Neotrop community tank; sickness, death, but no useful data - 10/24/09
I have 55 gal freshwater tank with Black, Red, and Gold Tetras 1 Pleco and 2 Cory cats.
<Hmm... not really sure what these "tetras" of yours might be.>
The Tank has been going for about a year and I haven't lost a fish in about 10 months until about 1 month ago. I lost 2 black Tetras in a few days with no on obvious signs. One of my reds lost color and was having labored breathing and died about 2 weeks later. Now one of my Golds is showing signs of labored breathing and has raised scales on his sides all others seem to be doing fine. NO2, NO3, KH, GH are all within normal ranges
<What are "normal ranges"? The thing is, without knowing the actual values, I can't say anything sensible. But let's recap. For most South American tetras and catfish, you're aiming for these values: Zero ammonia, zero nitrite, carbonate hardness around 5-10 degrees KH, and a general hardness around 5-15 degrees dH. The pH should be around 6.5 to 7.5.>
I do about a 20% water change every two weeks and use AquaSafe and Neutral Regulator by Seachem at changes
<Please, check the water chemistry/quality values are as stated above.
Usually, when random species start dying for no obvious reason, and the symptoms are nebulous things like dropsy and heavy breathing (as is the case here) then environmental issues are to blame.>
What do you think is Killing my fish.
<Cheers, Neale.> 

Re: Neotrop community tank; sickness, death, but no useful data- 10/25/09
Thanks for your time and your response. I'm sorry I can't give you a better name on the tetras but I only know them as Black, Gold and Red long fin Tetras. The water chemistry is NO3 = 20ppm, NO2 = 0ppm, PH = 7.0, KH = 40ppm, GH =60ppm, Ammonia = 0ppm.
<Sounds mostly okay. The water hardness is low, and while not in itself a problem, do understand that in soft water the pH is prone to dropping, so I tend to recommend people maintain freshwater communities at slightly alkaline conditions, around 4-6 degrees KH (about 70-110 mg/l CaCO3).>
These values are reached using API test strips. There have been no new fish added to the tank for at least six months. There are two filter systems on the Tank. I know that without seeing the tank or fish that a diagnosis difficult. I have rechecked the water values and they are as stated I don't know the conversion for the KH and GH from ppm to deg.
<Easy: 1 degree KH is 17.9 mg/l.>
however as I stated the API kit I use says these values are within the normal range for tetras.
<Indeed, but what fish experience in the wild isn't necessarily what's easiest to maintain in captivity. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/fwsoftness.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
>
I know that Tetras aren't the most exotic of fresh water fish but I enjoy them and hate to loose any. The only fish that seems to be exhibiting any symptoms at this time is a Gold Tetra about 3"long, the symptoms are
labored breathing raised scales and I noticed 1 red spot about 1mm on one side just below his dorsal fin and a lack of appetite, all the other fish seem to be behaving normally and appear normal. I hope that I have given you enough information to give me a suggested course of action to save my fish. Thanks again for your help.
<Difficult to say what the problem is here. Heavy breathing tends to imply changes in environmental conditions, typically to the worse. So for example non-zero levels of nitrite and ammonia, or sudden changes in pH, or poisoning of the tank with insect spray, paint fumes, or whatever. Raised scales are associated with Dropsy, and that's a symptom of organ failure, typically the "end game" of a systemic bacterial infection or similar. Red spots on the body are inflammations or open wounds. These can be caused by all kinds of things, from physical damage through to certain viral and bacterial infections. So there's nothing here that yells out the name of any one problem. My instinct here would be to do a big water change to flush out any potential toxins (say, 50% today, and another 50% tomorrow) taking care that water chemistry of the new water was close to the water chemistry of the old water. I'd give my filter a clean, just to make sure it's working properly. I wouldn't feed the fish. I'd check the heater was at the right temperature. I'd look over the tank for signs of serious decomposition: dead fish, uneaten food, dense clumps of algae, dead snails, etc. I wouldn't treat the fish until I had a clear idea of what the problem
might be; most medications are toxic to some degree, and a "scattergun" approach rarely works out the way you'd like. Cheers, Neale.>

Please help! Tetra hlth. 9/10/09
Hello,
I looked on your page to find out some info on my little fish. He is a red eye tetra and for the past 3 days he has had something resembling the shimmies and cannot swim. He lays on his side or back at the bottom of the tank breathing very slowly and when he tries to swim or move he looks like he is having a seizure. He is getting very small because he can't eat and I'm not sure what I can do for him. He doesn't have any discoloration and the other two fish in the tank are normal. We have a few other neon tetras and I changed out 20% of the water yesterday and the temperature is correct for the fish tank. Please let me know if there's anything I can do.
Caroline
<Hello Caroline. With very small fish, symptoms such as these are not promising. The first thing is to check the aquarium conditions. Do a nitrite test and a pH test, just to make sure everything is okay. Yes, it's
only one fish sick *now*, but if he's the smallest or weakest, he might simply be the first of many. Next, see if you isolate the fish. A quarantine tank is ideal, but otherwise, a floating breeding trap is useful. Put the fish in there, and observe closely. Sometimes, fish go "loopy" if exposed to a short-term shock; I've done this to my fish one time adding freezing cold water (obviously, without thinking what I was doing!). As they warmed up, they settled right down again. So, if there's something amiss, perhaps water quality, a sudden pH change, or the use of a pesticide spray in your house, water changes will help, and you may see the
fish improve. All this said, with very small fish there's usually little to be done. Do have a read of the best euthanasia methods, so that you're prepared to relieve suffering if it doesn't look like he'll get better.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
By the way, Red-eye Tetras (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae) are somewhat hierarchical and can be nippy; keep in groups of 6 or more specimens to prevent bullying. Some tetras will turn on one another if kept in too small a group. Cheers, Neale.>

