Red Neon Blue Eye

General information

The average adult is one inch, as such, it is a suitable species to keep in an aquarium with adult dwarf shrimps. In the wild, they live in large schools and are a shoaling species so in an aquarium they should be kept in groups of at least 8, in fact, the individuals will show a more vibrant color if they are kept in groups, with multiple males, in a spacious aquarium. It is a peaceful species, but care must be taken when keeping it in a community aquarium since it is easily outcompeted, so it is best to keep it with fishes of comparable size.

This species is one of the less popular variants of the Blue Eye Rainbowfish.

In the wild, this species eats zooplankton, phytoplankton, and invertebrates. In aquariums, it should be fed with small organisms like Daphnia, Moina, and micro worms but they can also be fed with small dried foods.

Males have a lively neon red and blue coloration, females are shorter and have smaller fins but also have a vibrant coloration. In general, males are more colorful than females.

This species scatters its eggs, which can get attached to the vegetation or to the substrate, and has no parental care, the parents might even predate on its own fry and eggs. A single male may mate with multiple females on a single day.

It can be found in Indonesia. This species inhabits swamps with clear, slow flowing water.

This fish is very vulnerable to swings in water conditions so it is not advisable to add it to immature aquariums.