Moderate
Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
20–26°C
£2.99
Neon Tetra for Sale UK
Neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) in shoal-size groups — the classic community fish for 60-litre tanks and up, kept at 20–26 °C. Arrive alive or replaced.
- Check the listing for the exact sale unit and current price
- Match adult size, water needs and social behaviour
- Prepare a fully cycled aquarium before arrival
Current delivery and offer information
Follow each link for the latest terms before ordering.
Current Neon Tetra listings
Before you choose from this collection
Neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) are 3 cm shoaling fish that need a mature, fully cycled tank at least 60 cm long, 20-26°C water and a school of ten or more. They cost from about £2.40 per fish here and are sold individually, so you can order the exact school size; never make them the first fish in a brand-new tank.
Captive-bred neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) plus the gold and diamond colour variants, sold individually so you can order exactly the school size you want. The blue-and-red shoal that defines the planted community tank.
One honest caveat: neons want a mature, fully cycled tank — adding them to a brand-new setup is the single most common way they're lost. Get the tank settled first, then add a proper school of ten or more at 20-26°C, and they'll reward you for years.
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Frequently asked questions
From about £2.40 per fish, with gold and diamond variants slightly higher. Since neons must live in schools of ten or more, budget for the full group up front — a school of 10-15 is the standard order, and mixed sizes settle in together without any trouble.
Ten is the working minimum, 15-20 is where they properly come alive. Small groups hide and wash out; a real school shoals tightly, swims boldly in open water, and the blue stripe glows visibly brighter. In a 40-litre tank or larger, more is always better.
On a neon the red stripe runs only the rear half of the body; on a cardinal it runs nose to tail. Neons are the hardier of the two and happy slightly cooler (20-26°C), while cardinals prefer warmer, softer water. Both must be kept in schools.
Yes, with one rule: never make them the first fish in a new tank. Neons are sensitive to the ammonia swings of an uncycled setup. Cycle the tank, run it a few weeks with hardier fish or fishless, then add the school — kept this way they're genuinely easy.
Small, peaceful company: rasboras, ember tetras, corydoras, otocinclus, cherry shrimp and honey gouramis all work well. Avoid adult angelfish — in the wild, neon-sized characins are literally what they eat — and any fish with a mouth big enough to try.
Ten to twelve neon tetras suit a filtered, cycled 60-litre tank on their own, or eight alongside a few small companions. Never fewer than six — they school for security and only show their best colour in a group. Stock in two batches a couple of weeks apart so the filter keeps up.
Watch: Neon Tetra in 60 seconds
Short clips from our own channel — the things keepers most often get wrong, answered in a minute.
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