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Hemigrammus erythrozonus, also known as glowlight tetra are small tropical fish that is found in the wild in Essequibo River, Guyana, South America. It is silver in colour and a bright iridescent orange to red stripe extends from the snout to the base of its tail. The front part of the dorsal fins are the same color as the stripe. Other fins are silver to transparent. Glowlight tetras are peaceful and shoaling fish. It is slightly larger than the neon tetra, and its peaceful disposition makes it an ideal, and popular community tank fish. They should be kept with similar sized and non-aggressive species.
They are a medium size tetra growing to up to 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 inches), notably larger than both neon tetras and cardinal tetras. They have a life span of 2 to 4 years when kept in good conditions.
Glowlights are omnivorous, they eat small live, frozen and dry foods. The feeding of vegetable matter is suggested to vary the diet of the glowlight tetra.
Glo lights, glo-light tetras, and glolights are alternative names. H. gracilus is old scientific name. Red-line rasbora ( Rasbora pauciperforata) of Malaysia and Indonesia are different species with similar coloring. Glowlight tetras are readily available and are usually very inexpensive. There is a golden glowlight tetra and albino glowlight variety being offered for sale too.

Water conditions
They are best seen in the aquarium if kept in subdued lighting with dark substrate – background. They can be kept in tanks 20L or larger, 50L being ideal. The water should be soft to slightly hard. d°GH of 6° to 15°. Use a slightly acidic pH of 6.8 in the range 6.0 – 7.5. The prefer a temperature of 25 °C in the range of 22° – 28° °C (72° – 82 °F). The hardiness of this tetra variety allows it to easily adapt to harder water, although soft water is essential if you intend to breed this variety.

Shoaling
Like all small tetras, glowlights (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) are happiest, most active, and most aesthetically pleasing when in a shoal. A minimum aquarium length of 60 cm will make them more comfortable when swimming. Glowlights prefer a well planted tank for hiding, but with some open water for free swimming. They should be a group of at least four with eight or more to make them feel secure. They tend to swim in smaller groups when a potential predator is present and swim freely when comfortable. They are often bought by aquarium owners to play a ‘second fiddle’ role to the neon tetra. Although they generally shoal separately from neons and cardinal tetras, they will often shoal alongside the latter, making an arresting visual spectacle. Listed as medium-level swimmers, glowlight tetras tend to stay about an 3 cm off the bottom except when fed when they come up to the top.

Gender
Like most tetras, females are larger and more fat bodied than the more slender male. It may be hard to tell male from female until the fish are fully mature and females fill with eggs.

Breeding
Glowlight tetras breed similarly as most egg-scattering small fish. They have been bred in captivity as moderate level of difficulty. A small 40L all glass tank with soft water hardness up to 8°dGH is needed for breeding. Carbonate hardness should not be higher that 1°dCH. Water temperature should be kept between 26 and 28 °C. Adding peat to the tank or filter will soften water and make it slightly acidic. The tank should have dim or no lighting. They spawn over fine-leaved plants. Java moss, Fontinalis and Vesicularia dubyana are suggested. 1 cm glass beads or a spawning grate may help at the bottom to protect eggs from being eaten by adults.
Feeding the pair with live foods for a few weeks can help induce spawning. The pair should be kept separately and put in the breeding tank in the afternoon hours only when the female seems ready. At the end of each spawning act, both fish turn upside down and the female ejects the eggs in this position. Usually 120-150 eggs are dropped in plants and on the bottom. Parents should be removed after spawning. If no spawning occurs in a few days, remove them and reclean the tank and try the process over again.
The eggs are light sensitive, so the breeding tank should be as dark as possible. Some believe the light contributes greatly to the eggs fungusing, though fungusing has more to do with cleanness of tank and water conditions. The fry will hatch in 20 to 25 hours. They should look like small slivers of glass. Fry can be feed with, infusoria, paramecium culture, crushed flakes and rotifers. By the 4th day should be introduced very small portion of newly hatched brine shrimp. Young consume relatively large pieces of live food such as nauplii of brine shrimp. Later microworms can be added to the diet. Live food has the advantage of less pollution in the water, in case not consumed immediately.
Bottom sediment should always be removed and regular water changes done during the rearing period in order to avoid an accumulation of ammonium and nitrates which can be toxic to the fry. Although large quantities of fry will incubate in waters of low hardness, most of the fry may soon contract non-infectious, constitutional dropsy, and die within a short time. Those who survive will grow well. By the 12th day, they will show signs of a silver coloring. At three weeks of age, the fry will start showing their characteristic orange line and will be a size of about 1 cm. By two months they will be about 2 cm.