Black Phantom Tetra - Help Needed   8/22/09
Hoping someone can shed some light on a problem I'm having with one of my Black Phantom Tetras. I'm afraid I'm losing him.
Here's my set-up:
20 gallon aquarium, live plants
1 Farlowella
3 swords
7 cories
3 black phantom tetras
6 red phantom tetras
<Does prefer fairly cool conditions... not really a very good community fish above 23 degrees C.>
I just tested my water levels:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 8
Temperature 78 degrees
<...>
I noticed a few days ago he was hiding underneath a plant and wouldn't come out when I was feeding them. He seems to be resting at first glance, but his black markings are fading and his top fin is a little more limp than the other fish. I haven't seen him eat in a few days. He seems to be able to swim fine if he is swimming along the bottom, though I've only seen him swim a few inches at a time, and not frequently.
About an hour ago I was watching him. He had emerged out from hiding and was at the bottom, in the middle of the tank. He suddenly took off like a shot upwards - I thought he was going after some food. But instead of swimming in a straight line, his body was rolling and tumbling at top speed as he swam upwards. It happened so fast that I couldn't really tell quite what his body was doing. He is now back at his resting spot under the plant.
<Variety of possibilities, but bullying is the one I'd think about...
should be in groups of 6+, and in smaller groups, bullying will lead to stress, and stress can cause the symptoms you're seeing.>
When he is resting his body appears normal, no "u' shape, bloating, or moving in circles or going upside down.
<Stress, starvation, secondary infections all possibilities.>
Any idea what could be wrong? I was concerned about whirling but I've never fed live food, and his back half is not darker, in fact it is lighter since he's lost much of his black markings. I see no lesions or anything else odd about him.
All other fish appear fine.
I do have a 10 gallon quarantine tank though it is not set up...should I transfer some water from the larger tank so it will be cycled, and then transfer him into that tank? Is there anything I can do to help him?
<Maybe add a bunch more, and see what happens.>
Thanks so much for your time.
Chris
<Cheers, Neale.>

Black Phantom Tetra -Additional Info  8/20/09
Hi again,
<Chris>
I've been reading up on Whirling, and I saw that it can be caused by eating a dead fish (?). Just wanted to mention that I lost a fish last week, and suspect that it had been dead a couple of days before I found it (I usually do a daily head count but didn't for a couple of days). It looked like the fins had been nibbled.
This was one of my red phantom tetras. Approx. 8 months ago it developed a tiny black dot inside it's body and over the last many months this growth has slowly spread. Right up until the end he was schooling and eating and energetic, but I guess the growth/disease took its toll. He did not show any symptoms that the black phantom is showing.
Just thought I would mention that, in case it was relevant.
Also, in doing further reading, I came across Neon Tetra Disease, and  False Neon Tetra Disease. Does the black phantom's condition sound like either of these, and if so, can you explain the difference?
<Not likely Pleistophora... but quite likely a Sporozoan/Microsporidean manifestation... common in wild-collected Characoids of S. America... as small, discrete, black shiny dots, raised against sides... Not usually fatal, unless other stressors are at play>
I also read that one of the first symptoms is whitish patches, which I don't see in my fish.
Thanks again!
Chris
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Black Phantom Tetra -Additional Info   8/22/09
Thanks, Bob.
<Welcome Chris>
This morning I saw a new symptom...periodically the fish is in a vertical position, with nose to the gravel and tail skyward. He is not doing well at all.
<Bad>
Could you please expand on your note below - if it is Sporozoan/Microsporidean as you suggest it could be below, what do I do? I assume he should be quarantined. Is there any medication that can help?
Note that I haven't seen any black shiny dots on him at all, he is very pale and his formerly black markings are now very light grey.
<There are no known medications for such...>
Is Sporozoan/Microsporidean the same as Neon Tetra disease?
<"All newts are salamanders... not vice versa"... NTD is in the same organismal class...>
Should I be concerned for my other tetras?
<Only if they ingest the present afflicted one (i.e. if it dies)>
If you could provide more info, or direct me to a link, that would be most helpful.
Thank you so much for your time.
Chris
<BobF>

Congo Tetra with red spot on his head. – 4/17/09 Howdy, y'all rock! <Modest forbids...> I have a problem, well I have a bunch of them but that is a different story :) <Oh.> My Congo Tetra has a red spot on his head, right at the top of the gill. Pictures are worth a thousand words so check out the attached pictures. You can find the full size images at. http://william1034.smugmug.com/gallery/7924389_EZwgy/1/514088658_phZj7 You really need to look at the full size images, the images I attached don't have all the detail you need. I figured you didn't want me sending multi-megabyte pictures. <Correct.> Oh boy, this history on this fish is too long. He has survived cotton mouth and various other ailments in his 4 year life. Some of our other fish were not so lucky with the cotton mouth. We found some red spots on our Congo Tetras shortly after the cotton mouth cleared up. It killed our other Congo Tetra. It spent over 2 weeks in a 10g quarantine tank before it got better. We tried Maracyn, parasite killer and some food laced with antibiotics (I can't remember the names of the treatments). That was about 3 months ago. Since then the tank has been stable and no problems. <OK.> Yesterday we found the spot. Any ideas? <Very difficult to say; most likely physical damage and/or secondary infection. An antibacterial treatment should help, but double check water quality and relationships with other fish. Congo Tetras are quite nervous animals, and apart from being nipped, they can jump into the glass or hood when alarmed. Anyway, assuming the water quality is good (0 ammonia/nitrite) and water chemistry within the range for the species (pH 6-7.5, 5-15 degrees dH) I'd treat as you would Finrot, and hope for the best.> I am hesitant to move him to the quarantine tank, he just darts around and beats himself up on the glass and we don't want to get a bigger QT tank right now. <Don't quarantine a single Tetra; as you say, he's not going to like it.> He is exhibiting no odd behaviors, his eating and activity are normal. The other fish don't have any signs of damage. We have just used some Melafix in the tank, our Yellow Spiny Eel dug himself into a hole and lost some skin, used the Melafix as preventative measure. <Melafix pretty unreliable.> The eel was 100% better after only a few days. <Unfortunately these small Spiny Eels (Macrognathus spp.) do get damaged by gravel, and in my opinion, should only be kept in tanks with a soft, sand substrate.> What the heck do we have, and don't tell me a tank full of fish:) And what do we do about it. <Some type of antibiotic or antibacterial; Maracyn is as good as any place to start, but anything that combats Finrot should work.> Details: Levels are good. Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Phosphate trace. CO2 is controlled at 7 Temp is a 79 degrees Lots of plants Lots of fish. 2 Eheim 2213 filters 1 UV Sterilizer. Lots of lights. 2 cubes of blood worms every night. There are no leftovers. Thanks for any, and all help. William <Hope this helps, Neale.>

