Neon Tetra Almost Dead?

[TheChinski]

Hi all! Just got home to find one of my four little Neon tetras stuck in a vertical sort of position. I have had four for about a week and they live in a 30 litre tank. (I have plans to add more Saturday . The other four are fine, but this one is just floating around in the current, only seeming to stay off the bottom of the tank by a weak waggle it can just about manage.

Yesterday I found it under the rock I have in my tank, and I thought it was dead. But after an hour or so it came out again, so I thought it was nothing.

Please help, as I really dont want to loose a fish this early on.

Thanks,

 

[the_lock_man]

Hi Chinski,

You said that you don't want to lose a fish this early on, which implies this is a brand new aquarium? This implies that you haven't yet got a cycled filter, in other words, the filter hasn't built up enough bacteria to deal with the waste ammonia produced by the fish.

Whether I'm right or wrong, the best thing to do right now is a massive water change, take out virtually all the water, just leave enough for the fish to swim normally in, and replace it with clean dechlorinated water that is roughly the same temperature as that which you've taken out. Neons tend to be a bit iffy in new tanks anyway, but if my assumption above is correct then he's feeling the affects of ammonia poisoning, so the massive water change will help.

Can you confirm that it is a new tank, whether the filter is cycled, and if you have a test kit, can you test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, please.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Is your tank/filter cycled? What are the water stats; ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I am not sure if it is the quality of the photo or not, but it looks like your neon is losing color or has whitish patches... which can often be a sign of Neon Tetra Disease. I've lost a few to that (euthanized them as it is not curable)... though none of mine had any issues with swimming.

 

[the_lock_man]

I am not sure if it is the quality of the photo or not, but it looks like your neon is losing color or has whitish patches... which can often be a sign of Neon Tetra Disease. I've lost a few to that (euthanized them as it is not curable)... though none of mine had any issues with swimming.

Whilst I doff my hat to your greater experience than mine in the field of neon tetras (ie I've never had neons), that fish just looks like a normal young, only-bought-from-the-LFS-a-week-ago, neon tetra to me. Apart from the vertical bit. Any fish will lose colouration when suffering a stressful situation.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I'm by no means an expert, have only had them myself since September I think it was. But I find that whitish bit/spot at the end of his blue line concerning... but it could also just be the lighting/camera.

 

[the_lock_man]

 

[TheChinski]

I got the tank for christmas and used Nutrafin cycle. I know everyone says it doesnt work, but I read many people who said when they poured it in it looked just like water. Mine did, until a good 3 minute shake which made it begin almost fizzing. I followed the instructions and added it and then my fish about a week ago. Since then they seem to have been doing OK, so I hoped the Nutrafin had worked.

I would check the tail now but the poor things gone and got himself stuck in the filter

Ill perform a massive water change and take a closer look at him, maybe a few more pictures. I don't have a test kit, but ill get one when I go to the fish shop in a few days. Until then it should be alright if I just keep doing water changes?

Also, I don't suppose there's anything I can do for the fish? Nothing I can do to help him apart from a water change? Or should I just wait and hope for the best?

Thanks,

 

[the_lock_man]

If the fish is stuck on the filter, then he's very very weak. I suspect he won't make it, but the water change will hopefully help.

Even if he doesn't make it, get the test kit anyway, make sure it's a liquid one, not the paper strips, it should be standard kit for anyone with a fish tank.

 

[TheChinski]

Uh oh. You know you were mentioning the white stuff? After taking a good long look at my fish guess what i've found...

You can just see it on his upper fin. It didnt come out very well in the picture, but I can assure you it's there. A white cloudy stuff. I can see it on him from a few metres away

Another one has a speck of it on the tip of his fin. The other is clear. Im guessing I am going to be needing to pop out and buy some medication soon?

 

[the_lock_man]

Again, good fresh water with no ammonia or nitrite in it helps this kind of problem. Get your bucket out, mate.

 

[daizeUK]

Don't get more fish, if your tank is not cycled then more fish will just make it worse. I've heard that neons are delicate so they're probably not the best choice to cycle in a new tank.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

I don't know about the white spot, but regarding your tank water, you should assume that adding a bottle of Cycle has not magically grown sufficient bacteria in your filter media to convert fish waste (ammonia) through toxic nitrite and into safer nitrate. All seemed well initially, because there was zero, then a little ammonia in the water. Now you've had fish in there for a couple of weeks, there is a lethal concentration. They are being posioned by their own waste. You are now performing a fish-in cycle (with the added complication that you have chosen a delicate fish for this) which you should read up on asap (loads on this forum in the New Aquarium section), and you'll be needing to do 50% water changes daily to keep ammonia and eventually nitrite down to safer levels, to give your neons a fighting chance of survival. You'll need to do this until you've colonised the two types of good bacteria in your filter media, which will take a few weeks, and you'll be able confirm with the liquid test kit (most of us on here use the API Master Kit). When you get through that, hopefully you'll have some neons left and things will start getting a lot easier!

 

[the_lock_man]

you'll be needing to do 50% water changes daily

*Cough Cough* More than that.

 

[KCB]

I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but neon tetras are not suited to a tank that small. My research shows that they need at least 15 US gals (57 litres) and a 24 inch long tank. So I wouldn't purchase any more until you have upgraded the tank, otherwise it would be best to return them to the shop (except for the ill one of course). Sorry to add to your problems, just my two cents really.