Neon is a small aquarium fish with a shiny blue stripe running along its body, reminiscent of a neon glow. They began to spread at home in the 30s, and in our time it is one of the most common aquarium fish ok, giving bright rich colors to the underwater world.
Neon fish
Due to its small size, it does not require a large aquarium to keep fish. Of course, you need to take into account the requirements of other fish if the neons are adjacent to someone.
Neon Characteristics:
- Length – up to 4 cm;
- Color – red, black, blue;
- Number - the fish is schooling; for comfort, at least 7 individuals are required;
- Layer of water - prefer to be in lower layers, closer to the bottom;
- Life expectancy is up to 4 years.
Water temperature greatly influences life expectancy; the higher it is, the faster the fish ages. So at a temperature of 22 degrees they live as long as possible, up to 4 years, and if the temperature is around 28 degrees, then a year and a half is the ceiling.
Flock of Neons The fish are not picky about the composition of the water; the main thing is that it is soft and left to sit for 3 days.
Nature has endowed neon with a good disposition; in terms of compatibility, they do not pose a threat to either the little ones or the harmless ones. Of course, they will not get along with predators, as they will feed on them. But it is worth noting that in natural conditions Neons are great for hiding in dense thickets, and if you have a large aquarium with dense vegetation, then neons have every chance of getting along with a fighting disposition or.
You can feed neons with any food for small fish. For good health It is better to alternate food with frozen, live and artificial mixtures from the pet store. One day a week it is possible (even useful) to have a fasting day.
Aquarium
Neon fish do not require water flow, they prefer standing pools, so it is enough to equip them only with a compressor with a fine spray, the smaller the bubbles, the better. The vegetation should be dense in all layers, as in the photo below, since neons, although they prefer the lower layers, are very playful, and sometimes a flock will rush around in the upper layers.
Dense aquarium There is no need to buy a lighting lamp; fish prefer dim lighting. A water filter is desirable, but not critical, especially if there are also snails in the aquarium.
Water parameters:
- pH – up to 6.5;
- dH – up to 8;
- Water change - 25% per week.
This ideal parameters, in fact, they will do well in more acidic and hard water.
It is very important - the soil must be dark!
The darker the ground, the brighter and more intense the neon strip. And in general, create more dark areas at the bottom - driftwood, big stones, grottoes, this will bring them as close as possible to their usual living conditions.
That’s it, they don’t require any special care anymore, so they are highly recommended for beginner aquarists.
Buying fish
We bought an aquarium, filled it with settled water and decorated it, it was time to go get some fish. You can buy neon fish at any pet store; this is a very common aquarium fish at a very low price - black and blue are around 50 rubles apiece, and red is around 100 rubles.
Black neon Try to buy a flock of fish at once, rather than just one fish per week. Firstly, there will be less stress for the fish, and secondly, newcomers will not need to be kept in a separate jar in quarantine for a couple of days. It would be a pity if the tenth fish purchased turns out to be sick and all its relatives die.
If you make a purchase in winter, then take a thermos with you in which you will bring the fish home. A sharp change in temperature can have a bad effect on their health.
Fish reproduction
Reproduction of neon fish is not difficult. A female can be distinguished from a male with the naked eye:
- Females are slightly larger;
- The stripe in females in the middle of the body is slightly curved, in males it is clearly straight along the entire length;
- Females have a slightly larger belly (hence the curvature of the stripe).
Sexual maturity occurs by six months of age. Before spawning, males need to be removed, and females need to be created ideal conditions(water hardness and acidity), lower the temperature to 20 degrees, and feed only live food. This goes on for about a month.
- Water depth – 15 cm;
- Temperature – 22 degrees;
- Hardness – dH 2;
- Acidity – pH 6;
- No artificial lighting.
Towards evening we transfer a couple of fish into the spawning tank. Usually in the morning the female already begins to spawn, but this process can drag on for a couple of days. During spawning, the fish are not fed anything.
Spawning tank From 50 to 300 eggs are born at a time. It is very important to catch this moment and immediately place the parents in a common aquarium, otherwise they will eat all the fry.