Neon Tetra with Ich and Pop/Cloudy eyes  8/30/08
<Ave,>
I have a neon tetra with 1-2 spots of ich and pop and cloudy eyes.
<Treat promptly for Whitespot and Finrot/Fungus. Here in England I'd be using eSHa 2000 and eSHa EXIT, medications for these complaints that are safe to use together. In your country the range of options may be different.>
I can also see white extended patches on his body.
<Well, if this is Neon Tetra Disease (Pleistophora) there isn't much you can do, but a combination Finrot/Fungus medication like eSHa 2000 would be if something less else.>
The fish is pretty strong, eats normally, swims normally and does not rub against rocks or plants. I isolated the fish in a hospital tank, but I'm wondering how I should treat it. I bought Melafix and a remedy for ich,
<Melafix... largely useless.>
but I'm not sure which one I should use first. I'm also planning to buy food with antibiotics so that I can treat the intestines too. What do you suggest?
Thank you,
Giuseppe
<Not a big fan of randomly treating for internal parasites unless there's evidence the fish is genuinely sick from them, and that's very difficult to judge. Antibiotics obviously have ZERO effect on the internal parasites that aren't bacteria, such as Pleistophora (a protozoan) and Camallanus (a helminth) so again, you need to know what you're dealing with rather than randomly pulling stuff from the shelves and hoping for the best. Cheers, Neale.>

Tetras (Neons & cardinals) dying one by one in the dark in a planted aq.  8/7/08
I hope you can help. Please forgive the length, but I wanted to give you all the info I could think of.
<OK.>
30g L, been up for about 8 weeks (cycled with seed filter from friends established tank), custom hood with AHsupply 96w CF bulb (3.2W/gal), eco-complete substrate mixed with fine gravel. Fluval 205 filter. Stealth 100W heater.
<All sounds good.>
Tank has the following plants (most of which are thriving): Cabomba (2 bunches of 5 stems each), Moneywort (4 bunches of 3 stems each), Melon Sword, Chain sword (just a baby), Microsword (2sq in patch), Ruffle plant, Wisteria (just finally establishing its fine submerged leaves - 1 bunch of 3-4 stems), Broad Ludwigia (1 bunch of 3-4 stems), small Java fern, small Anubias nana, and a large bunch (about 15-20 long stems) of Anacharis (from a friends established tank). Sounds crowded, but you'd be surprised how open it really still is.
<At least some get pretty big -- Echinodorus osiris for example will quickly take over a 30 gallon tank if it thrives; mature plants can be 50 cm tall and 30 cm across! Echinodorus martii likewise.>
To this there's the following fish: 5 spotted Corys, 6 otos, 3 "mystery" snails, 6 zebra danios, and originally 8 each Neons and cardinal tetras.
<Right, well one issue here will be temperature. To wit, Neons prefer cool water, 20-24 degrees C; Cardinals need warm water, 25-28 C. There's no "happy medium" at which both can be expected to do perfectly well. Corydoras, Otocinclus and Danios are also cool-tropical fish, and will thrive at 20-24 C (I'd go for 22 C). But that's too low for the Cardinals. So one way or another, at least some fish are going to be heat or cold stressed.>
The light is on a timer to cycle 6 hours on in the morning, followed by a 3 hour off break mid afternoon, then another 6 hrs on in the evening. Then off for the remaining 9hrs overnight.
<OK.>
All was well, the plants are thriving, the fish too.
<Good.>
Then I added the anacharis about 2 weeks ago. Suddenly I'm missing cardinals and Neons overnight, just 1 or 2. at a time. Never noticed any trouble with the actions/attitudes of the tank mates, everyone pretty much sticks to their schools. But the losses continued. Everyone looked fine when the lights are on... healthy, active, feeding. It was great. Well it's a great mystery alright.
<Well, Neons and to a lesser extent Cardinals can be plagued with "Neon Tetra Disease" and will drop off one by one until the cycle of infection is broken. But it is also possible the new plants brought in a predator, such as a Dragonfly nymph.>
I finally started watching closer at night and I found that after the lights been off for about 90 minutes (+/- 15 minutes) I notice a gradual and frightening change. Both the cardinals and Neons lose nearly all coloration going nearly white/clear.
<Quite normal.>
Then one or two of them start going bonkers and lose their equilibrium swimming upside down, backwards and on their sides, barrel-rolls, tumbling end-over-end, etc., then death.
<That is odd.>
Turn the lights back on and gradually (within 20-40 minutes) all coloration has returned and activity resumes normally.
<Ah, now, this is curious. Have you checked how pH is affected by photosynthesis? When plants photosynthesise they remove CO2 from the water, allowing the pH to rise. When they stop, CO2 accumulates and pH goes down. Alternatively, some (but only the minority) can perform "biogenic decalcification", and I believe Anacharis is one of them. What this means is that they remove carbonate and bicarbonate from the water as the source of carbon for photosynthesis instead of CO2. This is why these plants prefer hard water. Anyway, in the process the water loses its carbonate hardness and consequently its pH buffering capacity. The net result will be that pH will drop while these plants are photosynthesising, and the water pH will also become less stable with regard to other pH altering processes.>
My water parameters have been rock solid since the beginning: Nitrite 0; Ammonia 0; Nitrate "nearly" 0; kH 5deg; GH 12deg; pH 7.6; chlor. 0. I've even tested right before and after a light cycle and saw no appreciable difference. Temp stays between 78.5 and 80.5F.
<Do check the pH and carbonate hardness through the day to test my hypotheses above.>
My thought were CO2 poisoning - but the zero change to pH leads me to believe the CO2 isn't reaching toxic levels. Second thought - The plants are using up all the available O2 (I'm not aerating) at night thereby starving the smaller, more sensitive tetras. So I added a small airstone to the corner of the tank and set a small air pump to kick on when the lights go out (my timer has day/night outlets). It didn't seem to help.
<Leave CO2 off for a few days and see what happens. Won't harm the plants.>
Last Saturday night was the worst, within 2-1/2 hours three tetras gone (down to 6 now, 2 cardinals & 4 Neons left), and all the fish (except the 5 Corys, 2 largest danios, and 3 largest otos) were pale. Even with nighttime aeration.
<Hmm...>
So as a stopgap measure I retooled the timer to cycle the light and dark to 3 hrs light, 2 hrs dark ('round the clock). Two nights of success now with no casualties... but even though there is the requisite "amount" of light and dark I cannot imagine the rapid time cycles are any good for either the fish or plants long-term.
<It isn't good for the plants; they need a certain length of time simply too start photosynthesising, and 3 hours won't be enough.>
My next attempt will be to get a larger air pump and drive an 18" bubble wand across the back of the tank rather than the small airstone driven by the smaller air pump. I know this will drive out more CO2 to the detriment of the plants (though probably not too much), but it should eliminate the worry of CO2 poisoning, and should add O2 in the dark for the plants and fish to (hopefully) share. Also, I'll be raising the filter spout up closer to the surface to provide a little more surface agitation (currently its about 2in below with no agitation).
<Not sure this is the issue.>
Finally, since this all started after adding the fastest grower in the largest number/mass plant-wise (the anacharis). It's possible that plant addition might've pushed the balance over the edge with respect to CO2 and O2 respiration. So I'll be pulling that out and trimming it back to a more manageable (2-3 bunches of 4-5 "short" stems each) size.
<Hmm...>
Hopefully then I can gradually return to slowly extending the light/dark cycles to a more natural rhythm and keep my fish healthy and my plants growing.
Any thoughts? other suggestions? etc? Anything I missed?
Mark
<Cheers, Neale.>

