Neon Tetra Disease

[starrynightxxi]

i understand that neon tetra disease is a big problem in tetras, but i think people really need to calm down in their diagnosis of it. Not every sick tetra has it, and the last case of it in the emergencies forum I would have diagnosed as a case of bullying, which could have saved a tetra that might not have been at all sick from being flushed live. When I introduced two new neons to my shoal, one of them ended up losing it's tail so that it looked a lot like what was described in that post, and that fish, too, was sulking and hiding in a corner until it felt better. Today it has made a full recovery, but had I presented it, it may well have been diagnosed as NTD instead of what it was, a simple case of bullying.

well, that's all i have to say. rant over now

 

[nmonks]

That's a good rant, and one I agree with.

Far too often, instead of people saying "I didn't care for my fish properly" they say a fish died because of internal parasites or some sort of bacteria. Sure, there are parasites and diseases that tropical fish can get, but more often than not, they get the fish because of poor water quality or the wrong conditions.

That said, fish like neons and dwarf gouramis are massively abused by the cheap fish farming industry. Because we insist on buying the cheapest fish rather than the best ones, we're now largely supplied with fish that have been intensively reared on farms with little or no interest in the long-term welfare of the fish. Instead of selling neons at $3 a piece that might reasonably be expected to live 4 years (as they used to), we have neons at 75¢ a piece, but with a average life expectancy of less than a year.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[annka5]

Yep, I totally agree. It seems like NTD is the current fashion... I'm not saying that it doens't exist, but not at the levels people seem to assume.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Fading is only one symptom of NTD, in a full blown case of it you would expect to see warping of the spine or flesh and symptoms of other deseases as the fish's physical condition, health and imune system goes down hill like finrot and cysts etc.
Its not always as highly infectious as it is sometimes seen as, as it varies so much from case to case. Sometimes it can wipe a whole tank comunity in a matter of weeks, other times it takes months to spread. It may stick to a particular species of fish in a tank, or may infect all sorts of fish. I would also like to remind people that as far as i am aware, it is not a tetra-only desease as well.

I think the best way to go about things like this is to be absolutely positive you know what you are dealing with as far as fish deseases go- don't be to quick to judge, but don't leave things until they spiral out of control. Some deseases are very easy to identify, for example white spot or mouth rot are generally quite easy to tell, but other deseases like NTD or internal parasites and bacteria are often much more difficult to indentify due to the variety of forms and symptoms they take.

Dealing with the matter at hand ASAP is always a good thing, but if it turns out you have to euthanise a fish due to fish TB or NTD, it may be best separating it first from the other fish just to let symptoms progress and become more obvious because they are often not very obvious at first (i know some people may disagree with letting a case of suspected TB or NTD progress, but there is no harm of the fish infecting other fish if it is in a separate tank- its better to be on the safe side and know exactly what you are dealing with than treat a fish with the wrong meds or even worse, euthanise it unesarsarily).

I think now days, a digital camera is just a good as peice of fish keepers kit as a water quality test kit, as people are far more likely to give you accurate diagnosis on your fishs condition if they can see what is ailing it rather than going on description only .

 

[Fishy412]

i havent been on here in a while and this is the first ive heard of this disease. what are the symptoms?

 

[Lateral Line]

Neon Tetra Disease is an infestation with Sporozoan parasites. Sporozoans can affect many types of fish, including non-tetras, it has been documented in Cyprinids and Rainbows for example.

The Sporozoan parasites encyst in the muscle of the affected fish. As they grow larger, they become visible as localised pale patches on the skin. Continuing to grow, they begin to distort the spine of the fish giving a bent appearance. In severlly infected fish, the spine can be bent in several places, in different directions, sometimes giving a "crinkled" look to the poor fish.

Although NTD is more common then it was 20-30 years ago, (due mainly to poor hygiene at intensive breeding centres), it is still a relatively un-common problem. There is no economically viable treatment for Sporozoan infestation.

As pointed out above, there are many other causes for problems which are far more common. The most common "disease" of trops is poor water conditions.