Diamond Head Neon Tetra Care Guide

The Diamond Head Neon Tetra is a selectively bred form of the classic Neon Tetra, displaying the species’ brilliant electric-blue lateral stripe and vivid red rear half. Its distinguishing feature is a pale, silvery or reflective head that creates a striking contrast with the saturated body colours. Despite the trade name, it remains the same species, Paracheirodon innesi.This is a small, peaceful schooling fish with lively but restrained movements. Groups often travel together through the middle levels of the water, periodically tightening into a shimmering formation before spreading out to explore their surroundings. Their reflective markings are especially noticeable when the fish turn together.Wild Neon Tetras originate in the blackwater tributaries and slow-flowing forest streams of the upper Amazon Basin in South America. These habitats are typically shaded by dense rainforest, rich in submerged roots and leaf litter, and coloured by tannins released from decaying vegetation.Paracheirodon innesi was described in the early twentieth century and quickly became one of the most popular aquarium fishes in the world. The Diamond Head form is valued in the ornamental fish trade for its distinctive head coloration while retaining the peaceful character and compact size of the natural species.In nature, Neon Tetras feed among aquatic vegetation and submerged woodland debris, taking tiny insects, crustaceans and other minute food particles. Their bright stripe is thought to help members of a school maintain visual contact in the dim, stained waters of their rainforest habitat.