Breeding Neon Tetra
Breeding neon tetra is actually fairly easy, but in order to breed, they require the correct conditions. This is why many aquarists own neon tetra but haven’t seen them breed, or if they have then the eggs will have been eaten pretty quickly.
The Neon Tetra comes from South America where the water is soft and the pH is low. These are the conditions that need to be replicated in order for them to breed, an easy way to achieve this is to use a peat soil in the aquarium. Peat soil will naturally lower the pH and you want it to be between 4 and 7.5. RO water is also useful as it is de-mineralised, if you don’t have an RO filter then you can usually purchase RO water from your local aquarium shop. Using RO water will help to make the water softer.
Temperature should be at 25 degrees celsius and you will need something for them to spawn on. In the wild, they would spawn in plants, so plants are ideal, java moss works well but you can also use an artificial spawning mop if you prefer.
As you would imagine, Neon Tetra fry are extremely small, so you will need a supply of food for them when they hatch. A method of creating a water worm food culture is shown in the video below, using broccoli and a small culture.
Some prior preparation is ideal if you are hoping to breed neon tetra, the video below shows part 1 of the process of preparing to breed your neons and shows their spawning behaviour.
Breeding Neon Tetra – Part 2
Once your Neon Tetra have spawned, you will need to look after the eggs and the fry once they hatch. This is often one of the more difficult parts of breeding fish. Fry are very sensitive and are easily picked off as food. This is why it is ideal to remove the parents from the tank once they have spawned. If you don’t have a second aquarium to use for breeding, as Mark explains, you could use a plastic tank like this one here.
Alternatively, any container that will hold water and eventually be able to contain a bubble filer will work.
Here is part 2 from marks aquatics which covers caring for and growing your Neon Tetra fry.
Breeding Neon Tetra – Part 3
Part 3 of this video series shows how to continue the care of your Neon Tetra fry. Water changes are important due to the lack of a filter. A filter would easily suck up the tiny Neon fry so it is ideal to use the plants you have added to help with waste removal.
As the fry become larger, it is possible to add a bubble filter which will help to remove all the waste.
As the fry grow, they will start to require a more substantial food source, such as artemia. Marks aquatics have a video on how to make your own hatchery, but you can purchase artemia from your local aquarium shop. To see Marks video on creating an artemia (brine shrimp) hatchery click here.
Here’s part three of the video series covering the points above in much more detail.
How to breed Neon Tetra – Part 4
Continuing to grow your fry should be fairly easy, keep up a good maintenance routine and make sure they are well fed. Once your Neon tetra fry are large enough, it will be time for them to join your main tank. They can then be treated the same as your existing fish and will join your current Neons making a spectacular school of bright, vibrant little fish.
Here’s part 4 from Marks aquatics which is a summary of what he has covered:
Marks Aquatics have kindly agreed to share these guides with us from his very popular youtube channel, you can find his channel here. Don’t forget to subscribe!!
Check out our other youtube ‘partner’ RJD fish tanks, see their latest video here.
Good luck if you are hoping to breed your Neon Tetra, we hope this helps.
Let us know if you have had any success in the comments!