Tankmates
The Glowlight tetra can be kept with fish with long fins such as Betta splendens.They are one of the more peaceful tetras.It is not recommended they be kept with anything larger than a Blue gourami, but successful attempts have been recorded. They can be housed with fairly sizeable herbivorous fish like pacus or plecostomus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemigrammus_erythrozonus

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The cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Orinoco and Negro Rivers in South America.
Growing to about 3 cm (1.25 in) total length, the cardinal tetra has the striking iridescent blue line characteristic of the Paracheirodon species laterally bisecting the fish, with the body below this line being bright red in color. The cardinal tetra’s appearance is similar to that of the closely related neon tetra, with which it is often confused; the neon’s red coloration extends only about halfway to the nose, however.

A shoal of P. axelrodi in an aquarium.

The cardinal tetra is a very popular aquarium fish but is less widespread than the neon tetra because until recently it was difficult to breed in captivity. However, many breeders are now producing the fish; in most cases one can determine if the cardinal tetra is bred or wild caught due to damaged fins on wild caught specimens. Normally aquarists prefer to buy tank bred fish but some Brazilian ichthyologists believe that fishkeepers should continue to support the sustainable Cardinal fishery of the Amazon basin, since thousands of people are employed in the region to source fish for the aquarium trade. The fear is that if the fishermen didn’t catch Cardinals, they could turn their attentions to deforestation. (This doesn’t seem to pose an environmental concern as the fish is very common in the wild.)
The fish is also effectively an annual species and has a lifespan of just a single year in nature. It lives for several years in captivity.[citation needed]
An entire industry is in place in Barcelos on the banks of Brazil‘s Rio Negro in which the local population catches fish for the aquarium trade. The cardinal fishery here is highly valued by the local people who act as stewards for the environment. The local people do not become involved in potentially environmentally damaging activities, such as deforestation, because they can make a sustainable living from the fishery.
Perhaps due to their wild-caught origins, cardinal tetras tend to be somewhat delicate in captivity. In the wild, these fish inhabit extremely soft, acidic waters, but seem to be tolerant of harder, more alkaline water conditions; a greater concern is probably polluted tank water (including high nitrate levels.) They prefer warmer water temperatures (in the upper 70s F or warmer), and will readily accept most forms of dry food. Captive-bred cardinals tend to adapt to hard water better than wild-caught cardinals.
P. axelrodi is also often called the red neon tetra. Cheirodon axelrodi (the original name) and Hyphessobrycon cardinalis are obsolete synonyms. The fish’s common name, cardinal tetra, refers to the brilliant red coloration, reminiscent of a cardinal‘s robes. The specific epithet honors ichthyologist Herbert R. Axelrod.

Aquarium maintenance
Given the origins of the cardinal tetra, namely blackwater rivers whose chemistry is characterised by an acidic pH, low mineral content and the presence of humic acids, the species is adaptable to a wide range of conditions in captivity, though deviation from the soft, acidic water chemistry of their native range will impact severely upon breeding and fecundity. The preferred temperature range of the fish is 21°C to 28°C, and an aquarium containing these fishes should be well filtered, in order to remove assorted pollutants: in particular, a well established biological filter that controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates is beneficial. If the intention of the aquarist is to breed the species in captivity, then the water chemistry of the aquarium water should match that of the wild habitat – filtration of the aquarium water over peat is one means of achieving this.
As the species is a shoaling species in the wild, groups of six or more individuals should be maintained in an aquarium. They will shoal with their close cousins neon tetras however, so a combination of these two species totalling at least six should suffice. Tank currents can help encourage shoaling behavior. The larger the numbers present in an aquarium (subject to the usual constraints imposed by space and filtration efficiency), the better, and large shoals in any case form an impressive and visually stunning display.
The species will feed upon a wide range of aquarium foods, though again, conditioning fishes of this species for breeding will usually require the use of live foods such as Daphnia.
Aquarium furnishings should be planned with some care. Live aquatic plants, as well as providing an additional biological filtration component that assists with nitrate management in the aquarium, provide an environment that resembles at least part of the wild habitat, and fine-leaved plants such as Cabomba are usually the plants of choice, though other plants such as Amazon Swordplants and Vallisneria are equally suitable for an aquarium housing the cardinal tetra. Floating plants providing shade will also be welcomed by the species: this is connected with the breeding of the fish, which will now be covered. A perfect biotope to promote breeding, would be lots of bogwood, a few live native plants, with dark substrate and subdued lighting with floating plants. With this add 5+ Hatchets, 15+ Cardinals, ottocinclus & corydoras catfish (2 each per 10 gallons).
The species exists in a number of different colour forms or phenotypes. A “gold” and “silver-blonde” form exist in the Rio Negro drainage which have less blue in the longitudinal stripe. The normal form from the Rio Negro drainage has a blue stripe which extends to the adipose fin, while the Orinoco drainage phenotype has a stripe which stops posteriorly of the adipose. The Orinoco phenotype may represent a subspecies of P. axelrodi.

