Neon Tetra disease question

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Looks_Fishy

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Feb 20, 2007
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I’m thinking of getting some neon tetras for my 15 gallon, as companions for my guppies and kuhli loaches. The thing is, is that I’m worried about neon tetra disease. I have a tank that I can quarantine them in for any length of time necessary. But what I need to know is, in your experience, how long it takes for a neon who’s infected to present with the symptoms. I’m not confident in my skills in noticing something like this in the store, because I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, and from what I’ve read, it seems pretty hard to pick at the early stages.


If I keep all of them in quarantine and watch them closely for 2 weeks, will this be long enough, or do they need longer before I notice the illness? All of my guppies are very healthy and I don’t want to risk getting them infected at all, but I also really want some neon tetras. It would be just my luck if I quarantine them for two weeks, think they’re fine, put them in the community tank, and then on the third week, they all get sick and die.:eek:

More to the point, are neons the best tetra to go with guppies? Can anyone recommend any other egg laying, schooling fish that’s pretty small and will get along with the fancy guppies (as far as fin nipping and other aggression is concerned)?
 
I had a Neon that got NTD about a month and a half after I bought it. You just have to watch your fish and look for any abnormality. I didn't even know it was NTD until I posted here. 2 to 4 weeks in QT is what I've been told here. And feed the little guys baby brine shrimp as soon as you let them outta the bag. I've read it increases their chances of living past the stress.

Q
 
A month and a half, hmmm, so it is something they can carry for a long time without showing signs of the illness. Do you know how the disease is passed on? Is it passed to other fish in the water (very contagious), or though picking on (and eating) the sick fish?

Are other tetras like the black phantom or flame tetra as likely to have neon tetra disease? Or is it pretty much all of them can catch it equally, if they came in contact with it, they'll get it?
 
Do neon tetras get along with guppies, or will they nip their fancy long tails?:huh: I don't know, all the sites on the net say they are peaceful, but has anyone here actually put them with each other? I'm thinking of getting six or more.
 
NTD is not curable and always fatal. NTD is not just in Neon tetras but got its name because it affects them the most. I've never had it spread. You should just dispose of any affected fish. You can tell when tey're affected because they will look like their back is crooked.
 
Looks_Fishy said:
Do neon tetras get along with guppies, or will they nip their fancy long tails?:huh: I don't know, all the sites on the net say they are peaceful, but has anyone here actually put them with each other? I'm thinking of getting six or more.
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It's not really predictable. Some neon tetras nip fins. My friends have neons with guppies, and they don't have any problems.

As for NTD, it sometimes hits a long time after you get the fish. I guess I lost 6 out of 7 flame tetras to the disease within 4 days. Just the loner and tank bully survived.
 
I suspect a neon of mine got NTD after 4 months of being in the tank.
I quarantined my 8 neons when one of them got a bit of fin rot, and looked like it was spreading to the other neons.

Then this one neon started getting a mouth fungas. Melafix and salt treatment got rid of the fungas after 3 weeks, but then he was left with a big hole near his mouth. But then blisters started appearing on his stomach/tail area.

I seperated this one guy, he was looking pretty bad. And he survived another 3 weeks in solitary confinement, with 50% water changes everyday.
I didn't have the heart to kill him, as he was still eating and swimming around.

Whether it was NTD or not, the remaining 7 Neons are back in the tank and looking very healthy.

FYI. My neons were fairly large and healthy looking when I purchased them. They were between 2cm - 2.5cm (not including the fin). In 6 months I've lost 3 neons, the other 2, I think the angel ate.

I see Neons that are 1cm to 1.5cm in the shops and they look disguisting. So my advice, inspect the Neon batch at the store.
Neons will be a bit nippy in a new tank, I read its to sort their pecking order. But they should settle after a few days.
I also have male guppies, and they seem to be the boss of the Neons. Altho the guppies were in the tank before the neons.

Best of luck! Inspect those neons!
 
I have neons in with guppies and skirt tetras . I also have serpaes, mollies and dwarf gouramis in there too. No issues to report. ;)
 
to begin with, a fifteen gallon tank already containing guppies and kuhli loaches, is too small.

here's some info on NTD:

Neon Tetra disease is more common than many aquarium enthusiasts realize, and affects species beyond neon tetras. Named after the fish that it was first identified in, the disease strikes members of the tetra family most often. However, other popular families of aquarium fish are not immune. Cichlids such as Angelfish, and Cyprinids such as Rasboras and Barbs, also fall victim to the disease. Even the common Goldfish can become infected with the disease. Interestingly enough, Cardinal tetras are resistant to the ravages of Neon Tetra disease.

Caused by the sporozoan, Pleistophora hyphessobryconis, the disease is known for its rapid and high mortality rate among neons. To date there is no known cure, the only 'treatment' being the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish.

The disease cycle begins when parasitic spores enter the fish after it consumes infected material, such as the bodies of dead fish, or live food such as tubifex, which may serve as intermediate hosts. Once in the intestinal tract, the newly hatched embryos burrow through the intestinal wall and produce cysts within the muscle tissue. Muscles bearing the cysts begin to die, and the necrotic tissue becomes pale, eventually turning white in color.

Symptoms

Restlessness
Fish begins to lose coloration
As cysts develop, body may become lumpy
Fish has difficulty swimming
In advanced cases spine may become curved
Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating

During the initial stages, the only symptom may be restlessness, particularly at night. Often the first thing an owner will notice is that the affected fish no longer school with the others. Eventually swimming becomes more erratic, and it becomes quite obvious that the fish is not well.

As the disease progresses, affected muscle tissue begins to turn white, generally starting within the color band and areas along the spine. As additional muscle tissue is affected, the pale coloration expands. Damage to the muscles can cause curvature or deformation of the spine, which may cause the fish to have difficulty in swimming. It is not unusual for the body of the fish to have a lumpy appearance as the cysts deform the muscles.

Rotting of the fins, especially the caudal fin is not uncommon. However, this is due to secondary infection rather than a direct result of the disease itself. Bloating is also a secondary condition that may be seen in Neon Tetra disease.
 
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