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I've had some sick fish and I don't know what's causing it.

here are some pics:
http://www.puggletopia.com/lumpytail.htm

It started off as a small lump on one of my neon tetras, where the body joins the tail. It's a white lump with dark edges, like it's filled with pus or something and the flesh around it is turning black. It progresses slowly, over several weeks the lump swells a little and looks more watery and pale. The tetra ended up having difficulty swimming, like it couldn't move the end of its body properly. It was getting really thin and hunched over so I put it to sleep.

Everything was fine for a while, then a few more neon tetras got it. I replaced them with cardinal tetras because they're supposed to be tougher (and they look nicer). Now one of the cardinal tetras has it too.

I don't know what it is. I've looked through all the common fish diseases, and it just doesn't seem to match anything. I don't know how to protect the rest of my fish and I don't want to lose them all. Can somebody please help?


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tank: 160L/40 gal/ 4 ft tank, gravel, a few plants
tankmates: female bettas, bronze and albino cories, guppies, platies, neon and cardinal tetras, bn catfish (bettas and cories moved to breeding tanks and hospital tanks to treat barbel erosion and torn fins)
waterchanges: 20% once a week, treated and aged overnight if possible, same temperature
temp: 25°C
pH : 6.8
ammonia & nitrite = 0
nitrate: 10 ppm
The tank has been set up for about a year.

Hi Pug, First remove the infected fish and put them in a quarantine tank, an empty 10 gallon with nothing but water will work

Now do a 50% water change on the original tank, go ahead and get some stress coat to dechlorinate the water, and treat the new tank with stress coat as wellit never hurts in my opinion

Now hopefully we have the problem at least isolated to the other tank, but to make sure in 3-4 days do another 30-40% water change, and again 3-4 days 20-30%, 3-4 days 20-30% by this time you should basically have a "fresh tank"

As for those that are sick keep doing water changes like above, and start treating them with some Melafix, it won't hurt, and could help till someone figures out what the heck this is going on with your poor fish...is there any way you could post some pictures of what it looks like?

Sorry for you losses, and hope this helps,
heidi michelle

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Puggle
If I am guessing correctly it is a bacterial disease (it used to be caled Neon Disease) I will be putting some Cardinals in my Betta tank and I was strongly advised not to get any Neons reason the area and conditions they are breed in are to many diseases.

Sorry I would suggest you follow the advice given by heidi michelle. And when things settle down only buy good healthy Cardinals

Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 06-May-2005 20:48

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I don't think it is neon tetra disease. It sounds a lot like it, but in NTD doesn't the lump spread along the body? These lumps don't spread, they get bigger but they stay at the base of the tail. It's affecting cardinal tetras as well and I thought they were supposed to be resistant?