“Old days”

July 2012 August 2012 November 2012

                                                 

Neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characin family.
Although they are one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fishes chosen by fish lovers, but they are definitely not an easy species to rear! (I indirectly killed at least 5 before having them save with me!)
The living condition of Neon tetra species must be: 
-Temperature of between 20 and 26°C
-pH level 6.0 to 7.8 (Best is to get yourself a test kit to test the aquarium water once a week)
- Living together with at least five neons as they are timid and small sized. In their actual habitat, they normal swim in schools of neons. If they are living alone with other tropical fishes/aggressive fishes, they will die due to stress, hide behind the plants, refuse to eat, restless or rather try ways to jump of out the tank to commit suicide.
Commonly the fishes that mix well in an aquarium are guppies, other types of tetras, such as the rummy-nose tetra, cardinal tetra, and glowlight tetra, and other community fish that live well in an ideal tetra water condition.

Neon tetras are omnivores and will accept most flake foods, if sufficiently small, but should also have some small foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, which can be stuck to the side of the aquarium, and micropellet food.
Breeding:
The male (lower) is slender, and the blue line is straighter. The female (higher)is rounder, producing a bent blue line.
Diseases:
This is one of the most common disease that neon tetras will have. Freshwater Ich, Scientific term: Ichthyophthirius
In the early stages of the disease, fish are likely to flash and rub against objects because of the irritation. At a later, advanced stage they will become lethargic and spend most of their time sitting on the bottom.

The causative agent of white spot disease is ciliate and protozoan. This critter goes under the thin upper layers of fishes skin, gills and fins. These irritations cause the host to produce extra body slime, showin the visible white spots we identify with ich. In massive infestations, large sections of the upper layers of skin are sloughed off and the gill filaments become anemic and necrotic... ultimately appearing yellow to gray and slimy.
    Ichthyophthirius is a parasite with a direct life cycle,does not require intermediate host like a bird, snail, etc The time per generation is temperature dependent, ranging from a few days for tropical to a few weeks for temperate settings. Starting with a stage feeding (call trophonts) on its fish host:
A) The fully developed adult larvae leaves the fish, drops to the bottom and forms a cyst (called tomonts).
B) Becomes attached to and transmissible by any wet object. For about a day at 78 degrees F. reproduction occurs by binary fission; that is, by each cell dividing into two, until as many as 2,000 individuals are formed.
C) These break out of the cyst and swim (called tomites/theronts) in search of a host fish, which they must find within 3 to 4 days at about 78 F. or will die.

PS.To be honest, my neon tetras once got infected by the idiots too, however i was able to cure them in time. Phew~ I will share some of the methods to cure in my next post:)