned in my tanks a few times.
Good tank mates for neons are bettas, blue rams, cory cats, guppies, mollies, swordtails, platies, cardinal tetras, red phantom tetras, smaller species of plecos like bulldogs and bushy noses, ottos... the list really goes on and on.
I bought six last august, all are still well and they had even spawned in my tanks a few times.
Good tank mates for neons are bettas, blue rams, cory cats, guppies, mollies, swordtails, platies, cardinal tetras, red phantom tetras, smaller species of plecos like bulldogs and bushy noses, ottos... the list really goes on and on.
I believe Neons are quite hardy after they have acclimated to your tank. They have a reputation for having a high casualty rate when you buy them. It may sound crazy, but I buy them from PetsMart (since they have a 2 week return policy) and just keep returning the dead ones. If they last 2 weeks, they generally last for a long time. I have had 6 in my 20 gallon (just upgraded to a 55 gallon, though) and they have been with me for about 10 months. I had a few die off shortly after I bought them, and just returned them for new ones. I'd quarantine them for a month, just to be safe.
If you've never seen cardinal tetras, they're very similar to neons but a bit hardier (no neon tetra disease).
As far as tankmates go, any fish that's suitable for a peaceful community tank should go well w/ neons. There are so many suitable fish that I'd say your best bet is to just go to a LFS and look at the fish they have, pick some that you like and check if they'll be compatible.
77F should be fine for neons, btw. Mid to high 70's is good for most tropical fish.
As far as tankmates go, any fish that's suitable for a peaceful community tank should go well w/ neons. There are so many suitable fish that I'd say your best bet is to just go to a LFS and look at the fish they have, pick some that you like and check if they'll be compatible.
77F should be fine for neons, btw. Mid to high 70's is good for most tropical fish.
My own experiences dictate that they are not hardy - they are sensitive to pH and hardness changes. Their hardiness seems often to depend on the size of their school...the more the better. The less there are, the more proned they will be to disease and stress/insecurity depending on other tank mates. My favorite setup is a black substrate (brings out their colors) and a school of about 12-15 (this is a 55g, so maybe 10 or so for your 29'er) with an angel, and plenty of plants/driftwood. A pair of German Rams can work well with neons too.
I must admit though, that I much more prefer cardinal tetras than neons - much more colorful. The two types will school together.
I must admit though, that I much more prefer cardinal tetras than neons - much more colorful. The two types will school together.
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I'll go with both responses.
Currently the commercial neons tend to be shipped tiny and severely overcrowded, plus the SE Asian-bred fish tend to be exposed to and carrying NTD and other bacterial/viral/parasitic diseases. So new acquisitions need to be carefully examined before purchase (if NTD is present, don't buy from that batch). After purchase,they need careful QT for more than a month.
But once selected and QT'd and kept in sufficient numbers (Tom Bo has a very good and IME valid point there), they are hardy for years. Few folk on these boards seem to realized that these are not short-lived fish in good situations.
Currently the commercial neons tend to be shipped tiny and severely overcrowded, plus the SE Asian-bred fish tend to be exposed to and carrying NTD and other bacterial/viral/parasitic diseases. So new acquisitions need to be carefully examined before purchase (if NTD is present, don't buy from that batch). After purchase,they need careful QT for more than a month.
But once selected and QT'd and kept in sufficient numbers (Tom Bo has a very good and IME valid point there), they are hardy for years. Few folk on these boards seem to realized that these are not short-lived fish in good situations.
My neon tetras never lasted very long. 
They are the only fish I think that didn't like either of the tanks. They lasted a month or two then as soon as one died, the others followed soon after. At first I thought some sort of tetra disease, but I saw no signs of any disease.
They were the first fish I introduced into my 20 gal tank three years ago, they did a good job getting it going, but didn't last.
How long is the lifespan of a tetra? I dont imagine it being much over 2 years? I could be wrong though....
They are the only fish I think that didn't like either of the tanks. They lasted a month or two then as soon as one died, the others followed soon after. At first I thought some sort of tetra disease, but I saw no signs of any disease. They were the first fish I introduced into my 20 gal tank three years ago, they did a good job getting it going, but didn't last.
How long is the lifespan of a tetra? I dont imagine it being much over 2 years? I could be wrong though....
