Is My Neon Tetra Ill?

[cookiemonster89]

Several days ago I noticed that my one neon tetra had a blemish on it's blue line. It occurs right after the red line ends, and just seems darker than the rest of the color.

Forgive the extreme blurriness, but you can see the general shape - the fish in question is the one on the bottom, and quite rounder than the other one.

As of now my neons are in a hospital tank. They've been there since Sunday and their condition isn't detiorating, but they are stressed from the new environment and wouldn't eat at first. I'd like to get them back in the main tank soon, but I worry that they have neon tetra disease and will spread it to my other tetras.

Their water conditions are: nitrate- 20 ppm; nitrite- 0 ppm; hardness- 75 ppm; alkalinity- 300 ppm; pH- 7.8 ppm; and ammonia- 0 ppm.

Thoughts and advice would be appreciated.

 

[cookiemonster89]

*bump*

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Its realy difficult to tell anything from the quality of the pics as they are quite blurry but do they look anything like a less extreme version of this;

http/www.fishpalace.org/ntdmaybe_monaholmstrom.jpg

http/www.fishpalace.org/ntd_qianhu.jpg

?

 

[WILDER]

Can you describe the colour of the blemish is it a golden yellowish colour or rusty looking colour, any signs of flicking and rubbing, look irratated, twitching in the same swimming position, shaking, any laboured or increased breathing.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> Its realy difficult to tell anything from the quality of the pics

Neon Tetra Disease, (man how I hate that name), as you rightly point out, can be caught by other fish. It is a parasitic condition caused by sporozoans. Normally, the encysted parasites cause lighter colouration rather then darker, and as the parasites grow, (in the muscle), they distort the spine. From what you've said so far, it does not sound like NTD.

The shape of the fish looks normal, probably female, although again, it is hard to be sure from the picture.

Has the mark always been there? Is it getting bigger/smaller/changing? Before you moved them, was it eating and behaving normally?

 

[cookiemonster89]

Can you describe the colour of the blemish is it a golden yellowish colour or rusty looking colour, any signs of flicking and rubbing, look irratated, twitching in the same swimming position, shaking, any laboured or increased breathing.

It is a dark blue-reddish. It just recently appeared, and hasn't seemed to get any bigger since I noticed it. They've started eating again and seem more comfortable in the tank. Maybe it's nothing, but I didn't want to risk the whole tank getting sick in case something was really wrong.

Again- sorry about the picture quality. My digital camera is pretty poor quality when it comes to taking aquariums pics.

 

[WILDER]

I would issolate them just to be sure, does it sound like this, but i'm not the writer of this information.
Some parasites cause lesions that look like a fine red-gold dust, which is seen easier under a light. This very fine appearance is why this condition is called velvet disease.

 

[Lateral Line]

Velvet presents such that the fish appears to have been dusted with a fine powder. This does not sound like what the OP is seeing.

Has the fish been damaged? What I'm thinking, is that the "blue" line on Neons is not actually a pigment. The blue is created in iridophore cells which contain guanine crystals, which difract and reflect light. If the fish has had a knock, it is possible that the crystals are lying in a different orientation, thus not reflecting as they were before.