Neon Tetra is a South American native small freshwater fish that is very popular among fishkeepers for its peaceful nature & beauty.
This fish is among the first ten freshwater fish species that most aquarium keepers start with because of lots of color in their small bodies. Neon Tetra usually swims in groups & their color changes while moving, which is truly fascinating to watch.
Differentiating neon tetra male vs female is not an easy task, and it’s a little bit tricky.
For neon tetra breeding, I have researched several hours and found some excellent information about how to tell the difference between male & female of these fish.
This article will describe all the information required to distinguish between male neon tetra & female one. Let’s check out to make sure!
Neon Tetra Scientific Information
- Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
- Origin: South America (Southeastern Colombia, Western Brazil, Eastern Peru)
- Common Name: Neon Tetra, Neon Fish
- Diet: Omnivorous
- Size: 1.5 inches
- Colour: Red, Blue, Translucent
- Required Temperature: 20-28C (68-82F)
- Required pH: 4 -7.5
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Fishkeeper Experience Level: Beginner
- Aquarium Hardiness: Up to 10dGH
- Minimum Tank Size: 10 Gallons
Neon Tetra Male vs Female
One easy trick to identify male & female neon tetra is to compare their size. Usually, male neon tetras have a flat belly & female neon tetras have a rounded belly. We have prepared a step-by-step process to tell the difference between Male & Female Neon Tetras accurately. Those steps are –
- Step – 1
Keep together a school of neon tetras. It is not an easy task, but watching the fish’s interaction would be easier to find the difference between them correctly.
- Step – 2
Another method is replacing half of the aquarium’s water with fresh water. Neon tetras will begin to start spawning in the freshwater.
- Step – 3
Feeding live foods like brine shrimps or mosquito larvae will encourage the tetras to start spawning.
- Step – 4
Observing early in the morning will be beneficial because at that time, tetras begin to spawning.
- Step – 5
Male Neon tetras perform dances around female tetras and chase them in the aquarium through the aquatic plants.
- Step – 6
Turning on the light will be useful to see the tetras easily.
- Step – 7
Observe closely to individual tetras with rounded bellies. Those neon tetra pregnant because eggs have developed within them.
- Step – 8
A horizontal blue stripe runs along the flank of the tetras. This blue stripe line is straight in males & bends a little in females. Rounded sides of the female tetras are the cause for the color stripe to turn.
- Step – 9
Check out which tetras are laying eggs cause those are female tetras. Male tetras swim over the eggs & leave sperm over the eggs after the female tetras deposited eggs onto aquatic plants in the tank.
- Step – 10
The same method goes for black Neon Tetras too. The only difference is both tetras will darken in color while breeding. At that time, they are not distinguishable.
To carry out breeding Neon Tetras, distinguishing male & female is necessary so that breeding can be done effectively & systematically.
Neon tetra lifespan
neon tetra lifespan usually is around ten years at max in the wild waters. Female tetras live more life than male tetras.
In the aquarium, they usually live for two to three years maximum. But the requirement is at least 10 gallons of water in the aquarium. At least six tetras are needed in the aquarium as they live in groups.
Neon Tetra Breeding
Neon Tetra breeding is not an easy job & requires soft water in a tank. Place both male & female into a tank for breeding. To identify neon tetra will lay eggs or not, check out some symptoms. Those symptoms are –
Male vs. Female
Female tetra will be a little bulkier than before. Other than that, there isn’t much difference in physical appearance between male & female tetras.
Another difference would be that males’ blue coloration has a straight neon bar & the female one would be curved.
Changes in Belly
Female tetras belly will get bigger & it’s a strong indication that the egg-laying process is coming soon.
Sometimes those fish becomes obese. But that’s a rare case, so it wouldn’t be hard to differentiate between a fat one & a pregnant one.
Changes in Behaviour
The male neon tetra will start swimming around in sharp Ninety Degree angles around the female tetra. The male tetra keeps a close eye on the female one that they are going to mate. Sometimes the male tetra takes an occasional break.
The female tetra produces around 60 to 120 neon tetra eggs every time. Males fertilize the eggs right away after laying. The whole process would take up to 24 hours.
F.A.Q (FrequenTly Asked QUestions)
- How do you tell if a neon tetra is a male or female?
Ans – The male tetras have a straight blue line & are slender. The female one produces a bent blue line & is rounder. However, when female tetras are pregnant, they become bulkier.
- Do neon tetras breed easily?
Ans – Neon tetras breeding is not hard, but the conditions have to be right for breeding. For breeding easily – A tank with freshwater preparation & checking the night & day cycle necessary.
- Do neon tetras sleep at night?
Ans – Neon tetras sleep at night. In the aquarium, installing light works as a timer. Make a day/night routine using light & tetras would go to sleep when lights go off.
Conclusions
There are several ways differentiating neon petra females from males based on their appearances. However, this process is a little tricky.
After reading this article, we hope you can differentiate neon tetras males & females easily now.
Neon Tetra is like a jewel of the aquarium tank. We hope you would enjoy those colorful tetras & breed them easily. Good luck!