Green Neon | Hemigrammus hyanuary

SYN: None
PD: The body color is silver to olive green. An iridescent yellow to green stripe extends from the snout to the base of its tail. A black band runs below this stripe, extending from the tail to about mid way across the body. A silver to orange patch can be found above the stripe at the base of the tail. The fins are transparent.
SIZE: To 1.6" (4 cm)
SS: Boeseman's Tetra ( Hemigrammus boesemani), Golden Neon Tetra ( H. levis)
HAB: South America; in Lake Hyanuary near Manuas in Brazil. Now most are captive bred in Singapore.
S: bottom, middle
TANK: 20" (50 cm) or 10 gallons (39 L). The tank should be well-planted with open areas left for free-swimming. The tank should be in a position to receive early morning sunshine.
WATER: pH 6-7.5 (7.0); 6-15 dH (10); 72-82�F (22-28�C)
SB: A peaceful fish that is recommended for a community tank. Likes to shoal, so keep in groups of five or more individuals. A lively fish.
SC: See H. erythrozonus.
FOOD: Flake; live; insect larvae, Brine Shrimp, Tubifex, small aquatic insects.
SEX: The male is slimmer and smaller, and has small hook on anal fin
B: Use water with a pH of 6.0, 4 dH, and a temperature from 75-79�F (24-26�C). Will spawn at night in a breeding tank with soft water among fine-leafed plants. The eggs hatch after 24-32 hours and the fry are free-swimming after 2 or 3 days. Feed with micro-organisms and crushed flakes after the egg sac is consumed. The fry water should be changed weekly.
BP: 7. A moderately difficult fish to breed.
R: The iris of the Green Neon develops into a bright green color when mature. This fish needs regular water changes to thrive. Use a good water conditioner. This species is easily caught in net because of small hooks on the anal fin.
DC: 4. A hardy fish, once acclimated, as long as it is kept under a regime of frequent partial water changes.

Recent articles about fish

Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.

Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.

Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.

Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.