What is this protruding from my neon tetra?

[Brooklyn Tetra]

This tetra was recently treated with Lifeguard "All-In-One Treatment for external fish diseases-bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic. It was medicated for 6 days in a hospital tank, appeared well and went into the main tank. That was one week ago. In the last 24 hours I noticed this thin needle-like protrusion coming from it's mouth. It did eat this morning. Could this be an internal parasite? A jpg photo is attached. Since taking this photo this morning, the needle seems longer.

[mel_20_20]

That is very strange looking. Could you possibly get some more photos of this?

When you observe this does it appear rigid, or does it seem to be more soft and worm-like.

If it is rigid... I'm wondering if he didn't impale himself with some bit of decor, or some other object in the tank.

Please post more pics as soon as possible.

Could you do a full tank shot as well, please.

[Brooklyn Tetra]

Hello! And thanks for response. My camera battery is re-charging and I have to leave soon for the day.

This object appears rigid but flexible. It does not seem to be organic. What you wrote about the little fish possibly impaling himself, got me thinking. Recently I cleaned this tank and all the objects in it, scrubbed some with a brush. This object looks just like a bristle on the brush.

This neon, and the other 4 neons in the tank all appear healthy. This particular neon wanted to eat this morning but the object lodged in it's mouth was causing difficulties.

Should I attempt to physically remove this object? Should it be pulled out or severed? Would this fish lie still on a towel? I will post more photos of fish and tank, hopefully this evening.

Thanks for thoughts and advise.

[Brooklyn Tetra]

Here are a couple more photos.

[mel_20_20]

I think it is a bristle from your brush. You must remove it immediately. Do not sever it... it needs to be pulled straight out.

I would first, prepare a hospital tank, filling it with water from the tank that he is in presently. Once you have removed the foreign object I think he needs to be isolated and kept in absolutely pristine water.

I like Melafix for minor injuries to help prevent infection. However, I would try to be ready to treat with antibiotics at the first sign of infection, which, by the way, may be difficult to detect due to the location of the injury.


Pristine water.... I mean PERFECT water, through daily huge water changes, may be all that's needed, along with the Melafix. I did 80-90% water changes for an Oto that was mauled by a predatory shrimp, and his injuries were dramatic, but he recovered. Many examples are here, on AC, of fish that had very traumatic injuries and fully recovered through keeping the fish in the cleanest, purest water possible.

The best way to remove this to insure that he doesn't make things worse by struggling would be to anesthetise him before attempting to remove the bristle.

If you can, get some pure clove oil. Clove oil is known as eugenol at the drug store - ask the pharmacist, not a store associate, for it and do not get toothache remedy with clove oil in it.

Dip the fish out using one of those plastic dip containers... or a glass or plastic measuring cup: if you use a net the bristle may be shoved or jiggled causing further injury.

After you have him in the cup, don't pour off the water, leave him in the cup in about eight ounces of water.

Put one drop of clove oil in some tank water, about eight ounces, in a bottle or something that has a lid so you can shake it vigorously to mix it thoroughly. It should look sort of milky.

Pour about an ounce of the mixture into the cup with the fish and wait about fifteen minutes. The fish should be lying on the bottom of the cup, asleep but breathing comfortably. If not, then re-shake the bottle of tank water and clove oil mixture again vigorously, pour another ounce into the cup and wait another 10 minutes or so.

Once the fish is sleeping, he's anesthetised so you can gently pour him into your wet hand, grip gently and very carefully grasp the bristle and pull straight out. If you think you may have a problem using your fingers to grasp it, then I would have some tweezers handy in case you need to grasp the object with that.

It should not require very much force to pull this out. Hopefully, he had not gotten the thing stuck into his tissue very deeply. There's no barb on the bristles from a brush like that, so it should just pull right out.

Now, if you can't get clove oil to sedate him then this may be a bit more difficult, but you can still do it.

I would gently net him, and as you bring the net to the surface, with clean, soap free hands, place your hand in the tank in the water and come up under the net before you lift it out of the water.

Gently cup your hand under him and support his body. Don't allow his body to slump in the net as if he were in a hammock, because the bristle will be caught in the netting and will exert pressure on wound area inside his throat.

As you lift him at the surface with your hand supporting him, try to allow the netting to enfold him gently, leaving his head exposed but his body enfolded in the soft netting material. Hopefully the soft material will aid in restraining him as you hold him in your hand.

Gently pull the bristle straight out. You must be very careful not to apply any pressure that would push the bristle further into his throat.

Don't allow the netting to bunch up at his mouth and create any pressure on the bristle.

Once it's removed I would put him in the hospital tank.

Regarding water changes in the hospital:

If your water chemistry from the tap is pretty much the same as the tank he is in right now, It would be fine to go ahead and do big (80-90%) water changes every 24 hours.

If, however, the tank he is in is very much different than your tap water, (ph/gh/kh), then the first water change in the hospital tank should be around 25% tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow evening I'd do another 25% and then the next morning I'd go ahead and do an 80-90% water change. From that point on I would do that much every 24 hours.

I would dose the tank with Melafix after every big water change.

Be sure, when you are doing your big daily water changes, to use temperature matched, dechlorinated and treated water. Prime is excellent.
Prime helps with any traces of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate that may be in his hospital tank.

Let us know how things are going.

EDIT: I think I would go ahead and try to use tweezers and not your fingers. The bristle will be slippery.

[mel_20_20]

I made an addition to the netting technique... so please read that part again if you already did read that part.

[mel_20_20]

Update please. (waiting on pins and needles)

[BioHazard]

OUCH! Poor little guy! Definitely looks like a brush bristle. Looks like it might have fallen off, and he saw it and tried to swallow it. It may not even be impaled so much as simply stuck in his wee throat.

[mel_20_20]

I hope it's not stuck into the tissues of his throat, though it's hard to imagine he hasn't run into something with it, which could force it into his flesh. The longer it's in there, though, the greater the risk.

Hopefully it's just stuck in there and hasn't penetrated the tissues of his throat.

I hope we get an update, soon.

[mel_20_20]

OK... I'm about to die waiting to hear how this turned out.

Pleeeeeeeeze.... give us an update.

[Brooklyn Tetra]

Hi all, sorry for the delayed update. Yes it was a bristle. The little fellow did not survive the procedure. Although the directions were great and he was so good laying in my hand in the net, very sadly when I pulled on the bristle, his intestine came out with it, I did not even know what was happening at the time. It was hard for me to experience this. I had nightmares that night and a couple days of being pretty upset. Mel, you have been wonderful sharing your knowledge and offering support.

So, I won't be using a brush on any aquarium-related cleaning ever again. Hopefully this experience will help others at some time.

[dixienut]

that must have been horrible for you,.. but don't take it to heart,. your never ment to harm it,.. and it wasn't fairing any better alone,.. praying for your peace of mind,..

[Brooklyn Tetra]

Thank you, dixienut. I still have 10 joyful neons cheering me up. I never realized what a special fish the little neon is.

[dixienut]

i love my little neons,.. i have just gotten more as my first fish were neons and they had died of old age over a year ago the tanks just don't look right without neons,.. at least in my world,... they are still my favorite,..