We cover the spawning tank with a dark cloth - light is destructive for the game.
The incubation period lasts about a day. Watch the eggs, and if after 4 hours some begin to turn white, then remove them, there will be no fry from it, and the water will spoil.
After the fry hatch, they will remain in place for another 4 days without moving. On the fifth day they will begin to swim and eat food:
- Special ready-made food for fry;
- Boiled chicken egg yolk;
- Living dust - ciliates and rotifers.
Food for fry (clickable) We increase the lighting gradually over the course of a month, after which they can be transplanted into a common aquarium.
And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!
Neon and other fish in the aquarium, video
They reach sexual maturity by eight months and retain the ability to spawn for up to 4-5 years, of course, provided they are kept in optimal conditions. Ideally, immediately before planting for spawning, the spawners should be seated for a week in different containers with a water temperature of 22℃. At this time, you need to feed intensively and variedly, be sure to include live food in the diet.
To dilute neons, prepare an all-glass container with a volume of 10-20 liters. Disinfect it and fill it with distilled water. Add 200 ml of water from the aquarium containing neons. At the bottom of the spawning tank, place a bunch of Java moss (if you are 100% sure that there are no snails on it) or a nylon sponge.
The main thing in breeding neons is to properly prepare the water. Neons can lay eggs in any water (even in a general aquarium), but fertilization is possible only in soft water (up to 3°). It is optimal for the rigidity to be about 1°. Neons prefer to spawn in slightly acidic water (pH 5.5-6). You can acidify it folk remedies- for example, a decoction of alder cones, a peat decoction, or you can use special drugs(fortunately there are plenty of them on sale now).
Do not blow too much air in the spawning tank, raise the temperature to 25-26℃ and you can start the spawners. Shade the breeding aquarium on all sides, leaving only one corner dimly lit to see the results of spawning. Everything should be done by morning. The bulk of the eggs should be on the substrate and under it. It is necessary to place the breeders back into the general aquarium, and carefully shake the eggs from the substrate to the bottom. Reduce the water level in the spawning tank with eggs to 7-10 cm and add an antifungal drug (for example, methylene blue or General Tonic).
At a temperature of 25℃, eggs develop in 36-48 hours. The fry first hang on the glass, then begin to swim. Feeding neon fry is very difficult. IN early age Neon fry see very poorly; they only develop an orientation towards light - phototaxis. This is what you need to use for feeding. The entire aquarium must be darkened, leaving only a ray of light in one corner. In the illuminated place, ciliates necessary for feeding the fry will accumulate. With such lighting, the neon fry will not remain hungry; when they find themselves in a cloud of ciliates, they begin to actively feed. This makes it possible to save all the young.
Gradually, the fry are transferred to feeding on Artemia nauplii and rotifers, and then on small cyclops. It is gradually necessary to increase the hardness of the water in the spawning tank with the fry, adding a small portion of water from the general aquarium daily.
Video:, and other inhabitants of the aquarium.
The neon fish is a nimble little fish with transparent fins and a bright blue stripe along its body. It comes in several types: black, diamond, blue, green, voile - the list goes on. Neon is often recommended for “practice” for beginning aquarists, since the fish does not cause any trouble at all. She gets along well with her neighbors in a common aquarium, is not fussy with food and looks very photogenic against the backdrop of an artificial environment. But the failure of the natural regime, which, as a rule, occurs in aquariums, adversely affects the reproduction of neon fish.
Without careful supervision of the owner and compliance with a number of requirements, one cannot even dream of offspring. And the point is not only that the laid eggs will be in danger among dozens of predatory mouths. In unsuitable water, spawning may not occur at all.
Rules of mating dances
In the wild natural environment Neons spawn in rainy season(October, November, December) once a year. After graduation mating season the fish rest quietly, not paying attention to each other. Neon pet fish are forced to change their “habits” to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. They are ready to reproduce at any time, as they often replace the water in the aquarium during the rainy season.. A varied and healthy diet stimulates individuals to have offspring.
