Need Glow Light tetra help!!!

Is your tank cycled? Are you aware of the Aquarium Nitrogenn Cycle? Please read: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

Both @Deanasue and I have a shoal of glow light tetra. They are hardier then many other tetra but not the best fish to have in an uncycled tank. I have to run and restock my RO water. @Deanasue will help from here. Good luck.

Rock Salt/Marine Salt from your kitchen will do instead of worrying about getting salt from the local fish store (lfs)

If possible, use the aquarium salt. It’s a purer form from different part of mines.

mbsqw1d said:

Rock Salt/Marine Salt from your kitchen will do instead of worrying about getting salt from the local fish store (lfs)

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Make sure to not use table salt.

PheonixKingZ said:

Make sure to not use table salt.

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Depends how desperate the situation is, the amount of caking agent in table salt is low, but not say harmless. As i say, how desperate? If salt is needed to attempt to save a fish that is close to dying and table salt is the only option then use it.

mbsqw1d said:

Depends how desperate the situation is, the amount of caking agent in table salt is low, but not say harmless. As i say, how desperate? If salt is needed to attempt to save a fish that is close to dying and table salt is the only option then use it.

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I was always told to never use table salt...

It depends where you live.

In the US I understand that table salt contains iodate. In the UK, only one brand of table salt contains iodate and that is labelled as iodised salt. Hardly anyone uses that, most of us buy supermarket own brand table salt which contains only anti-caking agents. The reason is that all the UK is very close to the sea so our food contains iodine naturally. In a vast country like the US, so much of it is a long way from the sea so that adding iodine to food is necessary.

So in the UK, if a fish desperately needs salt and the shops are shut till the following day, using table salt is probably better than doing nothing. But if pure salt is available, that should be used.

Retired Viking said:

One issue may be that your tank is not cycled and ammonia is affecting the fish gills. Also it appears to me your fish has ich. If other members agree you should increase the temp to 86 degrees and do frequent water changes.

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Noted. Thanks so much! You’ve been extremely helpful.

Deanasue said:

Looks like ich. Fish also has a curled gill plate which is genetic and nothing you can do. He can live a long life with the Gill plate. For ich, raise your temp to 86F and leave it there for 14 days. Add 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt per every 5 gallons of water. Dissolve it in tank water first before adding to tank. Vacuum the substrate daily to pick up ich parasites. Take out about 5G of water and replace with fresh water. Add back 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt after adding back the fresh 5G of water. This is to replace what you removed. Remember to dissolve it first. At the end of 14 days, slowly lower your temp back to normal temp.

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I was thinking the same thing when the spots on it’s body began to appear, but then almost a fungal looking film began to spread to its gills. As for the curled gill, I’m not sure if it was genetic because it seemed to turn bright red and began to look like lesion when the spots started popping up. Not sure if those things are related, but I will definitely clean the tank, raise the temperature and try the aquarium salt. Thanks so much for your help!

Deanasue said:

Is your tank cycled? Are you aware of the Aquarium Nitrogenn Cycle? Please read: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

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To my knowledge it should be. I’ve had the tank for about a month, maybe even a little over a month. I will definitely read up on it more though! Thanks so much!

Deanasue said:

If possible, use the aquarium salt. It’s a purer form from different part of mines.

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Noted! Thank you!

FishFriends123 said:

Would anyone be able to help diagnose this glow light tetra? (I’m very new to this). Thanks so much in advance!

View attachment 110963

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More information:


Tank size: 5.5 gallons (With filter)

pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, kH, GH are unfortunately unknown right now.

tank temp: Currently 78°

Fish Symptoms: the fish seems to be eating well, but is not swimming as much and seems to be swimming closer to the bottom of the tank. The colour of its gills is a brighter red, and the growths around it’s gills are a white/yellow colour. It also has a few white spots on its body. The gill redness seems to look like some sort of lesion?

Volume and Frequency of water changes: This is a fairly new tank, so the water has yet to be changed. A change will probably occur today as the tank is due for one.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
The only chemicals and additives in the tank are Nutrafin (cycle) biological aquarium supplement and Nutrafin aqua plus water conditioner. Both were added to stabilize the new tank before the fish were introduced into the tank. Once the new fish were Introduced, another dose of biological aquarium supplement was put into the tank. It has now been about 2 weeks since any other chemicals or additives were put into the tank.

Tank inhabitants: Currently one other glow light tetra. There were 3 in the tank, but one unfortunately passed away this morning and seemed to be having the same symptoms as the fish pictured above. The other glow light tetra I have in the tank is experiencing no symptoms at all.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): No recent additions. Only a fake plant and a few decorations for them to hide in.

Retired Viking said:

Both @Deanasue and I have a shoal of glow light tetra. They are hardier then many other tetra but not the best fish to have in an uncycled tank. I have to run and restock my RO water. @Deanasue will help from here. Good luck.

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Thank you so much!

Hopefully your fish will survive, if so you should look for a larger tank, glow light tetras need plenty of room to swim and are also shoaling fish that need at least 6 fish to shoal properly. They are also a soft water fish. I live where the water is moderately hard so I reduce the hardness with RO water to have a healthier environment for my tetras. I have a 55 gallon soft water tank where I keep my shoal of 14 glow light tetra along with several other shoals of tetra. You do not need a 55 gallon tank but a larger tank like a 20 gallon long would be much better for them.