Ick/Whitespot  7/22/08
Hi Guys,
I added five new baby neon tetra's to my tank recently - it seems the neon's have all developed Ick/Whitespot. I already had 6 Neon's 2 guppies and a Sailfin Molly - these all appear to be fine.
<So far at least...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
Do review the needs of Mollies, and also be warned Neons may nip the fins of fancy male Guppies.>
I have read your articles regarding ICK and just wanted to confirm your recommendation for best way to treat.
<Promptly!>
I was just going to buy meds and treat the tank with meds and regular water changes. However from reading through your site would you recommend increasing temperature and treating with Salt instead?
<Makes no odds either way. I tend to use commercial medications such as eSHa EXIT (a brand I find works well even with sensitive species like puffers) because it's easier. But if you want to use salt/temperature, go ahead.>
I have added salt before but never with the neon's only with mollies/guppies can my neon's tolerate salt? also my temp is at 80f already is it safe to increase the temp further?
<Neons should tolerate the very low salt concentration required, particularly if you build up the salinity across a few days. As for raising the temperature, I wouldn't. Temperature is about speeding up the life cycle of the parasite; in itself it isn't a "treatment" as such. The idea is that the salt only kills the free living parasite, so the sooner that phase begins, the better.>
Thanks in advance
Scott
<Cheers, Neale.>

How to keep bacteria alive in a fishless tank?
Pristella maxillaris; health (Bob, second opinion?) Mmm, nope. RMF    7/19/08
Hello Neale,
<Hello Giuseppe,>
hope all is well for you. One of my Pristella maxillaris is in distress showing a dark area in the intestines at the bladder level. I always noticed a small dark area in the same place in that fish, but now the dark area is bigger and the fish tends to hide in a cave during the day, swimming in circles almost horizontally. The Pristella doesn't eat almost anything at this point. When I turn the lights off it gets out of the cave and swims with the other fish.
Is there any medicine you would recommend?
<This isn't something I recognise, I'm afraid. X-ray Tetras are usually very robust but they are (I believe) wild caught, so it is possible this one has an intestinal parasite of some kind, and that's what you're seeing in these famously transparent little fish. Because internal parasites usually have very complex life cycles, the risk to your other fish is very small. (Normally the small fish is eaten by a predator, like a bird, and then the parasite leaves the bird to infest more fish somewhere else via the bird's droppings.) If the fish is showing no signs of getting better and all the signs of simply getting worse every day, I'd make a judgment on its quality of life. If it was having a bad life away from the school and generally not doing fun tetra things, I'd painlessly destroy it. Small fish are difficult to treat when infected with anything other than light cases of external parasites/infections.>
Thanks,
Giuseppe
<Cheers, Neale.>

