If you've ever seen an aquarium with what looks like sparks swimming around, then you're probably familiar with neon tetras. But the black neon tetra is something else. It's like the classic blue spark, but suddenly dressed in an elegant dark suit.
This fish got its name from the bright, glowing stripe along its entire body. It contrasts with its dark, almost black back and creates a stunning visual effect. It looks as if a real flame is running down its side.
This little beauty comes from the slow rivers and streams of Brazil. In a home aquarium, it brings a piece of South American wilderness. At the same time, the fish is peaceful, gregarious, and quite interesting to watch, especially when it glimmers in the dim light of the thickets.
Habitat
The black neon's native habitat is soft, acidic water bodies in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. These can be small rivers with sandy shoals, streams and creeks, and flooded forest areas. The current here is extremely slow, and these are often stagnant bodies of water. In such places, fish are found quite often and in large numbers. Black neon tetras prefer the upper and middle layers.
Appearance and characteristics
Aquarists choose this fish for its bright coloration—red belly, silvery abdomen, and signature “burning” silver-blue stripe across its entire side.
The black neon tetra also has another stripe, which can also be considered its “distinguishing feature.” It is wider, black in color, and located on the lower part of the body. The fish's body is slightly flattened on the sides and elongated. It reaches a size of 4 to 4.5 centimeters.
The dorsal fins of the black neon tetra are yellow with red hues, while the others are transparent or yellowish, and the two-lobed caudal fin is silver.
Female black neon tetras are usually larger than their male counterparts. Males are distinguished by their gracefulness and less rounded abdomen than females. In addition, the coloration of males is slightly lighter.
Care
These are very active fish, so they need as much space as possible to swim in the aquarium. A pair of fish needs 15-20 liters of water. Owners should also immediately equip their aquariums with lids, as black neon tetras can jump quite high and sometimes escape from the water this way.
In addition to covers, aquariums must be provided with a sufficient number of plants so that the fish have a place to hide. It is best to place them along the back and side walls.
Decorative elements such as various caves, pots, or grottos are acceptable. However, artificial decor should not be overly bright so as not to distract attention from the beautiful neon tetras.
The substrate should be dark. The water temperature in the aquarium should be 23-24 degrees Celsius. If it is higher, black neon tetras begin to age, and the fish's lifespan is reduced in such conditions.
The aquarium must be equipped with:
you can do without it if there are already snails living there.
Up to 25 percent of the total amount of water in the aquarium must be replaced weekly. Replacing more water is not necessary.
Lighting should be dim. Black neon fish live at depth, so bright light can cause them significant discomfort. In addition, bright lighting makes the fish look less attractive—their coloration appears duller than it actually is.
Neons need to be kept in a school. They become nervous and suffer when kept alone. The optimal school size is 6 to 8 fish. For this number of “pets,” you will need a 70-100 liter aquarium.
Neon tetras are not picky eaters. They will eat any type of food. However, their diet should not be monotonous; it is important to combine dry (flake) and live food (mosquito larvae, daphnia, small bloodworms). Neons are prone to obesity, so adult fish should not be overfed under any circumstances — one meal a day is enough. It is also a good idea to give black neons a day off from feeding once a week.
— Alexey Podolsky Kazan, 4 years of experience in aquascaping
Breeding
Fish can reproduce starting at seven months of age. For spawning, it is recommended to transfer a whole school of fish at once.
For breeding, it is necessary to select females with particularly thick bellies, as well as the most active males.
The day before they are placed in the spawning tank, they should be stopped from feeding.
To create the most favorable conditions for the fish, you need to:
- use water that has been settled for two weeks.
- disinfect it with an ultraviolet lamp.
- install the spawning tank in a place where direct sunlight does not penetrate.
- darkening the spawning tank on three sides (this can be done using black paper);
- attach a net to the bottom so that the eggs fall into it and do not become prey to other fish.
Fish are usually placed in the spawning tank in the evening, and spawning begins at the start of the next day. It lasts from one and a half to two hours. During this time, the fish lay between 100 and 500 eggs.
Black neon tetra fry grow quickly. After a couple of weeks, well-defined distinctive stripes can already be seen on the bodies of young fish. By the age of five weeks, neon tetras are completely identical in characteristics to adult specimens.
Compatibility
They can coexist peacefully with other species in the aquarium.
The fish is quite peaceful, and thanks to its original coloration, the owner can easily distinguish it from other inhabitants of the aquarium. The only exception is that neon tetras should not be neighbors with large fish. In such a situation, black neon tetras can become their prey, as the bright colors of the fish will inevitably attract voracious “predators.”
Among the preferred neighbors:
In addition, black neon tetras can coexist well with shrimp.
More care tips:
The black neon tetra is a bright fish from Brazil that stands out from other neon tetras with its dark coloration and bright blue stripe along its body. It lives in quiet forest rivers, where the water is warm and soft, and light barely penetrates through the foliage. In an aquarium, this fish feels good under the right conditions — a calm environment, dark substrate, and plants. Its “burning” stripe seems to glow in the dim light, adding mystery and beauty to the aquarium.
Tips for owners
It is necessary to ensure that all food for the fish is well chopped, as their mouths are very small.- It is important for fish owners to pay attention to the stripes on young fish. If they suddenly start to become duller, this may be a bad sign — most likely, the fish is seriously ill and cannot be helped. Fish with “dulling” stripes must be caught immediately, before the other young fish become infected.
Video review of the black neon tetra
So, the black neon tetra is a real gem for any aquarist looking for a fish that is not only bright but also harmonious. Its beauty is not flashy but elegant: its restrained dark body only emphasizes the dazzling neon stripe.
It fits perfectly into a peaceful aquarium community, enlivening it with its rapid movement and peaceful nature. Keeping these Brazilian guests is not difficult, but it is important to provide them with clean water and proper, not too bright lighting.
Ultimately, watching a school of these fish in your home aquarium gives you more than just pets. You get a piece of living nature, dynamic and beautiful, which will delight the eye day after day with its natural, unobtrusive beauty.
