# Neon Tetra Disease???



## AquaMom (Feb 24, 2009)

I had 7 neons, all doing very well in a nicely established 120 gallon tank with pristine water quality when I ignorantly decided to add 12 without quarantining them. I lost 8 of mostly the newly purchased neons within a week. Most of them would appear just fine until one day they wouldn't school, the next day their head would turn gray and their eyes would bulge, the next day the red strip would turn yellow near the tail end and the tail would seem to explode into a yellowish pustule like ball with no fin and then they would soon die. After it happened a few times I tried treating a couple of them in a separate 10 gallon with Maracyn and Maracyn II and none of them survived. That was over a month ago now. Two weeks ago, I noticed I have another one that's now showing the same characteristics. I am pretty good with diagnosing disease but I have no idea what this is.

I waited a week to see what he would do on his own because I know they get stressed when not in a school so I was hesitant to separate him. He didn't get worse but he didn't get better on his own so finally I separated him into a cycled 10 gallon and did two rounds of Malachite Green for parasites with absolutely no effect. 

I have been doing Maracyn with Maracyn II for a week now thinking bacterial and no change. I added 5 new neons to the quarantine tank to reduce his stress of not being in a school. They have been well for 3 days now.

I started feeding anti-parasitic foods two days ago too just in case it was internal parasites. Today, he is actually worse. The tail looks much more inflamed and yellowish, the yellow has actually claimed most of the red stripe on him tail, he looks much more wasted away and now his mouth almost appears stuck open with a white pustule on the top lip. I've been told it's probably NTD but he does not have the classic symptoms of NTD like the crooked spine and erratic swimming that is associated with Neon Tetra Disease.

I have no idea what this is and no idea what to try next. I am pretty sure this poor little guy won't make it but a few more days but if there is anything else that you can think to try, please let me know. Since all of those 12 sicklies I bought at the local fish store aren't all dead yet I have a feeling even when this latest one dies I'm not out of the woods yet. Here's a pic.

http://app5.sellersourcebook.com/users/16614/sick_neon_1.jpg


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The yellowness is the main symptom of NTD, especially with the yellow dots on the caudal peduncle. Yours is the first actual case of NTD I've seen posted here in quite awhile.

There is no practical cure. The only treatment costs more than your entire aquarium setup, and still doesn't work fast enough.
For now, make certain that these fish don't contaminate any of your other tanks.


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