The neon tetra is a small schooling fish that is a very active community fish. They are not aggressive and are not known to be tail biters. The most popular neon are those that add a touch of red, white and blue to your tank but there is a less popular orange neon.
Neons do need some sort of air supply be it from an air pump or filter. You do not want to have too strong of a filter because the neon is not very big, max size being around 1/5 inches long, and can easily be sucked onto the filter and killed.
Neons do eat regular flake food so you will have to watch and see if your betta is a flake food eater. If he is, this can cause abdominal swelling. It is not life threatening to the betta but he will not be at his health peek. If this does happen, try feeding the betta first as the pellets are too large for the neons mouth.
Neons are indigenous to South America and prefer warmer waters, much like the betta. Both the betta and the neon like water temperatures in the 70s. They do not like bright lights in the tank and the pH should be around 6.5, very close to the betta’s preference. The neon also lives in waters that are often freshened up by rain so this means the frequent water changes the betta needs is also healthy for the neon.
It is best to have a school of neons of four or more which is why you should have at least a 10 gallon tank. They stick together and add quite the dance to the tank.
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