Dusty Looking Neon

[Cheryl]

Tank size: 40gal
pH: 7
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10
kH: 4
gH: 7
tank temp: 25C

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): One of my neons has a dusty looking patch on its body. It is not acting ill. Does anyone have any ideas about what this might be? I had an angel fish die recently (loss of appetite and then died after almost 2wks) but all the other fish are healthy except one dwarf guarami which spends alot of time sitting on the floor of the tank (she moves to eat etc)

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Non chemical filter media- external canister... 1200lt/hr

Tank inhabitants: angel fish, harlequin rasboras, neons, bristlenose catfish, congo's, platy's, dwarf guarami's

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Nothing before the patch turned up.

Exposure to chemicals: I treated with triple sulfa and anti-parasite meds when trying to treat the sick angel. Stress coat after each water change and flourish excel

 

[The-Wolf]

One of my neons has a dusty looking patch on its body.

what colour is this dusty patch?
where is it exactly?

I'm thinking white dusty patch on the back (dorsal) area indicates columnaris
AKA saddleback disease aka false neon tetra disease, which is curable but hard to do so.

a gold dusty patch on the body would indicate velvet disease and is curable to

a white fluffy(think cotton wool) patch on the body could be columaris, fungus or body rot
again all cureable.

EDIT
I ment to have said, it is a welcome change to see that someone has
read the pinned topic about posting here and not only read it, taken note and used it.
I thank you for that.

 

[WILDER]

Just want to add something else as wolf covered most of it, are they neon tetra make sure the red stripe dosnt look bleached out, any signs of flicking and rubbing on objectts or laboured breathing.
If they are neon tetras check to fish tummy to make sure the no lumps that go to a point.

 

[Cheryl]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner- I had it set to notify me of replies but it didnt seem to work.
The dusty patch goes along the topline of the fish and then down around its body. Its not long and fluffy like cotton wool- its more like its been powdered... if i had to give it a colour it would be off-white rather than gold. The colour is just bleached out. There has been no laboured breathing, flicking or rubbing. The patch creates a break in both the red and blue stripe but mainly the blue is affected. It swims slightly head down.
Its a bit hard to tell, but I dont see any lumps on the tummy (they are neon tetras). It appears to be the only fish affected. Do I get rid of it or quarantine it?

 

[WILDER]

Does the patch resemble a saddle run along the back coming down the sides to form a saddle look.

 

[Cheryl]

Yeah I guess so, but it also kind of wraps right around- like someone got a bandage and wrapped it around its midsection. I dont know if it is significant but today I have a white film in patches on the glass of the tank- its bad enough that i cant get a pic of the fish.

 

[WILDER]

Slimey tanks can be a sign of parasites if you keep up with maintance, any fish flicking or rubbing on objects.
A white dusting can be velvet, then there ntd plus false ntd with is saddleback columnaris.
I will get you a link to ntd just to take a look at.
Surpised if it is a parasite as i would expect flicking and rubbing on objects.

http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm

Just check the gills on the fish to see if they look pale with excess mucas on them as velvet tends to attack the gils first.

Issolate the fish even if its in a container at the top of the tank, as if it was a parasite like velvet i would expect more fish to have the white dusting on them.

 

[Cheryl]

ok on closer inspection there is one other neon with colour loss along its topline and belly, with the center bit of its body still ok. I managed to get a pic of the one worst affected, but not a good one.
Meds I have here are methylene blue, triple sulfa and Aquarium Science's Anti-Parasite Remedy.

 

[WILDER]

It looks abit furry and fluffy to me, i think i would try a bacterial med, as there no cure for ntd anyway.
When my fish had ntd it look like a creamy white bleached out patch.

http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm

When my had ntd it started in the red stripe region which ntd does, i would treat it for now as false ntd which is saddleback columnaris.

 

[Cheryl]

I treated with triple sulfa a week or two ago when the angel was sick and it had no effect. Any other meds ideas? Is methylene blue an antibacterial?

 

[WILDER]

If in the states need maracyn one and two, if in the uk myxazin and pimafix.

 

[Cheryl]

I am in Australia.... ?

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Surely thats Whitespot (Ich) ?

 

[The-Wolf]

I am in Australia.... ?

you need to go to your lfs and ask them what they have to treat columnaris
it should be a sulpher based medication or an acriflavine based one.

 

[Cheryl]

Just thought I would post an update...

I am in a rural area and our LFS is particularly crappy (doesnt even know the names of the fish, let alone how to treat them). I went for a visit to Sydney and took the worst affected of the neons with me. Their suggestion was the same as yours- NTD or FNTD. She said to treat with methylene blue, which I did. What she did not tell me is that to save $30 worth of neons, I would sacrifice who knows how many $ worth of plants. It has ABSOLUTELY SMACKED my plants. Will it have wiped out the nitrifiying bacteria too? Will the plants pick up once the meds are out of the water or will i just chuck them now? My water is still too blue to see if it has had any effect on the neons. They dont appear to be acting any sicker. Is it normal for them to hang around the bottom of the tank mostly? For the life of me I can't think where they hung out before.