Neon tetras are amazing fish that can add a brilliant dash of color to any aquarium. Their social nature also adds a sense of dynamism. Their small size also makes them great for a compact aquarium and no other fish is perhaps as suited to a planted tank as the neon tetra. All of this makes this fish really popular in the aquarium trade. Despite this, quite a few aspects of this fish are shrouded in mystery and one of them is its lifespan. Let’s shine some light on just that.
How Long Do Neon Tetras Live?
Even though this question might seem simple, it is not quite so when it comes to the answer. There can be a lot of variabilities and most of this is down to where the fish is sourced from.
As with any fish, Neon Tetras can either be wild-caught or captive-bred. In the wild, these fish can live for 8 years and in some cases, they can even live for as long as 10 years. However, replicating this in the home aquarium is next to impossible irrespective of whether they are sourced from the wild or bred in captivity.
Wild-caught populations can be prone to be stressed out in transit. If they survive being transported and going through all the transit hoops that their shipment has to go through before they can reach your local fish store and then your home, they can be incredibly vulnerable to even slight fluctuations in the water parameters. These fish, generally only survive for 3-4 years in the home aquarium.
Captive-bred Neon Tetras can be slightly hardier when it comes to the initial acclimatization stage but a lack of genetic diversity can make them prone to fatal diseases in the long run. On average, captive-bred Neon Tetra lives for about 5 years in the home setup.
What Impacts A Neon Tetras Lifespan?
Getting these fish to live for even five years can be a big challenge though. A lot of factors can affect their lifespan as detailed below.
The Source
The first is the condition in which you receive the fish for the first time. If they are too stressed out, then chances are quite high that they won’t even make it past a few days. That is why it is extremely important to get your Neon Tetras from a good source. The acclimatization process will always be stressful for them no matter how carefully it is carried out. If the fish are already under a lot of stress then they won’t be able to live long enough to get adjusted to their new environment.
Water Parameters
Getting your fish from a good source, however, is just the beginning. Even when properly acclimated, many hobbyists fail to keep these tetras alive for more than a year. This is because of how sensitive these fish are to fluctuations in water conditions. Every time they end up being subjected to less than ideal conditions or fluctuations, their health deteriorates in a cumulative manner. Once this crosses a certain threshold, the fish just die off almost as if they had no reason to.
Disease
Disease is the final killer of these amazing fish. The infamous Neon Tetra Disease is so potent that it has no cure and it causes fatality in these fish without exception. The only way to avoid this disease is by keeping the tank as clean as possible and by properly quarantining new additions.
Getting Neon Tetras to live for five years or even more can seem like a massive challenge but it doesn’t have to be that way. As long as you source these fish from a reputable breeder or store and you are steadfast with your maintenance schedule, you should be able to enjoy years of companionship with these small but amazing gems of the freshwater world.
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