tetras sick

[newbie_alicia]

There is something wrong w/ my neons but I'm not quite sure what. I have isolated them but I wasn't sure what was wrong so I haven't started medicating yet. I have a picture of their newest habits could someone tell me how to put them on ehre so that I can show you what they are doing? They have lost their color a bit and it seems like they are rapid breathing and they all go to the top of the tank. The water conditions are fine so I'm not sure whats wrong with them. I know when I moved them into the hospital tank they were stressed out from the move and they havent eaten for a couple days.

 

[WILDER]

If there rapid breathing and stressed this could be the cause of the colour change, are the gill red and inflamed or pale, are they flicking and rubbing against objects, also can you please post water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[newbie_alicia]

I have a pH of about 6.5 ammonia of 0 nitite .1 and nitrate 0. Gills are red but that has just occured since they have been in the hospital tank. They first started losing color in the main tank which also has the same parameters. However, I know they got stressed out from me catching them. I don't know why it looks as though they are breathing from the top because the tank is filtered and the water is fine. They aren't rubbing against any objects either. Color change came before rapid breathing or red gills.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do a water change and put the "sick" tetra back with the main shoal, neon tetras do alot worse when in very small numbers or on their own and will just become more stressed.
What other fish do you have in the tank with them and does the tank have some nice big clear areas for them to shoal in?

 

[newbie_alicia]

They do not have any other type of fish with them. Since I do not know what they have they are not in my main tank. There are 6 of them together so I doubt they're stressed from being alone. I need to know what is wrong w/ them though so I can cure them.

symptoms~
While in main tank- Loss of color
Hospital tank- Definetly more defined red (not sure if inflammed) on their gills
- Rapid breathing
- worse discoloration
-loss of appetite (not sure if this was due to stress from netting them and moving them to a diff tank?)
-appear weak (some got stuck on filter had to shake them off and cover filter...dont worry i caught it as soon as it happened )

However they have no lumps...and the water quality in both tanks is healthy...main tank-twice a week 5% change...hospital tank-three times a week 5% change

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

(correct me if im wrong), but shouldn't you not have any nitrites in a fully cycled tank? The smallest thing amiss in water stats can make neons sick, i would do some water changes making positively sure you add the correct dose of dechlorinator and see if their condition improves.
What is your tank cleaning regime on an average basis and how often do you do it?

 

[newbie_alicia]

It is because this isnt a fully cycled tank its only been set up for like a week. Its actually a friends tank that im using for a hospital tank. My other tank is fine but I wasn't sure what they had so I didn't want it to spread. I could put my betta and frogs into my main tank and use their tank as a hospital tank. That tank has been set up for a long time. But I don't know how much that will stress out my betta. I already put up how often I change water. The water is dechlorinated and they were already sick before I put them into the hosp tank so I know its not from the nitrites. Isn't that a small level anyways?

 

[Lateral Line]

Neons and closely allied species are very sensitive to Nitrogen pollution. You will often see advice that states they should not be added to tanks until the tank has been running with other fish for at least 6 months. Ammonia and nitrite should be zero. Nitrate, is rarely if ever zero if your filter is working correctly. Already we have enough to trouble Neons!

Your pH is 6.5. This again piques my curiosity. Most water companies run their systems hard and alkali. Acidic water is a corrosion risk for the pipe network/plant. Is your tapwater that acidic, or have you done something to it, (that your fish shop probably hasn't), to bring it down that far? A big pH change, (and remember pH scale is logarithmic not linear - the change from 6.5 to 7.5 is ten times more alkali), can also induce a serious biological shock.

Whatever else, Neons live in the lower third of the tank, they may hop up for food, but they are denizens of the deep. If they are up around the surface, there is something seriously wrong with the water.

 

[newbie_alicia]

Well my water is slightly acidic because I have rams which tend to like more acidic water so i keep it at about 6.5. Which I've always heard/read that was fine for neons too. They have been doing fine in that pH for months now. Only in the past week have they had any problems.
Only one day for some reason were they at the top. But for the last day to today they have been at the bottom of the tank. So I'm not sure what was wrong w/ them that day. And I'm not quite sure what you mean about the nitrates. According to my little test kits my nitrates have never been up. My filter works fine and I have plenty of plants. For awhile I thought maybe the tetras had nitrite poisioning. HOwever their gills haven't changed colors. Today they are breathing normal again. So for just one day they were rapid breathing and up at the surface. But the water parameters have not changed? So I'm not sure if that is what it is wrong w/ them.

 

[Lateral Line]

Your biological filtration converts ammonia->nitrite->nitrate thus nitrate is the end result of your biological filters activity. If your nitrates are zero, then where is your nitrogen going? It is true a very lightly stocked, heavily planted tank will have low nitrates because the plants use them.

There are many reasons why your nitrogen levels may have spiked. I got the impression you were talking about a non-cycled or poorly cycled tank...

>>> isnt a fully cycled tank its only been set up for like a week

... but then you say...

>>> They have been doing fine in that pH for months now

... which implies some kind of spike in an established tank.

At the end of the day, your fish are okay again.

If you have an established tank of fish and have added nothing alive recently, then a sudden change of behaviour is almost inevitably a water problem, not a disease, so...

>>> I haven't started medicating yet.

... was totally the correct action.

 

[newbie_alicia]

Okay my point was they were sick in my main tank which has fine water parameters. The hospital tank that I transfered them to has the same pH. So I am unsure of how you can say that it is a water problem when it was my main tank they got ill in and that tank has fine water parameter. I understand that tetras may be more sensitive than rams to water changes. However since this tank has been set up for more than 6 months I do not understand how their could be a sudden change in the water parameters (Am positive there hasn't been as I do checks every two weeks). The reason the nitrogen had a spike in my hosp tank is because they weren't eating. So when I had fed them I'm guessing it all didn't get eaten which had an increase in the waters nitrite.

sum....sick before put into hosp tank (main tank fine water parameters)
-still sick in hosp but because of nit levels they were breathin rapidly
-breathin fine now...but still are sick...

 

[WILDER]

The nitrite reading has probably caused the red gills, and the colour change, just keep an eye on them for now, how are they doing as there colour come back.

 

[newbie_alicia]

The nitrite can do the color change too? Okay so do you think if the levels are down they will get healthier in a week or so? Should I just put them back into my main tank because it has been set up longer?

 

[WILDER]

Yes a high nitrite reading can cause colour change as they get stressed and go pale, i would put them back in the main tank, can you tell me the latest nitrite reading in the main tank to see if it's safe enough.

 

[newbie_alicia]

I'll have it up in about 5 minutes