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Odd question... I've got black neon tetras and one of them seems to have... well, the only description I can give is that one of them seems to have a "smudged" stripe. On one side of his body, the black stripe looks like someone smeared their fingers up through his stripe while the paint was still wet. I've had these guys for almost a year, and this hasn't been this way the whole time.

I do have to admit to only having three of my original seven left (injury and random sickness or disappearences ). I don't intend to get anymore, but am loathe to return them to store at this point in time... either they stay alone or I have to find someone with a school they can join...

Despite looking odd, he seems perfectly healthy and normal, just thought his stripe looked weird. *shrugs* Anybody know why he'd change?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I've been reflecting on this for a while, and there could be a multiplicity of reasons. I'd need a picture though before committing myself to a hypothesis for the 'odd' appearance of your Black Neon.

One thought that occurs is that your Black Neon has suffered some peripheral nervous system damage. This causes fairly profound changes in the appearance of many fish species. Central nervous system damage, however, would me MUCH more readily apparent. In my TFH back numbers I have a B&W photo of a Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) which has turned half black from the middle of the body to the tail as a result of CNS damage. That's why I'm thinking peripheral nervous system damage, because CNS damage would possibly obliterate the stripe altogether.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

add trace elements of iron to the tank
i had a batch of fry that were like that i threw in iron pirite cured them rite up in 3 days
there hardy fish
nothing really to b alarmed over to some it happens

Hmm... will have to try that. You think just the liquid iron ferts I have will work or should I find something else?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~