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Having gathered in one aquarium all five "true" neon families of the genus Paracheirodon known today, I realized that I did not have to see a more attractive sight. Admiring them, I for a long time could not move away from the aquarium and do other things.
There is no need to describe our old acquaintances - blue, or ordinary (P.innesi), and red (P.axelrodi) neons. For many aquarists of the older generation, these two rare and expensive species were once an unattainable dream. Now a beginner aquarist can get these fish as a gift to his first aquarium, along with guppies and swordsmen. Beauty, endurance, peaceful behavior in the community with other fish made neon a welcome acquisition of an amateur, especially since thanks to well-developed breeding, they became available to everyone.
Not so widely known P.simulans - blue neon. It is seldom found in our aquariums, and in the special literature there are only sparse references to it.
This neon was discovered in 1963 among the red neon caught in nature, along with which it lives in the same rivers and lakes. Apparently, the researchers, seeing that in a flock of red neons floating something very similar and yet different from them, did not find anything better than to call it "simulans", that is pretending, simulating. In English, it was called "False Neon Tetra" - "fake neon." At us it have christened false red neon, though on red neon he is not so similar. I must say that with someone's light hand appeared a whole series of so-called false fish: false discus, false royal tetra, false red-nosed tetra and even a false tetra-a "bleeding heart." You liked the fish, you want to buy it and suddenly find out that it is "false". Agree that this name can be alienated - as if you are offered something inferior.
Not surprisingly, this small 2,5 - 3 cm fish resembles the coloring of its relatives - it is also neon. However, it is different from them - you will not be mistaken. The famous luminous "neon" strip in P.innesi and P.axelrodi starts from the corners of the mouth and tapers out, ending in front of the fat fin, while in P.simulans it extends to the caudal fin itself. The strip is blue. It must be admitted that nevertheless the blue neon is inferior in elegance to the red and blue neon. He does not get red. The red P. simulans is painted in the same place as the blue neon, but in the flock there are individuals with both a bright scarlet strip and a very pale "podhvostem", and this does not depend on the sex. The scarcity of red color is aggravated by the slender silhouette of this fish and its small size. The lower part of the abdomen is colored in turquoise (as in red neon), which is especially noticeable in full females. In some individuals, the first rays of the dorsal and anal fins are whitish, and scales that run along the very top of the dark back have gray spots that create a thin light edging of the silhouette.
This fish is brisk and mobile, than favorably differs from other neon. She is omnivorous and has a good appetite. Despite small growth, it is able to swallow a medium size coretra. Eats and dry food.
I do not predict the wide spread of P.simulans - it is difficult to breed, but any fan of the characins is unlikely to refuse to have in their collection a flock of these cheerful, sparkling blue fishes. It is not by chance that Axelrod took a photograph of the blue neon on the cover of his voluminous "Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fish."
The next new neon for the Russian market is the gold subspecies of ordinary neon (P.innesi "gold"). This is the same old friend of ours - blue neon, only his body is transparent, gently pearly yellowish hue. The neon strip faded a little and also became transparent, as it were. P.innesi "gold" is not an albino, his eyes are with a black pupil. In general, the fish looks very smart. By behavior and habits, it does not differ from ordinary neon.
And finally, another neon is diamond (P.sp. "diamond"). I do not know its origin. The export company in its price list reported that he was divorced in Germany. That's all for now and everything I know.
For the first time I learned about the existence of this new neon from an advertising brochure by a German firm exporting rare aquarium fish. There was a rather indistinct picture of a flock of these fish. In fact, the coloring was very unusual. P.sp. "diamond" is devoid of luminous sideband: it abruptly breaks off just behind the gill cover. But the blue neon light "burns" the entire head and upper front part of the back, from the beginning of the dorsal fin. Under the light of the side shine, like chrome. The lower posterior part of the body immediately behind the abdomen has a matte-red color that extends far to the caudal fin (to the middle). Reddish color has also the upper back of the back, beginning with the base of the dorsal fin, which also has a soft red spot. The fins from time to time darken, acquiring a grayish color. The fish is very effective in dim lighting.
According to the shape of the body and in size, the diamond neon is close to blue, but it seems more vulgar. The female differs from the male only by a more complete belly.
In behavior, this neon is somewhat cocky and at the same time sluggish. He prefers to keep at the bottom, he does not mind taking shelter under the leaves, but if someone else has already settled down in the chosen place, he tries to drive him out. Has no special night color. Omnivorous, it has a good appetite. Sensitive to nitrite contained in water.
It remains to be hoped that this attractive "family" will continue to be replenished with new species. So, 1936 - the blue neon, 1956 - the red neon, 1963 - the blue neon, 1995 - the diamond neon. Who is next?


I. Vanyushin Aquarium No. 3, 1996