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I just noticed last night that one of my black neons doesn't look good at all. He's thinner than normal and seems stuck with his nose in the air, body at a 45 degree angle. He can't swim well, can't move out of this position. When he does move, it's with difficulty. His belly is slightly sunken and he can't get to food before his tankmates eat it.

Tank:
20 gallon long

9 female bettas
6 black neons
5 cories
1 otto (his buddies disappeared?)

Not sure what's wrong with him... the other fish look healthy... the betta girls are active and colorful, minus the occasional nipped fin. The cories have long barbels and are active. The poor single otto has a lil tummy on him and is active, even without a school.

I'd remove the neon to a hospital tank if I had one... I have a two gallon tank that could be used, but there's no filter or heater. And he's a schooling fish, wouldn't he flip without his school? I *might* be able to find the undergravel filter for one of my old one gallon betta tanks and drop him in there, but would I just be killing him off? He seriously looks really bad... I'm almost thinking a mercy killing would be my best option here.

If I can, I'll get a picture of him soon.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

what are the water params. it sound like neon tetra disease but im not for sure

Ack. That doesn't sound good. I've seen NTD in a bloodfin tetra before and he didn't look like this... o.O In cases of NTD I've seen, part of the body (near the tail) gets all white and lumpy.

Water parameters... The tank is a bit overdue for a waterchange, but last testing had pH about 7.4 (normal for my water), Amm 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20-40. Like I said, it's a bit past due for a cleaning, so the params might be off a bit. *smacks hand* Bad me.

He still sticks near his tetra buddies as best he can, but he can't keep up if they decide to do a cross-tank dash. I haven't noticed anything odd about him until the past few days... he went from being all school-y to being... blah.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Have you noticed him trying to eat @all? I somehow managed to lose 3 or 4 zebra danios in a tank that gets fed every day from starvation of some sort. By the time I noticed that they werent eating it was pretty much too late...the food would be on their nose and they wouldnt' touch it . I'd suggest grinding up the food real small so there's the same ammount just in smaller particles and sprinkling it in, trying to get as much close to him as possible and watch to see if he does react @all. Hopefully this way there's more of a chance of him getting some before everyone else gobbles everything up. If he does go for it I'd increade frequency of feedings (I know you know that this may mean a step up in maintence for a few weeks) to see if he can get his strength back.

Any new or recent additions to the tank? If not then it may not be NTD. Sorry I can't give more help on this.

^_^
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He DID try to eat yesterday, I was pretty much dropping flake food right over his head. But he couldn't seem to get going in the right direction to get the food. There's not much in the way of surface movement (because the betta girls aren't fond of it), but the food does move a bit.

No additions to the tank for a couple months.

He's trying to eat, but he just can't move properly... can't aim at the food, can't get there quickly enough. *sigh*

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I'm wondering about parasites. Is he lurking near the surface as if to "pipe" for air? If there is a problem with the gills, such as gill flukes, they will do this. Look for rapid movement of the gills in comparison to the other fish. I'm thinking that if is respiration is impaired, it will hinder his ability to function properly. Gills may also look inflamed, if you can see.

If you see this, don't hesitate - get out and get some Parasite Clear Tank Buddies by Jungle. It has Praziquantel in it, which is highly effective for gill flukes. Also, if he has internal parasites, the Prazi will work with that also. Just make sure the Parasite Clear you buy has the Praziquantel listed in the ingredients. It was changed last year and some fish stores may have the old stock without it.

This is a very safe med, even for scaleless fish. If he does have symptoms of gill flukes, all fish are at risk even if they don't show symptoms at this time.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 23-Dec-2004 18:53

Last edited by Cory_Di at 23-Dec-2004 18:54

Oi... yes, he was going to the surface for air more than normal. As of right now, I can't find him. Of course, I looked as soon as the lights came on... he could still have been hiding out somewhere...

I'm cleaning the tanks today, so I'll take a look for him but I don't know what I'll find. *sighs* If I notice the same signs in my other fish (now that I think about it, his gills did look bigger than normal, but I thought it was just because his stomach looked so small...) I'll run right out and get that med. Actually, since I'm making a run to Petsmart, I'll pick that up just in case. Better safe than sorry, yes?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

If you find him dead in the tank, do a partial water change and I would dose according to instructions for flukes. Others are at risk. By the time they start piping for air near the surface, it could be too late and much easier for infection to set in.

Petsmart should have Parasite Clear Tank Buddies.