Cardinal with blister/worm? -05/07/08 Hello WWM Crew! First, I have to thank you for the invaluable resource that you provide to all aquarists. Your website is brilliant: a veritable mine of information! That being said, I (of course) have a problem. <Thanks for the kind words.> One of my cardinal tetras has me stumped. At first, I thought he/she had mechanical damage from running into something in their habitat. Later, a sizable white spot developed inside of a large, clear blister. Additionally, on this individual only, a large swatch of black has developed beneath the eyes bilaterally, stretching from the mouth towards his/her gills. The black "stripe" lies beneath the iridescent blue scales that cover the cardinals body. For the time being (and since the "blister" started to develop some time ago) the cardinal is acting entirely normal, schooling with the 29 others, eating extremely well, full cardinal colour, no scratching or abnormal behaviour. A second cardinal has begun to show the lighter/clear patch of discolouration that preceded the "blister." <Ah, given the "syndrome" is spreading, I'm obviously thinking about Pleistophora as a possible cause. Whilst Cardinals do not seem quite as susceptible as Neons, they can still catch the so-called "Neon Tetra Disease". There's no known cure, beyond breaking the cycle of infection, which seems to be sick/dead fish releasing infective stages that get into healthy fish. Isolating symptomatic fish is the preferred first step.> Tank specs: ammonia, nitrite, 0. Nitrate, less than 5, more than 0. Soft water, pH 6.8, mixed treated tap and RO. Fluorite substrate, heavily planted. Tankmates: 30 cardinals (two symptomatic), four M. altispinosus (asymptomatic), one SAE (asymptomatic). The tank has been fully cycled for about 6 months (fishlessly, so much easier! Why doesn't everyone do it this way?). The tank is kept at 82 degrees F. Partial water changes are done at least weekly (often times more often…there is still sediment on all of the plants from the Fluorite!) and the gravel is vacuumed each time (around the plants). <All sounds ideal for tetras.> I found a reference on WWM to worms growing in blisters on a Raphael Cat. Is this one and the same? <Blisters can of course be caused by a variety of things. People get blisters from things as diverse as badly fitting shoes and Bubonic plague. So one should be very careful about assigning causes to just one symptom of this type. What's more specific to Pleistophora is changes in colouration, loss of appetite, shyness, and then eventually death. Infected fish, particularly species other than Neons, can last for many weeks even months before death.> I found the reference here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebindex/catfshdisfaqs.htm . However, the same individual got two different answers from two different experts (you guys really are): "This is likely some sort of "worm" parasite (more likely a digenean trematode/fluke but maybe a nematode)… The Paragon might help... there are other vermicides... Levamisole, Fenbendazole, Piperazine... that might be tried" and "The blisters are really bacterial infections eating away the flesh of the fish. Treat with Nitrofuranace after you do a 30% water change and serviced the filter." <Blisters can indeed be caused by both these things. Unless you're a microbiologist, it is really impossible to know what the problem is. So the best you can do is run through the likely causes one at a time, trying different treatments.> There was also a reference to Dieter Untergasser's "Handbook of Fish Diseases": "There is one treatment method suggested in there that sounds like it should work (method C6)." I am afraid that I do not have this book, as I have never had any trouble with disease in any of my tanks (well, I rehomed African Cichlids for someone else that had been horribly abused, but that required nothing more than better husbandry and a larger tank). I checked local libraries with no success. I will purchase it now, but I'm afraid it will be a couple weeks to arrive. May I enquire as to this "method C6"? <No idea I'm afraid. In any case, with very small fish, the fish often doesn't last long enough for the treatment to work. It's simply a size issue. So while I'd certainly consider isolating and treating infected fish as best as I could, in this case if it *does* seem to be "catchy", I'd perhaps painlessly destroy both fish to stop the problem spreading.> If this is what is mal-affecting my cardinal(s), how should I treat? Should I treat everyone in situ or should I remove the affected individuals to the hospital tank? Do I need to tear down the tank to stop everyone getting infected if this is a parasite? Would they best be treated orally or as a bath? If I have to treat in situ, is there a medication that is plant safe, or do I have to remove the plants? I have attached a photograph of the cardinal (and learned that cardinals are camera shy, and move fast!) that shows the blister, white spot, and black under his/her eyes. I just noticed that the photo makes the cardinal look like it has popeye, but I can assure you that it is only a trick of the light. <Isolate the infected fish for sure; perhaps maintain them for 2-3 weeks simply by providing good food and water and see what happens. Treat with an antibiotic or antibacterial if you want. It is possible the blister is nothing worse than a secondary infection caused by (for example) fighting. In this case, you should see some signs of improvement. But if the fish continue to deteriorate, get back in touch. At worst, you've isolated the potential source of infection and your other tetras should be fine. I have long since given up keeping Neons because of the plethora of mystery diseases they seem to come supplied with. Cardinals, though more expensive, are tougher and better value in my experience. But even so, you might be unlucky.> Sorry for the novel of an email, but I wanted to provide you with all of the information I could. Thank you for all of your help, and the excellent resource you have compiled for all of us (it is becoming harder and harder to resist that reef tank…). <So they tell me.> To you and yours, a wonderful day and weekend. Thanks, Tianna <Cheers, Neale.>

Re: FW Cardinal with blister/worm? 05/08/08 Hello Neale, Thank you for your advice on my cardinal issue. I have isolated him/her in a separate tank, and am working on catching the second. I hadn't even thought of NTD! Urg! The possibility didn't even cross my mind, since the fish is just as active as the rest of the school, and still the first to food. <Which all sounds positive, so fingers crossed the blisters heal by themselves.> There is also no white necrotic tissue present- only a clear blister (still with regular, bright colouration beneath, despite how the picture appears…), with an ich like spot inside. <Odd.> But...alarm bells ringing! When I took the cardinal out of the tank, I noticed that it does have a "lumpy" appearance. I hadn't noticed, because it is so subtle that you can't see it except when looking at the cardinal from above. <Well, keep an eye on things. Do provide the isolated fish with shade and good clean water so it isn't too unhappy.> As far as an anti-parasitic, do you have a recommendation that may work? <Wish there was. So far as I know, nothing works reliably, or even half the time.> I figure that if it is NTD, an anti-parasitic won't do any more harm. I would rather not sacrifice the fish if I do not have to, but in the event that they do begin to suffer, I will certainly break out the microscope. <I certainly hope the boffins at the "fish medication" labs come up with something for Pleistophora; it's a real plague and so depressing to watch. But breaking the cycle of infection/re-infection is essential, which is what you've done.> Thanks again, Tianna <Good luck, and keep us posted. Neale.> Re: Cardinal with blister/worm?  5/10/08 Hello again Neale, I hope you are enjoying your weekend! <Indeed I am! A lovely summery sort of day here in England.> I think the mystery of the white-sphere-filled-blisters on the cardinals has been solved. I went to perform a water change on the hospital tank, and ARGH! What appeared to be nematodes, of all different lengths, free swimming in the tank. The white spot (which, I guess, is a mass of subcutaneous parasites) in one of the cardinals had shrunk considerably. <Never seen this, or even heard of it. Sounds quite nasty. In any case, I'd immediately use some sort of antibacterial/antibiotic to prevent secondary infections caused by the burst cyst. An anti-helminth drug such as Prazi Pro should deal with the nematodes. But that said, most worms have complex life cycles that can't be completed under aquarium conditions (for example, they need to go through a bird or snail before they can back into a fish). So provided there were no secondary infections and the Cardinal otherwise recovers, I'd actually be cautiously optimistic.> This brings up another question that I will beg your help with. <Indeed?> Since removing the two symptomatic cardinals from the display tank, the "mystery illness" had gone wild. Nearly half of the cardinals are now showing symptoms. Clearly, there are nematodes in the tank that I can neither see, nor remove. Would it be more beneficial to just treat the entire display tank, and stop torturing the poor fish in a "naked", uncycled hospital tank (especially if there are parasites living in the display that will simply reinfect the fish again)? <In an uncycled tank, you can use Zeolite to remove the ammonia directly, and that's cost effective and reliable with very small fish like Cardinals.> As my hospital tank is only 10 gal, I cannot realistically move all 30 cardinals plus the other inhabitants to tear down the display to disinfect. I could be wrong, but I think this would do more harm than good. <Agreed.> Before the "big break" in this mystery, I had purchased some of Seachem's Cupramine as a shot in the dark. Would this be effective against the subcutaneous nematodes, or would I be better served by exchanging it for something like Praziquantel (if I can find it)? <Cupramine is certainly worth a shot before trying anything else.> I always quarantine new livestock, so seeing this now, after several months in the tank and having been quarantined for a month prior to moving to this display is mind numbing. I guess nothing is fool-proof! <Quite. As I say, this disease is something I've never encountered. Possibly Bob Fenner can offer more advice.><<Sorry to say, RMF is out traveling and without sufficient internet access. -S.M.>> Thank you so very much for all of your help (both on this mystery, and the rest of this website!) <We appreciate your kind words.> Have a great weekend, Tianna <Enjoy your weekend, too. Cheers, Neale.>

