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How Many Neon Tetras in a 5, 10 or 20 Gallon Tank?

Do you have neon tetras in your aquarium? If so, you know the beauty of this small fish. Neon tetras have different color variations. You can own them all and make your tank colorful. Besides, they are easy to control and grow.

Therefore, people love to add neon tetras to their tanks for the fish color and size. They tend to swim all around the tank and make the aquarium look fantastic.

They are very friendly as well. They love to live in a group, so you should buy a couple of them together.

How many neon tetras in a 5-gallon tank?

Five neon tetras should be in a 5-gallon tank. A 5-gallon tank is not a big space; therefore, you should not keep more than five neon tetras. However, you can buy different neon colors and put them in the tank. They will live together and will enjoy the schooling. And they are easy to control.

The glow tetras and green neon tetras can fit in the same 5-gallon tank. You can keep them together, and they will enjoy swimming and eating from the bottom or middle of the tank or aquarium. They can eat pretty much every fish food suitable for the aquarium.

You can also keep other types of fish along with the neon tetras. But, you should not keep too much fish in a small 5-gallon tank. At best, 6-7 fish would be better for a 5-gallon tank. So, you can put 4 neon tetras and two other fishes.

How many neon tetras in a 10 gallon tank?

You can keep 7 neon tetras in a 10-gallon tank if their sizes are 1.5 inches each. When you go for the larger size neon tetras, you should decrease the number. Let’s say you want to put 1.7-inch neon tetras in a 10-gallon tank; in that case, you cannot fit more than 6 neon fishes on the tank.

If you want to add other fish apart from the neon, you can do that. It will be better to keep 9-10 small fish in a 10-gallon tank. More than that will be a bad idea. You can fit 7 neon tetras and three other fish in the same gallon if you follow the ratio.

Black neon tetra:

The average size of the black neon tetra is 1.5 inches. So, you can keep 7 black neon tetras in your 10-gallon tank.

They will live happily and school together. You can also add another 2 or 3 fish as the tank mates for the black neon tetras.

But you should not keep medium or large fish with black neon tetras. When you use the 10-gallon tank, it will be better to keep all small fish that size between 1.5 inches to 1.7 inches.

Green neon tetra:

One inch is the average grown size of the green neon tetra. Therefore, you can add 8 to 9 green neon tetras in a single 10-gallon tank. If you fit 9 neon tetras in a single tank, you should not add other fishes with it.

But if you love to fit two different types of fish in your 10-gallon tank, you can split the number. Maybe you can keep 7 green neon tetra and 3 other fishes.

How many neon tetras in a 20 gallon tank?

You can fit 15 to 20 neon tetras in a 20-gallon tank if you don’t put any other fish with it. When you plan to use two or three different fishes in your 20-gallon tank, you can split the number among them. Otherwise, you can put 10 black neon and 10 green neon tetras, which look beautiful.

A 20-gallon tank is big enough for any fish to fit in. You can mix up three to four different types of fish and keep them in a single 20-gallon tank. In that case, you can keep ten neon tetras and five or ten other small fishes.

If you plan to keep medium to large size fish in your 20-gallon tank, it will be better to use fewer fish. You may add 6 to 8 small fishes and 4 to five medium or 2-inch size fishes. It will be a good combination.

How many neon tetras can live in a 5, 10 and 20 gallon tank with betta?

The betta and neon tetras can live in a 5, 10, and 20-gallon tank. But the number will be different.

5-gallon tank:

Three neon tetras and one betta can live in a 5-gallon tank. You should not put more than one betta in a 5-gallon tank with the neon tetra.

It will be unsafe to keep two bettas in a 5-gallon tank. They will fight and hurt each other.

10-gallon tank:

You can keep 4 female bettas in a 10-gallon tank. But you cannot put more than three male bettas in a 10-gallon tank. And, 5-6 neon tetras there. So, the 5-6 neon tetras can live with 4 betta fish in a 10-gallon tank.

20-gallon tank:

10 neon tetras can live in a 20-gallon betta with 7. If you increase the number of betta fish, you have to decrease the neon tetras. But 7 or 8 is the correct number betta that you should keep in a 20-gallon tank.

How big of a tank do neon tetras need?

Neon tetras need medium size tanks to live happily. But you can use the minimum size tank as well. 

Neon tetra minimum tank size:

The 5 gallon is the minimum tank size for the neon tetra. You should not use less than a 5-gallon tank; it will be a worse decision. Even neon tetras cannot grow in a tiny tank.

You can put 4 to 5 neon tetras in a 5-gallon tank. That’s the minimum number of neon tetras you should keep together. They are very fond of group living.

Best tank size for neon tetras:

The size for neon tetras is 10 gallons. You can perfectly fit 7 or 8 neon tetras in a 10-gallon tank. They will swim together and live happily on a 10-gallon tank.

How to add neon tetras to the tank?

Adding neon tetras is simple. You can follow some tips and add them since you cannot purchase the neon tetras and put them in your aquarium. Follow our tips to do it perfectly.

Check the tank:

Before adding neon tetras, you must check the tank environment. You should check the temperature, decoration and filtering. Be sure that your filter is working and enough plants and Grable in your tank.

30 minutes Testing time:

You cannot put the neon tetras or other aquarium fish directly into the tank. You must purchase the neon fish from a fish shop and have your fish in a plastic bag.

You should keep the bag for about 30 minutes in the tank. You should not open the bag during that testing time.

The fish will get used to the tank temperature. After the successful 30 minutes of testing time, you can open the bag and free the neon fish from the tank.

Make the tank dark:

The neon tetras live underwater and in the dark area. They don’t like the light. Therefore, you should not use any extra lighting on your tank. Tio makes it more secure; you may add any black sticker back of the tank.

Will neon tetras breed in a community tank?

Neon tetras will not breed in a community tank. They need a separate tank to breed. And it is challenging to let neon tetras breed in a tank, but it is possible.

You must ensure the PH level and the right temperature, directly influencing the neon tetras to breed.

You must have a separate 20-gallon tank and put it in the dark area of your house. Then ensure that the tank water has a PH level of 5 or 6.

Then make the temperature 77 degrees F. Then put 15 to 20 neon tetras and wait for a couple of days. They will breed indeed.

What fish are good tank mates for neon tetras?

Harlequin rasboras, zebra danios, Hatchetfish, chili rasboras are good tank mates for neon tetras. You can fit them all in a giant tank, but it will be better to choose any two or three mates with the neon tetras.

If you have a 10-gallon tank, you can put 5 neon tetras and 5 other mates for them. They will live together and swim around the tank. It will look nice.

Final thoughts

Number of neon tetras will depend on the tank size. 5 neon tetras are for a 5-gallon tank, 7 neon tetras are for a 10-gallon tank, and 15 neon tetras are for the 20-gallon tank. These are the right amount of neon tetras that you can fit. But the best tank size for neon tetras is 10 gallons.