Setting Up the Breeding Tank
Get a 12x8x8 inch (30x20x20 cm) tank to breed neon tetras. To breed neon tetras, you place a male and female in a separate tank that’s smaller than the main tank. Just get a tank that holds about 2 to 5 gallons (7-19 L) of water, which is about 12x8x8 inches (30x20x20 cm) big. The breeding tank is also where the neon tetra eggs incubate and hatch. Clean the tank by rinsing it with water and scrubbing the glass with a clean scrub brush. Then, dry it with a clean towel.
Fill the tank with warm, soft freshwater that’s moderately acidic. Neon tetras prefer soft freshwater (which has a low mineral content) that’s kept around 77° F (25° C). Make sure the water is moderately acidic with a pH of around 5 to 6. To get soft water, collect fresh rainwater in rain barrels. Or, run tap water through a reverse osmosis machine to remove hard minerals. Alternatively, fill the breeding tank with water from the neon tetra’s main tank. Place an aquarium heater in the tank to maintain the water temperature and a thermometer to monitor the water temperature. Test the pH of the water daily using pH test strips. To lower the pH, add peat moss to the water. To raise the pH, add baking soda. Neon tetras are freshwater fish that live in the Amazon. So, these tank conditions mirror their natural environment.
Add java moss to the tank. Java moss provides your neon tetras with cover, which helps encourage them to spawn. The moss also captures the eggs when they spawn, making them easier to see. Just cover about ¾ of the bottom of the tank with the moss. It’s okay to keep the bottom of the tank bare of a substrate. Or, cover it with 2 to 3 inches (5-7.6 cm) of rock.
Place a corner box filter in the tank. A filtration system helps remove waste products and bacteria from the aquarium, which protects the health of your neon tetras. The filter can also remove debris which keeps your aquarium looking its best. Corner box filters are ideal for breeding tanks because they are gentle.
Place the tank in a dark or low-light place. Tetras thrive in dark, shaded waters, so don’t set the tank near a sunny window or other place that gets a lot of light. Make sure the spot gets a small bit of light though, as neon tetras don’t do well in complete darkness, either. Cover the back and sides of your tank in dark paper to help block out excess light.
Breeding Adult Neon Tetras
Place an adult male and female neon tetra in the tank. Make sure the fish you choose are healthy and at least 12 weeks old, as this is when they’re old enough to breed. Set them in the breeding tank in the evening, as the dark helps them settle into the new environment and encourage spawning. To tell male and female tetras apart: Female tetras tend to be wider and fatter than male tetras. Male tetras typically have a straight stripe while females have a crooked stripe. It is not absolutely necessary to sex the tetras before you begin breeding. If you put a few fish in the tank, breeding typically occurs. Feed the adult fish as normal when they’re in the breeding tank. Neon tetras like a varied diet of flake food, bloodworms, and brine shrimp.
Cover the tank with a towel and remove it in the morning. To help trigger egg spawning, make the tank as dark as possible. Turn off any aquarium lights and overhead lights, then cover the top with a towel. In the morning, remove the towel so the tank gets light. This encourages the fish to breed.
Look for transparent eggs after 1 to 2 days. If the conditions are right, neon tetras typically spawn eggs within 24 to 48 hours of being in the breeding tank. Just look for tiny, transparent eggs at the bottom of the tank or attached to the java moss. Keep covering the tank at night and removing the towel in the morning to encourage breeding. The eggs can be difficult to see, so quickly shine a flashlight in the water to check for eggs. The eggs are sensitive to light, so don’t keep the flashlight on for long. Solid white eggs are unfertilized, so they won’t hatch into baby neon tetras.
Remove the adult tetras from the tank. As soon as you notice eggs in the breeding tank, take out the adult neon tetras and place them back in the main tank. The adults may eat the eggs if they notice them.