Breeding
The cardinal tetra, in the wild, swims upstream in large numbers to parts of its native river habitat that are completely enclosed above by rainforest canopy. Such waters are subject to heavy shading by the rainforest trees, and virtually no sunlight reaches them. Here, the fishes spawn in large aggregations. In the aquarium, a single pair can be conditioned for breeding, but the breeding aquarium not only needs to contain water with the correct chemical parameters cited above: the breeding aquarium needs to be heavily shaded to mimic the low light conditions of the fish’s native spawning grounds. If the fishes are ready to spawn, the male, which will be the slimmer of the two fishes in outline, will pursue the female into fine-leaved plants: her fuller outline, which usually indicates the presence of ripe eggs within her reproductive tract, should be readily apparent at this point. If the female is ready, she will allow the male to swim alongside her, and together, the pair will release eggs and sperm.
Apart from the stringent requirements with respect to water chemistry, one of the major difficulties mitigating against success in captive breeding of the species is the nature of the newly laid and fertilised eggs. The eggs of the cardinal tetra are photosensitive, and will die if exposed to bright light. Consequently, after spawning, the fishes should be removed and the aquarium covered to darken it, thus providing the developing eggs with the conditions necessary for development.

Development
If the eggs are fertile, and kept in darkened surroundings, they will hatch in approximately 3 days at 28°C. Free swimming fry remain photosensitive for at least the first 7 days of life, and need to be introduced to increasing light levels on a gradual basis. During this time, they are approximately 4 mm in length, and require infusoria or liquid fry food. Newly hatched brine shrimp and other similar live foods such as sifted Daphnia can be fed to the growing fry at between 7 and 14 days of age. Growth continues at a modest rate, and the fishes assume full adult colouration only after a period of approximately 8 to 12 weeks, depending upon quality of food and aquarium water.
The characteristic iridescence of this and related fishes such as the neon tetra is a structural colour, caused by refraction of light within guanine crystals that develop within special cells called iridocytes in the subcutaneous layer. The exact shade of blue that is seen will depend upon the viewing angle of the aquarist relative to the fish – if the aquarist changes viewpoint so as to look at the fish from the substrate upwards, the colour will change hue, becoming more deeply sapphire blue and even indigo. Change the viewpoint to one above the fishes, however, and the colour becomes more greenish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_tetra

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The black neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. It is native to the Paraguay basin of southern Brazil.
This species is of typical elongated tetra appearance; it is of plain basic coloration but with two distinct, adjacent longitudinal stripes, white above black. The eye has two thin but distinctive color bands across the top, red above yellow. It grows to a maximum overall length of approximately 4 cm (1.5 in). Despite its common name, it does not particularly resemble the neon tetra, which belongs to a different genus.
The fish’s natural diet consist of small invertebrates and plants.
H. herbertaxelrodi is commonly kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists.
The black neon tetra is sometimes called the black tetra, but that name more properly refers to a different species, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi.

In the Aquarium
Black neon tetras should be kept in soft acidic water, which should be kept clean at all times. Their tank should contain live plants, a darker substrate and open water for swimming. Black neons should be kept in groups of at least 4-6 other black neon tetras.
These fish swim at the top level of the aquarium, and do not feed from the bottom of the tank. Therefore it is recommended that they are kept with other bottom dwelling fish (such as a pygmy corydoras) so that leftover food is then eaten up off the substrate and not left to waste.
Black neon tetras can be fed a variety of foods, including flake, frozen and freeze dried food. Small live foods like worms and brine shrimp are also recommended as they bring out the fish’s colours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_neon_tetra

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The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimões. Fish are collected in warm-flowing (21–29°C) clear and blackwater streams, but never in whitewater rivers of Andean origin. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity as a tropical fish.

