Green neon tetras... too difficult for a beginner?

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

I am looking for a very peaceful community fish to go in my 20 gallons. I currently have 8 false julii corydoras and 2 nerita. I will also get 1 honey gourami.

For the community fish, I really like the green neon tetra but I am reading mixed reviews about them. I know they prefer lower ph but Girl Talk Fish channel (Irene) kept hers in a ph of 8 just fine (mine is 7.4)

Are they difficult to keep? Should I aim for something else as I am a beginner?

If yes, any suggestions? I have to say most of the common choice leave me pretty indifferent. 

Thank you!

Karen

[Colu]

Neon green tetra like a muture tank with no nitrites or ammonia a great beginner fish is X ray tetra 

[gardenman]

If you want Green Neon Tetras, and you're comfortable with your tank/water situation, get the fish you want. As long as you can keep them fed, healthy, and meet their needs, get them. Experience only comes about by keeping fish. You'll never be an experienced Green Neon Tetra owner until you own them. Unless you're buying them from a private breeder, I can pretty much guarantee you, wherever you get the Green Neon Tetras from, they'll have had a worse life than you'll give them. If they were wild caught they'll have been moved multiple times in far less than ideal conditions each time. All that matters to most people dealing with tropical fish (those catching them, shippers, wholesalers, distributors, and retail pet shops) is that the fish is alive long enough to move to sell. It's a business for them. They tend not to go out of their way to meet the needs of a specific fish. If they can keep it alive long enough to sell it, that's all that matters to them.

There are multiple videos out there showing you the topical fish business from catching them in the wild to the path to your local store. If you watch a lot of those videos you'll come away wondering how any fish ever survives. There is likely nothing you can do to a Green Neon Tetra that's worse than they've had to deal with along the way to get to you. 

[Andy's Fish Den]

In my experience they have not been difficult to keep at all. They are all pretty much all wild caught, but by the time they get to your LFS they will have had to adjust to several different water parameters, unless your LFS is one that directly imports themselves. But in that case, they have got them acclimated to the local water, so you shouldn't have much if anything to worry about. Green neons do stay small, smaller than neon tetras, so just make sure nothing in the tank can fit them in their mouth. 

[JeremyWoods]

I added 8 greens to my tank with 6 guppies, 12 endlers, 6 kuhli, 1 betta, 8 coreys, shrimp and snails. They seem happy but they like too hang out in the back schooling together but as the lights dim they are active all over the tank. My tank setup is 65 gallon decently planted kept at 78 7ph 20 pmm co2 and pretty much 0 for the big 3. Hope this helps. 

[JettsPapa]

You didn't ask, but I'd encourage you to get a male and two female honey gouramis instead of just one.  While they aren't shoaling fish like tetras and corys, they are social, and seem to enjoy having others of their species in the tank. 

[Karen B.]

34 minutes ago, JettsPapa said:

You didn't ask, but I'd encourage you to get a male and two female honey gouramis instead of just one.  While they aren't shoaling fish like tetras and corys, they are social, and seem to enjoy having others of their species in the tank. 

I did think about it but I read in many places that there is some level of agression when in a group 

[Streetwise]

@Karen B., I don't think you are a beginner anymore!

[Karen B.]

34 minutes ago, Streetwise said:

@Karen B., I don't think you are a beginner anymore!

I still feel like it. I still make mistakes.

2 of my guppies are currently dying and I can’t figure out why... or what to do to help them.

I bought 3 snails and 2 were dead few hours later (although by the smell of the bag when I opened it, I wonder if they were not dead at the store!).

so I feel like a beginner AND a fish serial killer. 😭

[Streetwise]

I am sorry that you are dealing with those things. I learn from success, but I learn more from problems. I would not blame yourself for those snails.

[Brian P]

@Karen B. I found a dead ramshorn snail this morning, it’s disheartening, but part of fish keeping.   The fist time I ordered horned nerites, I got 3 and two died very soon.  The one that survived is still kicking and a very happy snail.  Snails are funny, they seem to live forever or die very soon.  I have neon tetras and I have very hard water and high PH.  They have thrived and look beautiful  for about 6 months.  I keep my numbers up to 20-25 of them and that seems to really make them happy.  Don’t be afraid to try green neons and have fun!

[JettsPapa]

4 hours ago, Karen B. said:

I did think about it but I read in many places that there is some level of agression when in a group 

I haven't kept them, but everything I've seen or heard says they're the most peaceful of the gouramis.  Honeys are much less likely to be aggressive than dwarves or three-spots (blue, yellow, etc).  They're generally even less aggressive than pearl gouramis, and I have 8 of those in a 40 gallon tank.

[Jess]

12 hours ago, JettsPapa said:

I have 8 of those in a 40 gallon tank

Wow, 8 pearl gouramis together must look amazing!

[JettsPapa]

1 hour ago, Jess said:

Wow, 8 pearl gouramis together must look amazing!

Most of them are still pretty small, but they still look good, and I can't wait until they mature.