Acestrorhamphidae

neon tetra

Paracheirodon innesi

Bright body in blackwater

• Tropical
• Southern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• South America
• Small
• Tropical fish

The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins, of the order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater and clearwater streams in the Amazon basin of South America. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity among freshwater fish hobbyists, with neon tetras being one of the most widely kept tropical fish in the world.