One Eyed Neon Tetra.....

[DrSlackBladder]

A few days ago I added a shoal of small (about 1cm length) neon tetra to my community tank. This evening I noticed that one only has one eye. There are no visual signs of stress or disease, and he's happily feeding and shoaling with the other eleven. Is it ok to leave him be and assume he's not in any discomfort or pain?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

If it is just a defect then I'd leave him be.

 

[techen]

Indeed, Some fish are born with some strange things but go on to live happy lifes. As long as it does not look to be bleeding/infected it would be fine.

 

[Shelster]

I have a pearl danio that only has one eye, I think a bully of his shoal had it this was ages ago, well over two years, and he/she is still going strong! Eats really well and have never had any concerns re welfare. Hope your neon will be ok

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Can't see the one eyed one here, but a pic of (part of) my new shoal of neons....

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Wel the one-eyed tetra is still doing well. But for the last few days I'm sure I've only counted 11 in my shoal. Although there is no sign of any remains under wood, rocks or in the filter. Everything else in my tank is doing great, and water parameters are good (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10-20 ppm nitrate maintained with two 20% pwc's per week, pH 7.6, temp 25C. Would my rather large Amanos be capable of a quick tidy up of a small dead neon? Or should I always expect to find at least some bones? The only other possibility is that I do still have 12, just that at least one spends a lot of time in hiding, and not constantly swimming with the rest of the shoal.....

 

[fluttermoth]

All your fish would happily eat a dead one (fish are gross like that )

They are very hard to count though. You could try taking a picture of them and counting them in that instead.

I wouldn't worry anyway; one dead neon isn't going to mess with your water quality (it would, of course, be different matter in a smaller tank, or if it was a bigger fish).

 

[mark4785]

The tetra probably has a genetic defect. If something had bitten it's eye out it would quickly die of shock. I know from experience that this would be the case as my German Blue Ram bit one of my tetra's eyes out when it got too close to a spawning area.

 

[jonny-5]

i had a Black Neon Tetra with only 1 eye & it lived for about 3 years with no problems at all,TBH it was 1 of the most active fishes in my community tank at the time,soon as food was dropped in,it was first up......i knew it only had 1 eye as soon as i got it home with the other 9 i bought together,but it was not bleeding or showing any signs of illness so thats why i never took it back to the shop

 

[beverleymulholland]

I have a glass cat fish with only one eye. Been like that since I bought him and had him for a year now. It's not held him back as always up first for food.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Now I think I'm down to 9 or 10 neons, although there is still no evidence of any deaths, and those 9 or 10 appear very healthy and content, as do all the other fish.  And of course water stats remain very good, zero ammonia, zero nitrite, 10-20ppm nitrate, 25C, pH 7.6 and stable......