1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful, active mid-water shoaler; very forgiving for beginners.
389 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful, active mid-water shoaler; very forgiving for beginners.
Flakes, micro-pellets, frozen foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
How hard to tell: Moderate
Tip: Compare in a group
From the checked notes: “Mature females are noticeably deeper-bodied and a little larger than males.” Numbers sit on the part of the body each difference is about. Tap a picture to see it bigger.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer · Moderate
Egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care; adults in good condition spawn often.
Buy a group of 6-8 and let them pair up; condition on live foods.
10-20 L tank with soft, slightly acidic water and fine mops or moss. Dim light.
Slightly acid, soft water with a bit warmer temperature and plenty of conditioning foods.
One female can produce several hundred eggs; eggs hatch in about 24-30 hours.
Feed infusoria or green water for days 1-3, then newly hatched brine shrimp and microworms. Keep light low early on. Grow out in a larger tank once fish are about 1 cm.
Described by Géry in 1961 and named after the American publisher Herbert R. Axelrod. It has a white stripe above a black band. Despite the name it belongs to a different genus (Hyphessobrycon) from the neon tetra (Paracheirodon).
French ichthyologist Jacques Géry described the black neon in 1961, giving it a scientific name honouring Herbert Axelrod. It comes from the Pantanal region of Brazil, not from the Amazon like the true neon. Hardy and easy to breed, it has been a steady favourite in community tanks ever since.
First described by Jacques Géry in 1961. Named for Named after aquarium publisher Herbert R. Axelrod.
16 facts checked with sources
Described by Géry, 1961. No recent rename. Seriously Fish notes Hyphessobrycon as currently recognised is polyphyletic, so a future genus change is possible.
FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraLegacy has no family. Subfamily Hyphessobryconinae. Melo et al. 2024 (Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 202(1), "Phylogenomics of Characidae") split the old Characidae; FishBase now places this species in Acestrorhamphidae (American tetras). Seriously Fish still says Characidae. Suggest showing 'Acestrorhamphidae (American tetras; formerly Characidae)'.
FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraBoth figures are SL (standard length): FishBase 3.2 cm SL, Seriously Fish 3.5 cm SL. Total length would be roughly 4 cm, so the legacy 4 cm is fine as a total-length figure.
FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetra · Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiSeriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) gives 20-28; FishBase 23-27. Legacy 22-28 is only slightly narrower at the low end.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraLegacy range lies within Seriously Fish 5.0-7.5 and equals FishBase.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraLegacy has no hardness; sourced value recorded (Seriously Fish 1-12 dGH; FishBase up to 15).
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetra80 x 30 cm base x 30 cm height = 72,000 cm³ = 72 L. FishBase says a tank of at least 60 cm (60 x 30 x 30 = 54 L). Legacy 60 L is below the Seriously Fish minimum.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiFishBase: groups of 5 or more. Seriously Fish also recommends adding other schooling species.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiMiddle and upper layers.
FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraSeriously Fish difficulty rating is "Easy"; it lists hardiness as unknown.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiLegacy has no range (its story says "Brazilian", which is correct). Seriously Fish adds records from the upper Taquari and Sepotuba basins and a feral population in the Paraíba do Sul basin (Minas Gerais).
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraAgrees with legacy (males slimmer, females fuller).
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiSoft water is not stated as a requirement on Seriously Fish; it recommends a dim, separate tank with mesh or marbles on the bottom for higher yields.
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodiLegacy 50-150 eggs looks low; Wikipedia (citing Alderton 2019) says several hundred. Hatch time 24-30 h (FishBase) vs legacy 24-36 h.
Wikipedia: Black neon tetra (cites Alderton, Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, 2019, p. 98) · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetraLegacy says "white-green stripe" and "hardy"; sources say white above black, and Seriously Fish lists hardiness as unknown, so those words were dropped. "Not closely related to the neon tetra" holds: FishBase puts it in subfamily Hyphessobryconinae, the neon tetra in Megalamphodinae. IUCN: Least Concern (assessed 2018, per FishBase).
Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi · Wikipedia: Black neon tetra (cites Fishkeeper.co.uk) · FishBase: Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Black neon tetra