Black Skirt Tetra Infection? Help! 2/29/08
Hi, I have a 75 gallon well-established planted aquarium. The water parameters are good and all the fish have been healthy for about 5 years now. Today I noticed that a black-skirt tetra is ill. It is swimming abnormally - it's tail keeps falling and it makes brief jolts forward to right himself. It looks stressed and on closer inspection, it's torso area behind the operculum is red and swollen. I will try to catch him and put him in a quarantine tank tomorrow (not so easy in a planted aquarium) but what is wrong with him? An infection? What is the best way to treat him? Are the other fish in danger? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance. Kim
<Hello Kim. Difficult to say precisely what's happening here, but it is certainly possible it has a bacterial infection of some sort. I'd try something like Maracyn and see how things go. Do remember to remove carbon from the filter, if you're using it. There are some parasitic infections that cause the gills to inflame, most notably Velvet, so do check for that (typically an off-white powder on the body). But parasites don't normally get into tanks unless you've added new fish. A photo might help pin things down. Cheers, Neale.>

Dying Tetras  2/10/08
I have been reading through your site and couldn't get a definite answer about my dying neon tetras. So I was wondering about my neon tetras. I recently added 12 neon tetras to my old school of 5. So my school of 17 looked awesome, but then I lost half of my school in a few days.
<This seems to happen quite often with Neons, and is one reason I have stopped keeping them and don't recommend them. The quality of the mass produced stock is fairly poor, and I suspect depends a lot on the use of antibiotics. As soon as the fish arrive at the retailer, the antibiotics wear off and the fish become increasingly sensitive to opportunistic infections. This may be aggravated by the fact most people keep Neons far too warm; in the wild their preferred temperature range is 22-25 C, so compared with most other tropical fish, they need something a little cooler. Failing in this regard may be stressing them, leading to greater sensitivity to infections. Pleistophora ("Neon Tetra Disease") may also be prevalent. Although more expensive, Cardinal tetras strike me as being better value.>
The aquarium is 55 gallons and my water parameters are fine except for pH which may be a little high (7.6).
<Well within their tolerances; if acclimated, Neons have been know to do well at up to pH 8, 30 degrees dH! Water quality and temperature are probably much more significant issues.>
Ammonia is 0ppm, nitrites are 0ppm, and nitrates are about 10-20ppm. My other fish in the aquarium are 1 dwarf Gourami, 2 blue gouramis, 1 gold Gourami, 4 rainbow sharks. I also have 4 crayfish in my tank, biggest on is about 3 inches long max. I am thinking maybe they are catching my Neons and eating them.
<Crayfish will indeed eat small fish. Under no circumstances can crayfish be considered safe additions to the community tank. While it is true crayfish are mostly herbivores in the wild, in aquaria they can easily catch small fish. Because Neons sleep close to the bottom of the tank, crayfishes could easily catch and eat them.>
I actually saw one snacking on a tetra but not sure if he caught him. It might also explain why I only actually see a few of my Neons dead while the other ones are just not there.
<Do check for signs of Pleistophora: Infected Neons lose their colour, become shy, stay away from the group, and often hide under plants. A few days later they're dead. Pleistophora is highly contagious once the fish is moribund or dead because opening the body cavity (e.g., as other fish eat the corpse) allows the parasites to swim into the water. The only way to effective stop Pleistophora is to remove infected fish on sight. They should be painlessly destroyed, as there is no reliable cure, and certainly not once the disease because sufficiently entrenched that you can tell the fish actually has it.>
They didn't jump out of the tank because I have a very tight fitting canopy and there's no dried up tetras on the carpet. One more thing too, if my pH is to high I was thinking about using water from a local spring in which the pH is about 6.4, and no ammonia, nitrite or nitrates. I would also run it through my deionization filter to make sure any harmful things would be removed. I would greatly appreciate your help and advise.
<Mixing soft water with hard water out the tap is fine. I do this by mixing rainwater with tap water to good effect. Filtering the spring water or rainwater through carbon will remove any nasties, but generally such water sources are at least as safe for fish as tap water, perhaps more so. In any case, do always remember to make water chemistry changes slowly, perhaps doing 25% water changes each week until you reach the desired level of hardness and acidity. Now, the crayfishes will not like soft water. They need to be removed anyway, but just as a heads-up, in common with all crustaceans, "the harder the better" in terms of healthcare. Also remember that as hardness drops, so does pH stability, and many is the aquarist who's softened the water in their tank only to discover the pH suddenly drops between water changes. I'd not take the hardness below 10 degrees dH. Remember: fish don't care about pH, so long as its stable; what matters is *hardness*, as that directly influences osmoregulation. Cheers, Neale.>

Black Tetra, hlth.    12/5/07
Hello,
In my mothers aquarium is a Black Tetra that has a small black growth below his lower lip, he is listless and has a very faint red hue on it's body every where except in the center. The fins are not red that I can see. He has not eaten in a week that I have seen and he has a little bit of a clear feces. I put in some furan 2 for 2 days,
<... for what purpose?>
did a water change and added some more for 2 days and I see no improvement. Can you help me. Thanks for any advice. thanks Sherri
<Could you send along a photo? I suspect this may be a genetic issue... Many Gymnocorymbus have such difficulties nowadays... Do you have other individuals of this species? What other livestock is present? What re your water quality tests? Bob Fenner>
 