Determining where the male is and where the female is is not always easy; below we will describe the main differences.
But breeding neons requires strength and endurance from the owner. Beginners are often not even able to distinguish neon females from males, so they make the mistaken decision to leave everyone in a common aquarium and see what happens next. But months and years pass, and the number of fish in the aquarium does not increase. Although flocks periodically try to organize mating races: sometimes they split into pairs and chase each other through the water, sometimes they rub barrels or chase other people’s tails. At the same time, the fish’s mouths are constantly slightly open, it feels like they are “out of breath” and lack oxygen.
If professionals successfully breed neons, it means that ordinary amateurs can create fish necessary conditions. What rules must be followed to breed neon offspring?
Adults and fry in a common aquarium - this is real
Before entrusting your pets with independent reproduction in a community aquarium, you need to make sure whether these fish are viviparous or not. Namely: does the fish lay eggs or carry them inside until it “gives birth” to live fry?
Concerning viviparous fish, they are very easy to keep and breed. They are not afraid of temperature fluctuations, pressure and water hardness. They feel great even in cramped and brightly lit aquariums. The same cannot be said about neons. These underwater favorites are spawn-bearing, which means that without certain conditions, offspring from these fish will not be seen.
Reproduction of neons in a general aquarium will require taking into account the following rules:
- Soft water (preferably distilled) up to 4° hardness and with a pH of no more than 5.0.
- High water temperature (up to 26 degrees).
- Proper nutrition (live food).
- Special shading for an aquarium.
- Plants for securing eggs (for example, 3 branches of myriophyllum).
It is practically impossible to achieve fruitful reproduction of neons in a community aquarium.
Neon spawning is a chaotic mating dance. At first, the fish swim fussily over the leaves of the plants. Then the female begins to spawn. The male restlessly pursues the female from behind all the time, overtakes her, touches her closely, and turns with her. His dorsal strives to lie on the female. At a certain moment, they simultaneously bend, and the egg falls out synchronously with the male’s sperm. The sticky egg stays on the sheet for about 3 hours, then loses its stickiness and falls to the bottom at the slightest fluctuation in the water. And then - if the owner does not catch all the offspring from the aquarium, they will simply feast on the eggs. It is with this dessert that the fish finish their mating dance in a common aquarium.
Breeding neon fish in a community aquarium is 99% futile. Eggs need a special atmosphere: soft water, lack of light and complete safety. This is the only way to wait for the fry to emerge. Therefore, there is no need to waste time and take risks. It is better to listen to the advice of experts and prepare a separate spawning tank in advance. It is also very important to choose the most “worthy” producers from the entire fish family.
Who will reproduce
Professionals advise: 12-14 days before spawning, you need to visually assess the qualities of the future “parents” and isolate them from other fish. The main task is to distinguish females and males so that the owner does not populate the spawning area with same-sex individuals and hopes for success.
A pregnant female neon has a more rounded shape than a male.
Females are not too different from males. But the young ladies are a little larger, and their bellies are rounder and fuller. If you look closely, it will be clearly visible. The neon line on the body of the male is straighter, without a bend. A pregnant neon female becomes even more rounded in the abdomen, and the male’s swim bladder stands out very clearly during the breeding season. Therefore, during the spawning period, determining the sex of the fish is much easier.
In order to have a high probability of getting offspring, and healthy ones at that, you need to choose the most the best fish. Selection criteria:
- Externally, the fish looks healthy and active.
- The color is bright and juicy.
- The fish eats well and does not refuse food.
- The age of the individual does not exceed 1 year.
Having caught the winners in these nominations, you need to put them in separate containers where the water temperature is 22 degrees, and serve the royal diet with healthy live food. Daphnia, small bloodworms, and cyclops are suitable. But it is not recommended to give tubifex to fish. For all its advantages, this type of live food contains a lot of fat and can cause illness in the future “parent”. In addition, tubifex worms are often carriers of pathogenic agents and viruses.
Before the main landing for mating takes place, it is recommended to arrange short dates for the fish several times (five will be enough). This way they will “get to know each other” and organize their dance more successfully.
