# Neon tetra disease



## Guest

I suspect one of my neons has NTD. It has a pale spot on its tail and it cannot swim right. Its backend droops down. 

The tank is my 29g. My tank parameters were:
ammonia: 0
nitrIte: 0
nitrAte: 10ppm
pH: 6.8

In the tank are:
8 neons
7 glowlights
3 cherry barbs
1 opaline gourami
6 panda cories
4 albino cories (~1 inch each...only staying a few months)
3 ottos

I do 50% water changes once a week...the last was on Tuesday of this week.

I just noticed the fish this evening. I cannot find any other disease that resembles this.

I know there isn't a cure for NTD. Has anyone had any luck finding a med to prevent the spread? I really don't want to lose all my fish. 

The affected one...and another with a mysterious dark lump on its tail, are in a 1g hospital tank, until I can find something bigger.

Would a plastic 18g tub/container work as a hospital tank? I will put a heater and an airstone in it. Or will a 5g tank be ok. This one has a heater and a filter (no carbon of course).

Here is a blurry picture of the one that swims awkward:








In this one you can kind of see the pale spot:









Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? This disease is awful!


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## Jonno

Well i have never come across this disease myself but what i know if it it cnt be cured ( but i'm not 100% sure) all i can suggest you do is to isolate the fish move him to a hospital tank or something and hope none of your other neons dnt get it.

Also 50% water changes is to much every 7 days you cut down and do about 30 - 25% wc's


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## MaryPa

That`s more like an old neon just getting ready to die. I usually seperate them from the others when they look like that. This gives them a chance to die without being picked on. NTD is rarer than most people think. Neons just show their age more than other fish and the signs of an old dieing fish looks like NTD.


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## MaryPa

Oh and any fish can get NTD. It was given that name just because it was first noticed in neons.


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## TheOldSalt

NTD has been very bad this past year, showing up all over the place for some reason. I can't tell from that pic if that's the problem, but it doesn't look like it. There is no cure for affected fish, but the spores can be killed in the water with a few very expensive human-grade drugs. Very expensive.


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## Guest

I posted on another forum...which is my main forum, and someone who does alot of research on the disease said that's what it looked like. But, the fish doesn't look crooked like the pictures I've seen of the disease. It looks like it lost a little more color on his tail, but it hasn't spread to his body.

I have had these neons for about 6 months. I haven't added anymore lately.

I do have this one in a hospital tank now. I also have another neon in there that has a mysterious lump on his tail...no discoloration, but a lump.

The fish in the pictures above is still alive this morning. It cannot swim horizontally though, its tailend is weighing it down. I will probably euthanize it this evening if it is still alive. I hate to see it suffer like that.

I really hope its not NTD. It doesn't look like any pictures I've found online. I have been checking on my other neons constantly to make sure none of the others have any signs. I treated the tank with a parasite med...not sure it will do any good since you can't treat NTD. I also treated the sick fish with two different types of parasite meds (I know I shouldn't mix, but they will probably die anyways).

Thanks for the help everyone. I do know that it can spread to other types of fish, if this is indeed NTD. That's why I isolated him right after I found him. I have glowlights in the tank and being closely related to neons, I am also watching them carefully.



> but the spores can be killed in the water with a few very expensive human-grade drugs


Yes, I've heard that Quinine can be used. And another drug with a long name. I have no idea how I'd get those though....or how I'd pay for them.



> Also 50% water changes is to much every 7 days you cut down and do about 30 - 25% wc's


My water changes are usually more around 40%. That works for me. I am a little overstocked in that tank, I think, so 40% helps keep nitrates down.


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## Cichlid Man

Unfortunatly, once a small fish gets neon disease, it will spread to all the other fish in the tank, unless the parasite isn't allowed to spread. I should know, as yesterday in my newly setup tetra tank, 8 fish were dead, and loads more the days before. I had neons, glowlights, black neons, black phantoms, roseys, and harelquins. The only fish which are still alive now are the black neons. I'm going to sterilize the tank and start again, using different subtrate too, as my sand is a breeding ground for the bacteria which is resposable fish neon disease. If you notice, once a few fish get neon tetra disease, they stay near the top of the tank, this is because most of the parasites that cause neon disease live on the tank floor. Some people cover the bottom of their tanks with fine netting, so keeping the tetras away from the parasites. 
THESE PARASITES ATTACK THE FLESH AND MUSCLES causing white patches (areas) on the skin, particualary near the tail. If you think that neon tetra disease could cause a problem in your tank, you can purchase a diatom filter which kills the diatoms (parasites) which eat the fishes flesh.

Even if your tank has perfect water conditions, this won't stop the spread of this deadly disease. 
If you are worried about this disease, don't use fine beach/river sand in your tanks, plant substrates are good.


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## Guest

> causing white patches (areas) on the skin, particualary near the tail


This makes me think the fish didn't have NTD. The sick neon had a faded out place on its tail...not really white, but just a faded color red. It couldn't swim right. And the fading wasn't all over its body....just right by its tail.

Another neon has a lump right near its tail. Its not white though...but a dark color. I have it in the hospital tank. I had to euthanize the first neon because it was struggling to swim and was really stressed. I wanted to put it out of its misery.

The second one can swim fine and isn't stressed or breathing fast. I have been watching my other neons carefully and none seem to have anything wrong just yet.

I really hope it isn't NTD. To me, it doesn't look like it. I don't know for sure what type of disease the two have though.

Thanks for the information. Sorry about all your fish losses.

By the way, do you know what kind of meds I could treat the neon with the lump? I have no idea what it might be...I have been using Melafix and Pimafix for a day...but I don't know if it will help.


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## TheOldSalt

The nodules you find with NTD are usually yellow, not dark. There are various other things, like worms, which can produce dark nodules, though.


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## Guest

Should I treat for parasites? Or should I use Melafix and Pimafix for the lump. The fish doesn't seem distressed, so I'm wondering if I should keep treating for something I'm unsure of, or just put it back in its main tank. I would hate for whatever it is to spread to my other fish though. I'm not quite sure what to do.

I'll try to get a picture of it tonight, so maybe someone can help identify what the problem is. The neon is small though and with a not-so-good camera, its hard to get a decent shot. I'll try though.


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