Tetra buoyancy  10/20/07
Dear Crew,
<Hello there! Andrea with you this afternoon.>
Today after feeding my Tetras I noticed that 1 of my Neons is floating toward the surface and actively swimming to stay lower in the aquarium. I
feed them tropical flake food with the occasional freeze-dried bloodworms.
<Sounds delicious...>
I hadn't noticed this behavior before today so my theory is that he sucked in some air while eating. My water parameters are as follows: Ammonia,
Nitrite and Nitrate all 0, pH 7.8.
<pH is a little on the high side for Neons, but I wouldn't worry much. You might add some driftwood as a decoration to the aquarium to soften the water and bring it down. What does concern me is that the NitrAte is at 0. How long has the aquarium been up? Generally speaking, in the FW world, we want to see a little nitrate, as it lets us know that the tank isn't cycling. You should have something of a reading...5, 10, 15 ppm at least. What kind of test kits are you using? You might take a sample to the local fish store and have them test it. Having zeros across the board usually tells me that either the tank is brand spanking new, or the test kits have gone bad.>
I do a 40% water change every 5 days.
<Excellent regimen. Keep it up!>
I don't feel that it is a water quality issue, he's not listing around or floating head up or down, but when he stops swimming he floats to the surface.
<Could be swim bladder dysfunction. It's not fatal, just looks funny. Do a search on WWM for Swim Bladder for more information.>
Is there anything I can do or is this just a "wait and see" type of thing?
<If he is otherwise acting healthy, stool looks normal, eating well, I'd just let him be. Could be needing a good burp, could be the food is too fibrous, could be swim bladder, could be something else. You might also try giving him some mushed up blanched peas, in case he has a mild case of constipation.>
If it is air and he can't expel it, is that a fatal condition?
<No, the air will find a way out, one way or another ;-). They are kind of like us in that way.>
Also, how long could it take for him to recover from this?
<It really depends what it is. If it is swim bladder damage, he might always be that way, and it is just a quirk. If it is something else, it may pass, or it may not. Worst case scenario is he has some problem that is affecting him neurologically, such as a bacterial infection or parasite, but I'd say the chances of that are relatively slim if he is eating and otherwise well. Unless he shows other symptoms, I'd just call him "Bobby" or "Floaty" or "Bouncy" or something cute.>
Thanks for your help,
<Anytime!>
Evan
<Andrea>

Re: Tetra buoyancy 10/29/07
Andrea, et al:
<Hi Evan, sorry for the delay. I have been out of town.>
Thank you for your help earlier. <Most welcome.> I wanted to update you on the situation.
After about 5 hours "Bob" seems to be back to normal.
<Glad to hear it.>
I've only been keeping fish for 3 months, so when I saw his behavior I was surprised and alarmed.
<It happens to all of us. I've been keeping fish for years and years, and still panic often. The same with my cats, frogs, lizards, toads, nieces, nephews....call it human care instinct. =). It does ease up a bit though.>
And on the water tests: I'm using Jungle 5-in-1 and Ammonia quick dip tests so the readings aren't super precise and some of the tests have a large gap between values. On the Nitrate the scale is 0 then 20 and it was definitely not 20.
<The test strips are good for getting a general feel of water conditions, but since you are new to the hobby, I really suggest you get better test kits, with liquid reagents. They really are an invaluable tool, especially early in the hobby when you are just learning. The accuracy will help you both learn and get a better feel for the conditions in your tank. API makes good kits for freshwater that are reasonably priced and readily available. You will want to have Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte, pH, kH, and possibly Phosphate on hand. Salifert are also excellent, but more expensive. It will serve you and your fish well to buy these and familiarize yourself with them and their properties.>
Again, thank you all for your continuing help to all of us fish keeping
novices and experts.
<Our pleasure.>
-Evan

Mysterious repeated hatchet fish death II – 10/18/07
Hi,
I hope you can have an answer.
<We'll try.>
We have a 10 gallon tank with live plants, 3 platys and 3 hatchet fish.
two day after we introduced the hatchets, we found one of them dead.
Went to the store bought another one, next day dead.
<Hatchets aren't the easiest of fish. Which species are we talking about here? There are two common types, Marble hatchets and Silver hatchets. The Marble hatchet is Carnegiella strigata and it is small, mottled brown, and quite delicate. It needs to be in groups of 6 or more to have any chance of surviving. In ones and twos they just die. Not recommended for your tank simply because they will feel trapped and get stressed. When stressed, they jump at the glass lid or lamps, and damage themselves. The Silver hatchet is Gasteropelecus sternicula. It is larger, silver, with a blue horizontal band on the flanks. It is basically hardy once settled in, but mortality during the first few weeks can be very high. Given its adult size and high activity level, not really an option for a 10 gallon tank.>
The water is fine, Ph between 7 and 7.2 temperature around 76-78. The community is fine and the plant are thriving.
We are feeding them with Spectrum the small fish formula.
We thought they might be jumping and hurting themselves on the hood.
<Happens.>
The deaths happened during the day.
Thanks a lot
Emanuela
<Give up with Hatchets. Your tank is not really suited to hatchets. While lovely fish (I keep Silver hatchets) they are far from easy fish and best suited to expert fishkeepers or aquarists prepared to set aside a large, quiet, thickly planted tank where they can be kept in large numbers. If you want a surface dweller of some type, look at something like Sparkling gouramis (Trichopsis pumila) which are hardy, colourful, and do well in small tanks. Cheers, Neale.>