During special experiments on neons, it was found that eggs in females mature faster than milt in males. Therefore, when different-sex individuals are planted in a spawning tank in a 1:1 ratio, a significant proportion of the eggs will remain unfertilized. This is why experts recommend a 2:1 ratio in favor of males. This is the only way that neonates will reproduce rationally.
Preparing the spawning tank
For the main planting of neons for spawning, you will need a solid glass container with a volume of 15-20 liters. It can easily hold 3 pairs of neon lights. The container must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
It is better to lay a net at the bottom of the spawning tank and throw big piece spools of fishing line, this will help protect future offspring from voracious parents.
Java moss is suitable as a substrate, but be careful! There should be no snails in it - they will definitely get to the eggs. In such cases, many fish lovers use a nylon entanglement with a thin fishing line, which must be scalded with boiling water before use. The whiting is pressed to the bottom with boiled river or sea pebbles.
The water should be soft. If the hardness is about 4 degrees, fertilization will not occur: the neon eggs will simply become stiff and will not allow sperm to enter. The pH level in the water should not exceed 5.0. There are special preparations on sale for acidic water, but many amateurs use a simple decoction of alder cones. The water must be prepared immediately before dispensing steam into the container. And to make the fish calmer and more familiar, you can add a glass of water from the previous aquarium to the new shelter. And one more thing: you need to know that during the mating dance, the passions of the fish become seriously heated, and they can jump out of the container. Therefore, it is not recommended to set the water level high. It should be 15 cm from the top of the container.
If distilled water was used, it is necessary to bleed the container (very weakly to avoid bubbling). Then, by raising the water temperature to 26 degrees and shading the spawning area on all sides with photo paper, you can release the spawners into the tank. This is done in the evening. Next to the container you need to install a small light bulb (15 watts), the light of which will enter the water through a tiny hole in the photo paper.
Video: Neon Spawning
Some owners like to watch neons reproduce. This usually happens that same night or at dawn. By this time, the fish look very tired and pale, especially the females - they lose volume and begin to huddle against the walls of the container. Transparent caviar is scattered over the substrate, but the main part of it is under it. Now the “parents” can be caught and returned “to their homeland” in a common aquarium. And put the spawning tank in a dark place.
Fry and care for them
To make it easier to control the eggs, the substrate must be removed by shaking it first. All the eggs will fall out of the entanglement and will take about 5 days to develop. It is recommended to buy a special anti-fungal drug to reduce the loss of offspring. Dying eggs acquire White color, they are removed from the water using a pipette. The surviving eggs hatch into neon larvae, which after 3 days are already swimming.
The photo shows a grown neon fry, which is already three weeks old.
It is vital for each larva to reach the surface of the water, so you need to make sure that a film does not form. The air bubble that the larva swallows is necessary for the development of the swim bladder. The larvae soon turn into fry and begin to swim horizontally.
It is forbidden to place any filters in the spawning tank - they are dangerous to the life of the fry. Replacing water with hard water is introduced gradually - 1 glass per day.
Neon fry are ready to feed, but this is a labor-intensive process for the owner. Children see poorly and swim towards the light. Therefore, the owner of the fish needs to provide the fry with a special “light” feeding area, where ciliates will be placed under a beam of light. This is the only way to save children from starvation. After some time, the fry are able to eat artemia nauplii, rotifers and small cyclops. The fish consume this food for up to 4 weeks, until the coveted neon stripes appear on their bodies.
Reproduction of neons at home is a troublesome task, but quite realistic. If you provide the fish with good conditions, you can count on getting healthy, beautiful offspring.
IN last years The hobby of aquarium keeping is gaining increasing popularity. And this is not at all surprising, given that few people manage to resist the unique beauty of a beautifully designed artificial pond, which will not only become a wonderful decoration in any room, but also an excellent relaxation after a hard day. working day. But no matter how hard any aquarist tries to create a bright and unforgettable design in his vessel, adding new decorative elements to it, the main decoration was and remains precisely aquarium fish, a prominent representative which is a neon fish.
