Bumpy Neon

[Piggy]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to the forum, and also relatively new to the fish keeping scene as well, but I have a problem with a tetra that I've been unable to find any information about elsewhere and I'm starting to get a little worried.

Around the end of April I was given a 29L tropical tank setup as a birthday present, and after I let it cycle for a few weeks the first fish I put in were a few Neon Tetras just to get started. Since then I've only had 3 of 10 fish die (2 Neons that succumbed to my inexperience and couldn't handle ammonia too well, and 1 Bristlenose Catfish that was going strong one minute and died mysteriously the next), however at present I have a Neon that seems to have developed a series of small bumps along its back, and just yesterday I noticed that its left eye was bulging a little and the red stripe at the end of its tail has lost some colour.

Initially I had done some research with the only diseases seeming to match those symptoms being Ich or Neon Tetra Disease, however the symptoms also do not match entirely. The other Neons are not ostricising the 'ill' one and it is not behaving strangely, and seems otherwise quite well. I had read that Neons do not last particularly long when ill, which also has me questioning my findings.

Since the first two Neons of mine died I have been performing weekly water changes of 25-33%, and monitoring the water conditions closely with Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite levels being very low and what I would consider quite acceptable. The only issue I'm aware of at present is the substrate that I currently have in the tank contains small shells which I'm aware increases hardness and alkalinity, however for the moment I have that (mostly) countered with some driftwood I added to the tank (The substrate I feel may also be affecting the other fish's colours, though I hope to change that in time). I also have the tank temperature set at to 26 degrees. There are currently Neons, Bristlenose Catfish and Guppys in the tank.

If anyone has any suggestions about what I might do, as I'm hesitant to euthanise just yet, it would be greatly appreciated.

I hope that I may become a regular member of this community and expand my own knowledge as well as my aquarium though it.

Joel.

[Dave66]

Ammonia and nitrite should ALWAYS be zero, not just low. Both are highly toxic to fish. Nitrate should be under 10 ppm between water changes in the average community tank. Your neon has a protozone disease that I'm afraid isn't curable. It seems to show up in fish captive bred in the Orient. To my knowledge, it isn't curable, nor is it contagious. I quarantine like species together for a few weeks prior to adding them to the tank, and the few fish I've seen with the disease didn't transmit it to the tankmates.

Dave

[Piggy]

Thanks Dave for your advice. It does indeed seem to be non-contagious as none of the other Tetras have shown signs of illness. It's just a shame he does look rather unwell.

Joel.

[zackish]

Ammonia and nitrite should ALWAYS be zero, not just low. Both are highly toxic to fish. Nitrate should be under 10 ppm between water changes in the average community tank. Your neon has a protozone disease that I'm afraid isn't curable. It seems to show up in fish captive bred in the Orient. To my knowledge, it isn't curable, nor is it contagious. I quarantine like species together for a few weeks prior to adding them to the tank, and the few fish I've seen with the disease didn't transmit it to the tankmates.

Dave

I thought during the week your nitrates can rise up to like 40 ppm before a water change. Someone said that fish can be fine up to like 50 ppm.

[gm72]

Most fish can tolerate higher concentrations of nitrAte, but the lower certainly the better.

Also, just to echo Dave, he is absolutely 100% correct that ammonia and nitrIte should always be at zero. If they show up in tests then something has changed or is wrong.