Tetras with Ich – 09/17/07
Dear crew,
<<Hello, Evan. Tom with you.>>
I have a 10 gallon tank with 4 Glowlight tetras and 3 neon tetras (I had 5 Neons originally but 2 died soon after arriving home from the LFS). That raises a question; one of the dead Neons was completely colorless when I found it. Could the cause of death been NTD?
<<Could be, Evan, but not very likely. Your other Neon Tetras would have almost certainly contracted NTD by now and I can’t guarantee that the Glowlights wouldn’t have been affected, as well.>>
If so: how long before any of my other fish exhibit symptoms? It’s been over 2 weeks and I haven’t noticed the fish acting sick.
<<They’d have shown signs by now, Evan.>>
Sorry for the digression, back to my original question.
<<No problem.>>
My tank has 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and less than 20 ppm Nitrates, temp 84F, pH 7.8.
<<The pH levels are high for the Neons in particular, Evan. Not necessarily a problem but might account for some stress in these fish.>>
10 days ago I noticed the start of ich on a couple of the Glowlights and I started a treatment of Aquarium Pharmaceuticals’ Super Ick Cure (Benzaldehyde Green and Povidone/Colloid mixture). I have been treating at half dose but following Doug Thamm’s recommendations found here:
http://fins.actwin.com/articles/disease/ick2.php. I have the temperature at 84F and have performed 2 full administrations (5 mL initial dose followed by 5mL more 48 hours later, followed by WC after another 48 hours, and repeat) and I am in the middle of the 3rd administration (10th day). I have done 50% WC in between each. The treatment appeared to be working as the glowlights had lost all of their white spots.
<<Glad to hear this. Nice description of your regimen, by the way.>>
Yesterday evening I noticed one of my Neons with ich spots on its tailfin and body. Is it normal for the ich to re-emerge during treatment?
<<Not necessarily “normal” but certainly possible. Difficult to determine the resistance the parasites may have to the medication particularly at partial dosages.>>
Should I increase the dosage strength to 100% doses?
<<I wouldn’t do this unless the problem looks like it’s getting the better of you and the fish. As I alluded to earlier, your Neons prefer water that’s soft/acidic. Their preferred pH levels top out at about 7.0 which means your water is much higher in pH than they really like. This alone can contribute to diminished resistance to infestations such as Ich. Since medications also lead to stress, the least effective dosage that you can treat at will be far better in the long run.>>
Should I just continue my treatment until no spots are left?
<<Yes.>>
Should I change medication to something like Quick Cure with Malachite Green/Formaldehyde?
<<Not unless the API medication just doesn’t do the job for you. The Malachite Green is highly effective but isn’t without problems of its own. Highly toxic and has been described as a potential carcinogen. Not a treatment protocol to take lightly.>>
Besides the ich, the fish seem healthy, they are active and eat well.
<<Very good signs, Evan.>>
Thank you for your help.
-Evan
<<Happy to be of assistance to you. Good luck to you. Tom>>

Re: Ceramic media, air pumps... Actually Neon Tetra... dis., repro.   – 09/13/07
Hello Neale,
<Hello Giuseppe,>
as you know I have 2 adult neons in my tank. One of them has a larger abdomen compared to the other one, so I assume I have a male and a female.
<Indeed. According to Baensch, the difference is also seen in the shape of the blue line: on males it is straight, on females it is bent. But I can't see any difference!>
Now, I noticed that every 6-8 weeks the female becomes even larger and tends to eat much less and spend most of the day in a quiet spot of the tank. This situation lasts for about 10-15 days, after which her abdomen goes back to normal and she starts eating normally.
<Odd.>
Do you think that she might have eggs during the time she's more swollen and doesn't eat much?
<Sounds plausible enough. Do keep an eye out for Neon Tetra Disease though: key symptoms are shyness, loss of appetite, and loss of colour. Then they die! NTD is unfortunately very common.>
If this is the case I would be very fascinated in trying to breed the two neons. I read that it's pretty challenging, but that experience would be extremely exciting for me, considering also that neon tetra is one of my favorite fish.
<I'm not sure it's "difficult" per se, since these fish are bred in their millions on fish farms. The problem for most aquarists is neons only breed in very soft water. The other big mistake people make with neons is to keep them too warm; while they aren't subtropical fish, 26C (79F) is the top of their preferred thermal range, and for breeding they only want around 24C (75F). When kept in hard, overly warm water they just won't spawn, or if they do, the eggs become fungused.>
Do you also have any good web site where the breeding process for neons is described in detail?
<Is there nothing here at WWM? Breeding neons follows the same basic pattern as most other tetras. Soft (<2 dH), acidic water (5-6); low light levels (i.e., no lights, lots of shade); little to no water movement; and benthic plants like Java moss to catch the eggs. Sunlight can be a good spawning trigger. Eggs hatch in one day, free swimming 3-4 days later, when they take Artemia nauplii and the like. If you're interested in fish breeding, there's an excellent book by Chris Andrews called 'Fish Breeding'. It's my bible for fish breeding. You can usually pick up used copies on Amazon and the life for a dollar or two.>
Thank you,
Giuseppe
<Good luck, Neale>

Re: Ceramic media, air pumps... Actually Neon Tetra... dis., repro.   – 09/13/07
Neale,
<Giuseppe,>
I just bought that book. I was thinking about what you said about the water conditions needed to breed neon tetras and I have a couple of questions:
1 - Currently the tank where they live has a temperature of 78F and PH at 7.0. If I setup a second tank with lower temperature and acidic water, wouldn't the neons have a shock when I move them from one tank to the other one?
<Small water temperature changes don't harm freshwater fish; indeed, they are often important spawning triggers. If you're moving the fish from one tank to another, then doing the normal thing of placing the fish in a bucket of "old" water and dribbling in the "new" water over 30 minutes will not only adapt them to the new water chemistry but the water temperature too. If you're taking the fish across a dramatic water chemistry change, e.g., from hard water to very soft water, you would probably be wise to fill the breeding tank with hard water and then do soft water water changes of around 20% each day until the water chemistry had changed over completely. Do also remember that very acidic water doesn't support biological filtration. You will need a small air-powered box filter filled with ammonia-remover for such a tank. There's a good argument for not filtering the tank while the parents are actually spawning and when the eggs are sitting in the moss. Only start the filter back up once the fry are free swimming.>
2 - If the neons have to be kept in dark conditions but with plants in the tank, wouldn't the plants die for lack of light?
<Yes, if you kept the lights off all the time. What you're aiming for is to put the neons in the tank for a week, and once settled down, turn off the lights so the tank only gets natural light, and once they've laid their eggs and the fry are free swimming, turn the (subdued) lights back on. Regardless, the level of lighting should be low, and the peat extract in the water will make it quite murky. Java Moss will tolerate this regime fine. I have one tank that simply receives natural light from a window and the Java Moss has gone wild. Baby fish love the stuff, because it collects detritus and micro-organisms that they can eat. There's obviously a balance between having a nice rich microflora and a dirty tank though! Some people skip plants and use synthetic mops of various types, home-made (boiled dark-coloured yarn, teased into threads and then knotted) or purchased. There are really many options.>
3 - How long does it typically take from when the neons are moved to the breeding tank to when they actually spawn?
<No idea, never done it myself. Typically fish take a few days to settle into a spawning tank, but once there, if they're mature enough to breed, they will do so almost at once. The key thing is conditioning the female: lots of live foods so that she gets nice and fat.>
Thank you,
Giuseppe
<Cheers, Neale>