Habitat in nature
Neon vulgare was first described by Gehry in 1927. They live in South America, native to the Paraguay, Rio Tacuari, and Brasil river basins.
And in nature, blue neons prefer to inhabit slow tributaries big rivers. These are rivers from dark water flowing through the dense jungle, so sunlight very little falls into the water. They live in flocks, live in the middle layers of water and feed on various insects.
IN this moment Neons are very widely bred for commercial purposes and are practically not caught in the wild. 
Description
This is a small and slender fish. Aquarium fish blue neo They grow up to 4 cm in length and they live for about 3-4 years. As a rule, you don’t notice their death, it’s just that the flock gets smaller and smaller year after year.
Neon is distinguished primarily by a bright blue stripe running across the entire body, which makes it very noticeable. And in contrast to it, there is a bright red stripe, which starts from the middle of the body and goes to the tail, slightly extending onto it. What can I say? Easier to see.
With proper care, selection and retention temperature conditions You will never have problems with the maintenance and reproduction of neons.
Neon maintenance conditions:
- Water temperature 18 – 24 °C. If you plan to breed fish, the water temperature should be from 22 to 24 °C. Neons can also be kept at water temperatures up to 28°C, but the life expectancy is reduced by more than half. That is, the neon will live no more than two years.
- Hardness of water up to 8°
- Acidity pH 5-6.5
- Water it is advisable to use only soft.
- Water change it is desirable weekly, up to 30% of the total volume of water.
- Aquarium. The aquarium may be small, but keep in mind that this is a schooling fish and you need to take several neons. Count on a little more than one liter of water for one neon, that is, for a 50-liter aquarium you can take up to 40k of neons.
- Plants are also needed. Neon fish loves vegetation very much. Vegetation is needed for the neons to hide. In a densely planted aquarium, neons will be much more comfortable.
- Priming. Priming special significance does not have. You can take small pebbles. It is advisable to use a primer as dark as possible, preferably black. This is because neon colors are practically invisible on a light ground, but on a black background the colors of the neon fish are expressed much better.
- Lighting It should be moderate, it is advisable to arrange a dark place with plants.
Feeding
What to feed neons? It’s enough just to feed them, they are unpretentious and eat all types of food - live, frozen, artificial. It is important that the food is not large, since they have a rather small mouth. Their favorite foods are bloodworms and tubifex. It is important that feeding be as varied as possible, this is how you will create conditions for health, growth, and bright neon colors.
Sex differences
It is quite simple to distinguish a neon male from a female, although the sexual differences are not clearly pronounced. The fact is that females are noticeably fuller, this is especially visible in a flock, where males with their flat tummies look thin. Unfortunately, this only manifests itself in adult fish, but since you need to buy a school of neons, there will still be pairs in it.
Reproduction
Neons reach sexual maturity at eight months and retain the ability to spawn for up to 4-5 years, of course, provided they are kept in optimal conditions. Ideally, immediately before planting for spawning, the spawners should be seated for a week in different containers with a water temperature of 22℃ . At this time, you need to feed intensively and variedly, be sure to include live food in the diet. To dilute neons, prepare a solid glass container with a volume of 10-20 liters.
Disinfect it and fill it with distilled water. Add 200 ml of water from the aquarium containing neons. At the bottom of the spawning tank, place a bunch of Java moss (if you are 100% sure that there are no snails on it) or a nylon sponge.
The main thing in breeding neons is to properly prepare the water. Neons can lay eggs in any water (even in a general aquarium), but fertilization is possible only in soft water (up to 3°). It is optimal for the rigidity to be about 1°. Neons prefer to spawn in slightly acidic water (pH 5.5-6). You can acidify it with folk remedies - for example, a decoction of alder cones, a peat decoction, or you can use special preparations (fortunately, there are plenty of them on sale now).
