Neon Tetra Identification Guide

The Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a small, iconic schooling fish easily confused with the Cardinal Tetra.

Key identification features

• Tiny, slender body, about 3-4 cm.
• A brilliant iridescent blue-green horizontal stripe running from the nose to the adipose fin.
• A red stripe on the rear half of the body only, from mid-body to the tail.
• A translucent, silvery lower body.

Neon vs. Cardinal Tetra

• The red stripe is the key: on a Neon, red covers only the back half; on a Cardinal Tetra, red runs the full length of the body.
• Cardinals are also slightly larger and deeper-bodied.

Where you'll see one

Neon Tetras are aquarium fish native to the blackwater streams of the Amazon basin and are kept in schools. A small fish with a neon-blue stripe and red only on the rear half is a Neon Tetra; full-length red means it is a Cardinal.