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In my 29g tank I have 8 neons. One of them has started to not swim right. His bottom half kinda weighs him down. He swims, but its like he can't get the tailend to do right. His color looks good, except for the very end red part of his tail, that is a pale red. Its only a spot though.

My tank parameters are:

ammonia: 0
nitrIte: 0
nitrAte: 10ppm
pH: 6.8

I added some plants yesterday. I didn't really notice him until today. I guess I should pay more attention. Yesterday I was really more worried about getting my plants in though.

Here are some blurry pictures...sorry, even though he is sick, he is still pretty fast:


This picture shows how he is swimming.

In this one you can kind of see how his tail is pale.

I browsed through the Pandora Disease site and didn't see anything that resembled my guy. The only physical sign I see is the pale spot on his tail. He just can't swim right.

Does anyone have any idea what it might be? And how do you treat it?

I have Melafix, Pimafix, and parasite meds on hand. If I need something else I can get it tomorrow. I have him in a 1g hospital tank at the moment.

A list of all the fish in the tank:
8 neons
7 glowlights
1 opaline gourami
6 panda cories
4 albino cories (only ~1 in. each and moving out soon)
3 ottos
3 cherry barbs

The tank is pretty heavily planted. The newest additions are the albino cories. They are all around an inch long, maybe smaller. They will be going in the new 55g I am setting up in the next few months, so they won't be staying in the 29g. I do weekly water changes, the last one was Tuesday when I did a 50% change.

*Kristin*

Oh heck, that spot looks exactly like the ones my tetras did have during the NTD experiment I tried. The wasting is also fairly characteristic, although for the most part I managed to keep the wasting and debilitation off them for many months. I managed to save 8 out of 14, but even 3 months later after I thought they were clear one of the remaining fish has started to show symptoms. I had a couple post-mortemed, and it was definitely NTD.

Looky.



Actually , both those fish are still alive, but it is difficult keeping them that way.I cant seem to break the cycle of reinfestation, or effect a complete cure , although various blackwater extracts, protozin,and a few antimalarials seem to keep symptoms to a minimum. Its expensive to do though.Thats what most pet suppliers are managing to do I guess. Im sure a lot of them are selling sick fish that die later untreated. It seems to be like malaria in that it can flare up with symptoms of kidney damage and anaemia every few months.When swimming difficulties begin , that is when I usually fail to bring them back.It seems like the fish cannot recover from that point, although if you catch it earlier you can seem to keep them going many months, perhaps even over a year. It does take multiple treatments though.

I was afraid it might be NTD. Does that disease just come up all of a sudden? I haven't added any neons or glowlights in a while.

Is there anything I should treat with? I know there isn't a definite cure. Have you found anything that will prevent it in other fish? I have sooo many fish in my 29g. I don't want to lose them all. Isn't NTD contagious to other types of fish?



*Kristin*

Yup it affects barbs, perches , and a few of the true bony fish, but there isnt a definitive list as yet. The good news is that most species of fish , and even other species of tetra have a much better immunity to it than some neons, so if you have a lot of other species of tetra in the same tank can Id segregate the neons asap, although there may be no need to panic just yet.

Id start with protozin and tetra blackwater extract, and a nice tannic piece of bogwood if you can find it. It certainly makes a difference to longevity though it isnt a cure. Dont go insane on the tannin though, because contrary to opinion neons arent a blackwater fish. The recommended dose on the bottle is fine.It will slow things up a bit.Im still experimenting, but if I get a more definitive result, ill let you know. Some people recommend various acids, and Im just about to try them.

Ntd is mostly ingested, so make sure you keep a spotless and well vacuumed tank with regular water changes,keep the filter mulm to a minimum without breaking the cycle, and remove corpses immediately. Do not let infected fish die in the tank. Euthanise critically ill fish , bag or burn the corpse and wash your hands extremely well before working in the tank again.

Isn't Protozin a med recommended for ich also? I don't think I can get that here in the US.

I will look for tetra blackwater though. Should I treat the whole 29g tank?

The only other tetras I have in there are glowlights. Should I take all the neons out now...or wait and see how this guy progresses? The biggest tank I have available is a 5g. I may need to go get a bigger one though.

*Kristin*

The full effects of blackwater are unknown , but it certainly seems to help the fish resist initial infection, so it may certainly help protect your glowlights and some of the other neons, but I fear the sick tetra may be a goner.

Sometimes it can be kinder to euthanise a fish that has a disease known to be invariably fatal at a certain stage. Being a shoaling fish in his weakened condition he will probably not survive quarantine outside of a group, and since he represents the biggest chance for the disease parasites to enter the other fish it might be better to knock him on the head now, and guarantee the minimised risk to the others. It sounds harsh, but NTD has been known to wipe out entire collections. The choice is up to you, but personally, and rather regretfully, id probably do away with him to help save the others. Its always a difficult decision.

I bought my tetras knowing they had NTD on purpose, to see if I could cure them, but id never expose healthy fish to one I knew was carrying something so deadly.Ultimately the choice is up to you though.

Good luck!

ps. protozin may well kill NTD while its in the water, thus helping to reduce infection rates, but im convinced it doesnt cure infected fish. Its cheap here, but it will be very expensive to import though, but if youre loaded its worth a go.Its made by waterlife uk if you wanted to look it up.

Thanks Longhairedgit!

Well I found another neon with a tail problem. This one has a sort of lump at the end of the red color. It isn't swimming funny yet and the lump isn't pale. Its a dark color. I put it in the hospital tank as well.

I have some parasite meds...Kent's Marine RX-P. I am going to try that. I think I'll treat the whole 29g and hope it helps a little.

Quick question: Would a plastic 18g tub/container work as a hospital tank? I could put a heater in it and an airstone. Or would a 5g minibow tank work fine? I am trying to prepare in the event I need to remove all the neons or more fish.

Here's a blurry picture of the second one. (One day I'll invest in a camera that takes good close-ups)


edit: This morning (Friday), the first sick fish cannot swim horizontally. Its tailend weighs it down. I think I'll euthanize it this evening. I hate to see it suffer.

*Kristin*

An 18 gal plastic tub would be fine, and certainly if it can hold the water weight will make an excellent QT, it will also give the tetras a bit of seclusion.Meds will often dye plastic containers blue though, and if youre gonna put a heater in it helps to ensure that it doesnt touch the plastic wall. 5 gals certainly can be used for qt 's for fish this small, but there is the ever present problem of balancing water quality vs meds in smaller aquaria. Either will probably do.

Thanks.

helps to ensure that it doesnt touch the plastic wall

I thought about that...I'd have to be extremely careful. The container is actually blue...so dyeing it wouldn't be a problem.

I have a few plants in the 5g that are just extras. I think I'll leave the neons in there for now. Atleast they have a little coverage.

*Kristin*