So that's three colours compared to only two in the Cardinal. Neon tetras work well with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8, while cardinal tetras survive best in a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Neon tetras appreciate blackwater water quality conditions. Neon Tetras do best in soft acidic water with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 and a hardness level of 5 to 10 dGH. Neon Tetra Aquarium Fish are easier to transport than Cardinal Tetras, which makes it much easier to find Neon Tetras as compared to Cardinal Tetras. Hence, they are classified as two separate species.
We shall learn more about them through a neon tetra vs cardinal tetra comparison. The Cardinal Tetra and the Green/False Neon have 26 and 25 chromosomes respectively, while the common neon tetra has 16. Other than that, neon tetras and cardinal tetras do have that same spindle body shape with a rounded nose. The Neon Tetra is smaller than the Cardinal Tetra and the blue and red does not run the length of their body.
However, despite their appearance, interbreeding between neon tetra and cardinal tetra is unsuccessful. Cardinal Tetra Overview.
They are also a bit smaller than Cardinal Tetras, rarely reaching an adult size of more than 1 inch. Instead, Neon Tetras often feature a blue head and a red tail. These two tetras are very similar in appearance, but the Cardinal Tetra is a bit more gaudy with red coloring that runs the whole length of its body rather than just the back half. Though you do have a huge choice to select from, the tetras are the most popular ones. Most of all its such a great name and everybody knows the Neon Tetra even non-aquarists.
Neon vs. Cardinal
Among tetras too you have many options but neon tetras and cardinal tetras are the favorites of most aquarists. Neon Tetra Aquarium Fish are easier to transport than Cardinal Tetras, which makes it much easier to find Neon Tetras as compared to Cardinal Tetras.
Blackwater refers to the soft dark water created by the accumulation of decaying leaves in slow moving and still waters. Although both cardinal tetras and neon tetras thrive in acidic water, their other tank water necessities aren’t similar. Neon Tetra vs Cardinal Tetra Both neon tetra and cardinal tetra are beautiful small tropical fish species that have very similar appearances. The Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) is a social fish from the Characidae family.They are sometimes referred to as Red Neon Tetra due to their similarity to the famous Neon Tetra.. Cardinal Tetras are growing in popularity … Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi, Schlutz, 1956) is one of three representatives of Paracheirodon genus, that includes neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi, Myers, 1936) and green neon tetra (Paracheirodon simulans, Géry, 1963)..
They are also roughly the same size, although cardinal tetras may be a bit smaller. Neon tetras appreciate blackwater water quality conditions.
Neon Tetra In several ways, the Neon Tetra is different than the Cardinal Tetra, but they both have the similar appearance. I mentioned four "neon" tetra.
The physical difference between neon and cardinal tetras is that the lower red stripe on the cardinal tetra extends across the full length on their body, whereas with the neon tetra it stops about halfway. Fink & Weitzman (1977) placed it in the genus Paracheirodon with the two other neon species, and subsequent DNA analysis has confirmed this placement. In theory, both fish can survive in about 5.8-6.2 pH, but it’s a 50-50 chance as they may both find it uncomfortable; too low for Neon Tetras and too high for Cardinals.
In general, cardinal tetras tend to grow a little bigger than neon tetras. Neon Tetras also enjoy fairly acidic water (say 6.0 pH to 6.8 pH), whereas Cardinal Tetras need a pH between 4.5-6.2.
Cardinal tetras work well with pH levels of between 6.0 and 6.8, while neon tetras succeed with levels of 6.2 to 6.8. They grow to a maximum of 2 inches in length, but are usually between 1.25 and 1.5 inches long. I quite like that there are three colours on the Neon Tetra fish in Blue, Red and Silver. Introduction The Neon shares its popularity spotlight with its close relative the cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi. The Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) is a social fish from the Characidae family.They are sometimes referred to as Red Neon Tetra due to their similarity to the famous Neon Tetra.. Cardinal Tetras are growing in popularity and … Blackwater refers to the soft dark water created by the accumulation of decaying leaves in slow moving and still waters. But before that, let us get to learn a bit about tetras in general.
Cardinal tetras need water temperatures between 75 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit, while neon tetras have an ever so slightly different range of 76 to 82 degrees. Cardinal Tetra Overview. In the wild these schooling fishes inhabit in the middle water layers of flooded forests and tributaries of the river Orinoco and Rio-Negro middle and upper basin. Neon Tetras have been in the aquarium trade longer than Cardinal Tetras and are usually the less expensive of the two species.