Do not blow too much air in the spawning tank, raise the temperature to 25-26℃ and you can start the spawners. Shade the breeding aquarium on all sides, leaving only one corner dimly lit to see the results of spawning. Everything should be done by morning. The bulk of the eggs should be on the substrate and under it. It is necessary to place the breeders back into the general aquarium, and carefully shake the eggs from the substrate to the bottom.
Reduce the water level in the spawning tank with eggs to 7-10 cm and add an antifungal drug (for example, methylene blue or General Tonic). At a temperature of 25℃, eggs develop in 36-48 hours. The fry first hang on the glass, then begin to swim. Feeding neon fry is very difficult. At an early age, neon fry see very poorly; they only develop an orientation towards light - phototaxis. This is what you need to use for feeding. The entire aquarium must be darkened, leaving only a ray of light in one corner.
In the illuminated place, ciliates necessary for feeding the fry will accumulate. With such lighting, the neon fry will not remain hungry; when they find themselves in a cloud of ciliates, they begin to actively feed. This makes it possible to save all the young. Gradually, the fry are transferred to feeding on Artemia nauplii and rotifers, and later on small cyclops. It is gradually necessary to increase the hardness of the water in the spawning tank with the fry, adding a small portion of water from the general aquarium daily.
Diseases
Neon (fish) can get sick from all types of diseases, and these can be not only contagious, but also non-contagious ailments. Since fish are very small and fragile, they do not tolerate stress quite well. This is especially true when they are being chased by taller roommates. Stress or illness in pets can be identified by their color. So, the whole body of the fish may noticeably turn pale, and the stripe may disappear by half. What else can affect the health of fish? These are uncomfortable conditions - heat water, bright light, absence of fellow creatures. Most often, in this case, a disease called ichthyophthyrosis, or “semolina,” may occur. Fish also have their own disease, which affects only their species - plistophorosis, or “neon disease”. The first and main symptom of this infection is fading of the stripes. This disease is only 5% curable.
In order to enjoy these pets for as long as possible, it is recommended to feed them no more than once a day, while not forgetting to create one fasting day once every 7 days. In addition, when decorating the aquarium, create certain darkened areas.
Remember that neons react very poorly to copper, so you need to carefully monitor what substances are contained in the aquarium preparations you purchase.
Blue neon - feeding HD video
100 red neons in an aquarium - HD video
The aquarium fish neon blue or ordinary (lat. Paracheirodon innesi) has long been known and very popular. With its appearance in 1930, it created a sensation and has not lost its popularity to this day.
A flock of blue neons in an aquarium creates a mesmerizing view that will not leave you indifferent.
Perhaps no other tetra fish, neither similar, nor, nor, can compete with the beauty of neon.
And besides beauty, nature has given neon a peaceful disposition and high adaptability, that is, it does not need any special care. These are the factors that made it so popular.
This little tetra is active schooling fish. They feel most comfortable in a flock of 6 or more individuals; it is in this group that the most bright colors coloring.
Neons are very peaceful and welcome inhabitants community aquariums, but they need to be kept only with medium-sized and the same peaceful fish. Small size and peaceful disposition, good helpers against predatory fish!
Blue neons look best in densely planted aquariums with dark soil. You can also add driftwood to the aquarium to create a look more similar to how they live in nature.
The water should be soft, slightly acidic, fresh and clean. Neons live about 3-4 years at good conditions in aquarium.
IN the right conditions and at good care, Neon aquarium fish are quite resistant to disease. But, nevertheless, like all fish, they can get sick; there is even a disease of aquarium fish, called neon disease or plistiphorosis.
It is expressed in the blanching of the color of the fish and further death, since, unfortunately, it cannot be treated.
Neon vulgare was first described by Gehry in 1927. They live in South America, their homeland in the region of the Paraguay, Rio Tacuari, and Brasil river basins.
In nature, blue neons prefer to inhabit slow tributaries of large rivers. These are rivers of dark water that flow through dense jungle, so that very little sunlight reaches the water.
They live in flocks, live in the middle layers of water and feed on various insects.
At the moment, neons are very widely bred for commercial purposes and are practically not caught in the wild.
