Neon Tetra Issues

[MadMax1412]

Hi

I noticed one of my Neon Tetras had part of it's tail fin missing and it was white in that spot.

 

Then I noticed 2 other Neons with white spots on their mouths and one with a big lump.

 

I thought the white spots might be cotton mouth. I have no idea about the lump which looks like it covers the whole mouth.

 

Tank has 11 Neons, 1 Betta, 1 Ottocynlis and 2 Corydoras.

 

My quarantine tank is currently in use with some fish I bought a week ago.

 

Currently searching seems to favour using Kanaplex but I'm in Australia and orders from eBay/Amazon look like it will take 3-5 weeks.

 

Would separation using a fry box in the same tank be ok (if it's just passed via contact)? 

 

Would love to know what the 2 issues are - the white around the mouth and the lump around mouth. I hope the photo is clear.

 

BTW, one of the Neons with a white mouth seemed a little aggressive towards the others, swimming fast up to them like it was trying to chase them away.

 

Should I order the Kanaplex? What do I do in the meantime. Also need to ensure whatever I try doesn't hurt the Betta. I was thinking of API Melafix which is available in store here but someone posted a review saying they found out the hard way that it kills Bettas.

Any advice appreciated. TIA

 

 

 

[Guppysnail]

I’m not a great medical person but I used to have neons. I found this online that looks just like yours. Here is the picture I found and a link to the article. 
https://petfishonline.com/growth-neon-tetras-mouth/

[Colu]

Sorry to say but that looks like the start of neon tetra disease to me  but could be Columnaris as @Guppysnail the suggested as they are often mistaken for each other the most effective treatment for Columnaris is kanaplex and furan2 together if you can't get kanaplex and furan2 I would treat with AAP spectrogram he's the most effective way to treat I would recommend treating as soon as possible  

Edited September 19, 2021 by Colu

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

#1 follow @Coluadvice. #2 If it’s going to take 3-5 weeks to get meds you’ll best serve the rest of your fish with euthanizing the affected fish, turn up the temp a bit, add a little salt and hope for the the best. I would get the meds to keep on hand. I’m so sorry this is happening. Whether columnaris or neon disease it’s terrible and really nothing you could have done. 

[Colu]

I was just looking at meds available in Australia I would order seachems kanaplex and api furan2 but in the mean time I would treat with with blue planet tri-sulfa tablets thats seems to your best option and it's available in Australia @MadMax1412 also I would just treat them together if it is neon tetra disease your catfish and Betta won't get it only your neon if it's Columnaris they are all susceptible to the bacterial infection I would also add an extra air stone as mycobacteria spread more easily in tanks with lower levels of desolved oxygen 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Colu

[MadMax1412]

Someone on the Facebook group "Tank Talk" suggested that perhaps the white spots are injuries.

 

Given the first white spot I saw was where the tail fin on one was missing, that was my first thought. Then I saw the two with it on their mouths and one seems fiesty towards the others. The person on the group thought perhaps they were trying to mate or chase females?

 

I will look into those meds. It's a pity Kanaplex has an expected delivery of Oct 4 - 29. Knowing my luck it would be the later part of this window.

[Torrey]

@MadMax1412 I'm just grateful that you can get the meds at all.... last year there was a period of several months where shipping any meds to anyone in AU or NZ was impossible. 

 

Because bettas (and gourami, and the rest of the labyrinth fish) have a labyrinth organ and directly breathe oxygen from the atmosphere, **anything** that ends in 'fix' is contraindicated. 

If you have cats that are scaleless, you either want to separate, or start dosing lightly and be prepared to separate if the scaleless fish show signs of distress with meds.

Hoping for the best for you  and your fish.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

If indeed these are injuries then salt, frequent water changes and a slightly higher temp along with good food should heal this. If it expands and more fishes are affected you have your answer. We’re pulling for you. Also please potentially heed @Coluadvice about medication you can get easier. 

[Ryan F]

I highly recommend moving these fish to a quarantine tank. If you don't have space, a five gallon bucket makes a great emergency tank. Salt is hard on corys so if you are going to dose salt, get the tetras out of the tank. Some meds are also salt based so you'll want to get the sick fish out to avoid hurting your corys. 

I struggled for a long time with neon tetras. They can be very difficult. I finally got to a place where I have 14 and they are 95% healthy. But I struggled for over a year to get there. If you watch King of DIY on Youtube you'll know about Supratect. That seemed to be what finally put an end to my issues.

Good luck!

[MadMax1412]

I've found a 2nd hand tank and heater so I've bought an internal filter and have filled it up, added starting bacteria (I don't have a cycled sponge etc) and just waiting for the water to heat. I will check the water tomorrow after work and if ok, will try to catch the 4 Tetras involved and isolate them and treat with salt whilst I wait for meds.

 

In the meantime, here's a video ai shot of their chasing behaviour, how they feed and how the other occupants of the tank behave.

 

If it wasn't for the white spots and swollen mouth, I would put the chasing down to some protecting an area perhaps for mating purposes and consider it a good tank.

 

Video is here - https://youtu.be/YYCgnqY7N40

 

The 4:55 mark is them feeding.

 

The 11:15 mark is an overview.

[siniardem]

I real be super honest here- I have kept tetras for a few years and in a school at least one or more develops this or loses an eye, etc. They are fin nippers in my life atleast and get lock jaw at times. They live and have lived over a year like this. It happens! As the school grows they have more aggression in my tank with the buenos aires tetras, but it is usually when the sun rises in the tank and at night time. I am not sure why, but they do school a lot and are extremely neon blue or neon blue like pictures most of the time. So if they aren't dying and your maintenance stays up and they ARE eating, then I don't see much going on. Now if it is a disease and it is one that can't be cured or you have to treat the whole tank I just haven't ever had the issue where if i didn't treat they would quickly die. Maybe I am completely wrong but it is working for me to let nature do its thing. 

[NeonTetraMX]

I had a neon with its tail missing... no idea how it happened. However, the tail grew completely back in 2 weeks. Good as new.

I also had one with some kind of growth on its mouth, I posted about it here about a month ago. Somebody mentioned that diet might be a factor, so I decided to make my own fish food heavy on garlic. A month later the growth is completely gone.