Wait for the baby tetras to hatch after 24 hours. After the fish spawn eggs, they typically take about 24 hours to hatch. While there may be 60 to 130 eggs in the tank, not all of them will hatch. About 40 to 50 baby tetras usually hatch from the eggs. The neon tetra babies, which are called frys, look like small splinters of glass swimming around the tank. Keep the tank covered and dark, as the frys are sensitive to light.
Adjust conditions if your neon tetras are not breeding. Check the pH and temperature of the water to make sure it’s slightly acidic and around 77° F (25° C). Test the water softness and adjust the lighting so the tank is kept fairly dark. Changing the water softness can trigger spawning because it mimics rainfall. Add more soft water to the tank if your neon tetras aren’t spawning after a few days. Don’t be discouraged if your fish don’t immediately spawn eggs. It can take some time and experimentation to get the conditions just right for your tetras.
Caring for Baby Neon Tetras
Keep the baby tetras in the dark until they develop eyes. Baby neon tetras, which are also known as frys, are sensitive to light and need a dark environment to survive. Cover the sides and tops of the tank with dark paper or a towel to keep light out. The frys usually develop eyes, which look like tiny black dots, after 2 days. You can use a dim flashlight to check on the babies, but be brief when you do so.
Feed the tetra frys infusoria when they’re 3 days old. Start feeding the frys 3 days after they hatch. Simply drop in small amounts of infusoria, paramecium, or rotifers into the tank using a pipette 2 to 3 times a day. Drop the food right in front of the frys to ensure they eat. Tetra frys aren’t great swimmers yet, so they can’t chase after their food. Infusoria, paramecium, and rotifers are microorganisms that are small enough for the frys to eat. Make your own infusoria by filling a jar with vegetables, boiling water, and aquarium water. Tetra frys eat their egg sac for the first 2 to 3 days, so they don’t need to be fed.
Give the tetras baby brine shrimp when they’re 1 to 3 weeks old. After about 1 to 3 weeks, the tetra frys are typically big enough to eat larger food like microworms and baby brine shrimp. Keep feeding them about 2 to 3 times per day so they grow big and healthy. Baby tetras can grow at different rates, so they might not be big enough to eat shrimp and worms after 1 to 3 weeks. Keep feeding them infusoria and add a few shrimp or worms each week until you notice them eating the larger food. Alternatively, feed your baby tetras fry food. Check the labels on the food to see if it’s suitable for tetras, or ask your local pet store for assistance.
Change the water daily. To keep the neon tetra frys healthy and growing, change out 15% to 20% of the water each day. Carefully scoop or siphon out the water, making sure you don’t pick up any baby tetras. Then, pour in clean, warm water. Make sure the fresh water is around 77° F (25° C) and has a pH of 5 to 6.
Transfer the baby tetras to a larger tank after 4 to 5 weeks. After about 4 to 5 weeks of growth, the baby neon tetras typically need a bigger tank to spread out and keep growing. Simply pour the current container of water into a 10 to 15-gallon (38-57 L) tank. Slowly fill the tank with soft warm water that’s slightly acidic over the next few days. The baby tetras’ neon stripes typically start forming when they’re about 1 month old.
Introduce the baby tetras to the main tank after 3 months. After about 3 months, the baby neon tetras are big enough to place in the tank with your adult neon tetras and be cared for normally. Do not place them in the tank before 3 months, as the adults might eat or bully them. Keep in mind that it’s normal for some baby tetras to die as they develop and grow. Note: Don’t overfill your tank with tetras. A good rule of thumb is to limit your tank to 2 inches (5 cm) of fish per 1 gallon (3.7 L) of water. To find out how many tetras your tank holds, divide the tank size by 2. If you have a 50-gallon (190 L) tank, it can hold 25 tetras.
Find homes for extra neon tetras, if necessary. If you have more neon tetras than you can accommodate, ask your friends and family if they’re interested in having some. Just make sure your friends have the appropriate equipment, resources, and information to care for the fish. Alternatively, call your local pet store to ask if they’re interested in purchasing your tetras. Or, post them for sale online, like on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Neon tetras typically sell for $0.11 and $0.30 per fish.
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