Description
This is a small and slender fish. Aquarium fish blue neons grow up to 4 cm in length and they live for about 3-4 years.
As a rule, you don’t notice their death, it’s just that the flock gets smaller and smaller year after year.
Neon is distinguished primarily by a bright blue stripe running across the entire body, which makes it very noticeable.
And in contrast to it, there is a bright red stripe, which starts from the middle of the body and goes to the tail, slightly extending onto it. What can I say? Easier to see.
Difficulty in content
With a normally running and established aquarium, even novice aquarists can keep neons. They get divorced in huge quantities for sale, and accordingly acquired enormous adaptability to various conditions.
Neons are also unpretentious in nutrition and are very easy-going. But, I repeat, this is provided that everything is fine in your aquarium.
Feeding
What to feed neons? It’s enough just to feed them, they are unpretentious and eat all types of food - live, frozen, artificial.
It is important that the food is not large, since they have a rather small mouth.
Their favorite foods are bloodworms and tubifex. It is important that feeding be as varied as possible, this is how you will create conditions for health, growth, and bright neon colors.
A newly launched aquarium is not suitable for ordinary neons, as they are sensitive to changes that will occur in such an aquarium.
Start the neon only when you are sure that the aquarium has already stood and there are no vibrations in it. The water is preferably soft and acidic, pH approximately 7.0 and hardness not higher than 10 dGH.
But this is ideal, but in practice, my neons have been living in very hard water for several years. They are simply bred en masse and they already get along in very different conditions.
In nature, neons live in dark-colored water, where there are a lot of fallen leaves and roots at the bottom. It is important that there are many shaded places in the aquarium where they can hide.
Abundant thickets, snags, dark corners, floating plants - all this is great for neons. The fraction and type of soil can be any, but the color is better dark, it looks most advantageous on it.
Caring for an aquarium with neons is not particularly difficult. Warm (22-26C) and clean water is important to them.
To do this, we use a filter (both external and internal) and change the water weekly to 25% of the volume.
Compatibility
The blue neons themselves are wonderful and peaceful fish. They never bother anyone, they are peaceful, they get along with any peaceful fish.
But they can become prey to other fish, especially if it is a large and predatory fish like or.
With, and tetras.
Sex differences
It is quite simple to distinguish a neon male from a female, although the sexual differences are not clearly pronounced.
The fact is that females are noticeably fuller, this is especially visible in a flock, where males with their flat tummies look thin.
Unfortunately, this only manifests itself in adult fish, but since you need to buy a school of neons, there will still be pairs in it.
Reproduction
Breeding blue neons may not be that easy as it requires special water parameters.
For successful breeding, you need a separate aquarium with soft water - 1-2 dGH and pH 5.0 - 6.0.
The fact is that with harder water, neon eggs are not inseminated. The volume of the aquarium is small, 10 liters is enough for a couple, 20 liters for several pairs. Place a sprayer in the spawning tank with minimal current and cover it, since neons can jump out during spawning.
Cover the side walls with paper to reduce the amount of light entering the aquarium. Water temperature is 25 C. It is better to use mosses from plants, the female will lay eggs on them.
The pair is intensively fed with live food; it is advisable to keep them separately for a week or two.
When a couple is transplanted into an aquarium, there should be no light in it at all; this can be done at night, since spawning begins early in the morning. The male will chase the female, who will lay about a hundred eggs on the plants.
It is possible, and even better, to use a nylon sponge, consisting of many tangled nylon threads, instead of plants.
Immediately after spawning, the pair are removed so they can eat the eggs.
The water in the aquarium is drained to a level of 7-10 cm, and completely shaded, for example, by putting it in a closet, since caviar is very sensitive to light.
The larva from the eggs appears after 4-5 days, and after another 3 days the fry will swim. In order for it to develop normally, it needs to take a breath of air to fill its swim bladder, so make sure that there is no film on the surface of the water.
The fry are fed very small foods - ciliates and egg yolk. Water in the aquarium is gradually added, diluting it with more hard water.
It is important that there are no filters, the fry are very small and die in them.
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