Question

[achase]

So I recently got 6 neon tetra's and they have all been doing quite well.

But I noticed tonight that one tetra is hanging near the back of the tank close to the bottom and doing what appears to be rapid panting. None of the other tetra's are acting this way....they are acting "normal".

Does anyone know what this may be from/is and how do I fix it (if possible)?

 

[OrangeCones]

No, its not 'normal.'

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

 

[achase]

I was saying that the other fish (the other five neon tetra's) were acting normal.
The readings are: Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm and Nitrate 0ppm.

 

[OrangeCones]

So you are doing a 'fish-in' cycle? Neons are not known to be that hardy and may not survive the cycling process. How long have the fish been in the tank?

 

[achase]

Ummmm.....I already did the fishless cycle about two months ago (it took about a month before that to cycle it). Are those not the readings your tank should have after it has cycled?

I kept adding ammonia to the tank between the time the tank had cycled and when I got the fish, to kept the bacteria alive.
The neon have been in the tank for about a week and half.

 

[achase]

Here are some photos of the sick neon tetra swimming. Although you can't really tell that he is swimming.

But sometimes he also swims totally normal.....so I dunno.

My ever so helpful mom, who hates the fact that I have fish, suggested that I flush the fish. Lol! I was like ya no.

 

[lauraf]

The reason OrangeCones asked if you were doing a fish-in cycle is because you reported that your nitrates were 0. In a cycled tank, there should be some nitrates.

 

[OrangeCones]

Ummmm.....I already did the fishless cycle about two months ago (it took about a month before that to cycle it). Are those not the readings your tank should have after it has cycled?

No, you should have a nitrate reading if the tank cycled. A zero indicates that its not cycled at all. How did you know your cycle was completed when you did a fishless cycle?

How are you testing for nitrates? If its the API Master Freshwater test, you need to shake the crap out of the bottles before use to get an accurate reading.

The photos look like it may be 'neon tetra disease.' From what I've read, there is no cure. It can spread to other fish so be careful not to use items in this particular tank with other tanks until its dianosed.

And please, do not 'flush' the fish as your mother indicated (looks like you decided against that anyway). Humanely euthanize it with a bowl of iced water instead if it needs to be put out of its misery.

 

[bassbonediva]

Readings for a cycled tank should be:
Ammonia-0ppm
Nitrites-0ppm
Nitrates-10-20ppm

It really sounds like your tank isn't cycled. From those pics, it doesn't look like your neon is going to make it. There may be two causes: First, it may be the fact that your tank isn't cycled (nitrates indicate the presence of beneficial bacteria will render the ammonia and nitrite from your fishes' waste harmless...the fact that you have none suggests that the ammonia isn't being converted, which could cause ammonia poisoning). Second, you may have just gotten weak stock. It's been known to happen, especially with sensitive fish such as neons.

 

[PlecoCollector]

Considering your other Neons are doing okay, I think you may have ended up with a "dud" that didn't handle the stress of being moved well. NTD usually leads to color loss but the sick one looks fairly colorful. He appears bloated; maybe a swim bladder problem?

Just as a side note: a cycled aquarium does not guarentee the presense of nitrates. The picture show some plants in the tank; do you have a number of live plants in the aquarium? If so, it is possible that the Nitrates are at or near zero. It also depends on your test kit; strip kits can go "bad" and be very wrong, while liquid kits can have the chemicals seperate leading to less than accurate results.

 

[OrangeCones]

I disagree that the fish does not show discoloration. There should be a meeting of the blue and red behind the dorsal fin in this species, no 'white' area.

Good luck with your fish.

 

[achase]

Thanks for everyone's responses.

I do have a API kit so I shook the crap out of the bottle and this is what I got: 10 - 20ppm. Matching the color is quite hard.
I thought my tank was cycled when my nitrites spiked and then some time later decreased until zero.
Also I do have quite a few live plants in my tank......numerous types.

My tetra appears to be doing better but I don't want to expose the rest of the group by him putting back into the tank in case he isn't really better. What should I do?
Never mind just when I finished writing the above part I found him dead.....

Correction: He is alive again.....I guess he was just resting on the bottom. I think I will freeze him so he doesn't have to suffer since it doesn't look like he will make it.

 

[PlecoCollector]

I disagree that the fish does not show discoloration. There should be a meeting of the blue and red behind the dorsal fin in this species, no 'white' area.

It is likely that that is just the fish's colour. Not all Neons have the blue and red touching. Stress is a likely factor to the less than perfect colour match as well. Specimens with NTD lose their colour significantly, especially the blue. It loses its "neon" qualities and becomes extremely dull. The fish pictured still had realitively bright colours considering its condition.


Still, I'm very sorry it's not doing well. May it go easily.

 

[achase]

Thanks, I decided to freeze him so that he wouldn't have to suffer. Its sad to watch a fish struggle when he obviously won't recover.

 

[lauraf]

Hey, achase: my sympathies. I had to do that recently with a von rio tetra. Very upsetting for me. Did you pop him into freezing water, or put him in his own water and freeze the bowl in your own freezer? Not coming at you with any kind of judgement - just wondering. I euthanized several angel fry in a bowl filled with ice cold water, and they went belly up instantly. However, when I did the same with a diseased von rio, it took about five awful seconds for it to stop flitting about madly in the ice water and go completely still. I am very sad about this, and wondering about the best 'freezing' method for fish that just won't survive.

 

[achase]

I put him in the freezer with his own water and container. Would it have been better to put him in freezing water instead? I didn't even think about that method of freezing. Although I think that anything (besides flushing) is better than letting them slowly die from their illness.

 

[lauraf]

I'm the sort who thinks that euthanasia is best. Others here will probably chime in about their preferred method of ending a sick fish's life. I'm realizing now that the size of the fish is important to consider . . . And there are definitely two schools of thinking about the freezing method - freeze slowly or dump into ice water. But the ice water method is over within seconds . . . . .

 

[OrangeCones]

Just as a side note: a cycled aquarium does not guarentee the presense of nitrates. The picture show some plants in the tank; do you have a number of live plants in the aquarium? If so, it is possible that the Nitrates are at or near zero.

Since the OP said he'd done a fishless cycle, not a silent cycle, I'd assumed (perhaps wrong) that he didn't have a heavily planted tank.

achase - I do appologize. If you have a heavily planted tank, you could indeed have no readings for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. Be careful, as low or zero nitrates can induce bluegreen algae (which is really cyanobacteria) in the tank.

 

[PlecoCollector]

I put him in the freezer with his own water and container. Would it have been better to put him in freezing water instead? I didn't even think about that method of freezing.

The difference is simple:
Freezing slowly induces them into a sort of "sleep". Their metabolism slows down and they go into almost a hibernating state. Then, they pass in this "sleep".

Freezing water shocks the system and quickly kills them.

As to what is more humane, I think both have their ups and downs, but are definitely better than flushing. I prefer the slow method, as it lulls them to sleep instead of severely shocking the body.

 

[achase]

achase - I do appologize. If you have a heavily planted tank, you could indeed have no readings for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. Be careful, as low or zero nitrates can induce bluegreen algae (which is really cyanobacteria) in the tank.

No need to apologize! You suggested that I shake the test bottle and you were right I got a reading after shaking the bottle of about 10 - 20ppm.
Is that an ok reading to have? Also aren't you supposed to have no readings for ammonia and nitrite in a cycled tank?