The lemon tetra is not seen much in the hobby anymore, most probably because when young, the fish does not show much in the way of colors. Also, the commercial breeding of this fish in Florida and the Far East has taken what was already a very subtle range of colors and made them even less notable.

An excellent community tank fish, the lemon tetra really has no drawbacks. This fish will eat any foods — flake, frozen or freeze-dried — and is happy in water that is around neutral with moderate hardness. Like any other tetras from the Amazon, the lemon tetra does best in water that is slightly acid and relatively soft. When kept in a community tank, this fish tends to display better and seems more comfortable if kept in schools of at least six or eight fish. And, like the glowlight and other tetras in which the body is almost transparent, the lemon tetra shows best if its tank has dark, or black, gravel.

Breeding is not a problem, although the lemon tetra has a reputation for being an egg eater. It's best to spawn this fish only in pairs because there will be fewer adult fish to eat the eggs than if the fish was bred in groups like many other tetras.