In the aquarium
The Neon Tetra was first imported from South America and was described by renowned ichthyologist Dr. George S. Myers in 1936, and named after Dr. William T. Innes. P. innesi is one of the most popular aquarium fish, having been bred in tremendous numbers for the trade. Most neon tetras available in the United States are imported from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand, where they are farm raised, or to a lesser extent (Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, where they are collected from the wild. During a single month, an average of 1.8 million neon tetras with an estimated value of $175,000 are imported into the United States for the aquarium trade. [1] With the exception of home aquarists and a few commercial farms that breed neon tetras experimentally, captive breeding on a commercial scale is nonexistent in the United States.
While commercially bred neon tetras have adapted well to a wide range of water conditions, in the wild they inhabit very soft, slightly acidic waters. Neon Tetras have a lifespan of about five years but can live 10 years or more with the proper conditions.[citation needed]
Neon tetras are considered easy to keep in a community aquarium of at least 10 gallons, with a pH of 5.0–7.0 and KH of 1.0–2.0. However, they will not tolerate dramatic changes to their environment. They tend to be timid and, because of their small size, should not be kept with large or aggressive fish who may bully or simply eat them. Fish that mix well in an aquarium are other types of tetras, such as the rummy-nose tetra, cardinal tetra, and glowlight tetra, and other community fish that live well in an ideal Tetra water condition. Mid-level feeders, they are best kept in schools of five to eight or more, for the “shoaling” effect when they move around the tank. They shoal naturally in the wild and are thus happier, more brightly colored, and more active when kept as a shoal as opposed to singly. Their colour and the iridescent stripe may become dim at night, and can be virtually invisible after a period of darkness. The color may also fade during a period of stress, such as human intervention into the tank. Neons are best kept in a densely planted tank with subdued light and an ideal temperature of 20–24°C (68–74°F) to resemble their native Amazon environment.

Nutrition
Neon tetras are omnivores and will accept most flake foods, but should also have some small foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and micro pellet food to supplement their diet.

Breeding
The male is slender, and the blue line is straighter. The female is rounder, producing a bent blue line. Some say that the females look plumper when viewed from above but this is disputed. However, the ‘straightness’ of the line and the plumpness of the female might occasionally be due to the eggs she is carrying. To breed Neon Tetras, place a pair of the species in a breeding tank without any light, and gradually increase the lighting until spawning occurs. Other inducers include mosquito larvae and a hardness of less than 4 degrees. Some also recommend letting the level of nitrates rise, then do at least 50% water change to simulate the fresh rain the tetras get in their natural habitat, the Amazon. It is recommended that everything you place in the aquarium be sterilized, as well as the aquarium top. Because the adults will often eat newly-hatched fry, it is best to remove them as soon as the eggs have been laid. The eggs are especially sensitive to light. Eggs will hatch within 24 hours of the laying. Fry can be fed rotifers, especially infusoria and egg yolk for 1 to 4 weeks, followed by nauplii of brine shrimp, shaved cattle liver, and formulated diets. Fry will achieve their adult coloration at approximately one month of age. Adults can spawn every two weeks!

Unfortunately, neon tetras are occasionally afflicted by the so-called “Neon Tetra Disease” (NTD) or Pleistophora which is usually fatal to the fish, and currently without a cure. This sporozoan disease is caused by Pleistophora hyphessobryconis.
The disease cycle begins when microsporidian parasite spores enter the fish after it consumes infected material such as the bodies of a dead fish, or live food such as tubifex, which may serve as intermediate hosts. The disease is most likely to be passed on from newly acquired fish, which have not been quarantined.
Symptoms: restlessness
Fish begins to lose coloration.
As cysts develop, the body may become lumpy.
Fish has difficulty swimming.
In advanced cases the spine may become curved.
Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating.
Note that there is a so-called “false neon disease“, which is bacterial, and shows very similar symptoms. It is impossible for the home aquarist to determine for certain the difference between NTD and false NTD on the basis of visible symptoms alone, without laboratory backup. This disease has also been confused with Columnaris (mouth rot, mouth fungus, ‘flex’).
To date, there is no known cure: the only ‘treatment’ is the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish, but no way to save the diseased fish. The use of a diatom filter, which can reduce the number of free parasites in the water, may help.

Related species and other “neon tetra”
The green neon tetra (P. simulans) and black neon tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) are distinct species—the latter belong to an altogether different genus—and not color varieties. The cardinal tetra (P. axelrodi)—also sometimes called the red neon—is a very similar species, and is often confused with the true neon tetra. In a domestic aquarium, the two species will school together. It is distinguished by a lateral red stripe that runs the length of its body. Hyphessobrycon innesi, on the other hand, is an obsolete synonym for P. innesi, the neon tetra itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_tetra

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