Urgent: Neon Tetra Diseae??

[DGalt]

So a few weeks back one of my neons started swimming rather oddly. After a few days his swimming ability got better but he lost a lot of his coloring (primarily the red, which wasn't completely gone but had become very dull). A week later he had died.

I now have another tetra who has lost his coloration. Again, it's primarily the red color. I think it might be NTD, but I'm not sure. He hasn't completely lost coloration (i.e. there are no white patches on his scales), but it's more that his coloration in his fin has become pale / dull. He isn't showing any swimming deficits, he's still schooling with the other neons, and he's still eating.

What should I do with him? Should I remove him? From my understanding, if it is NTD there is no cure, but I need to remove him from the tank so the other neons don't get infected.

I guess I'm wondering how varied the symptomology is. Does he need to have white patches or is the disease characterized by any type of discoloration (along with other symptoms)?

Tank Conditions
Ammonia / Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrates = 15ppm
pH = 7.5
did 33% water change 2 days ago

any advice would be appreciated

 

[jm1212]

do you have any pics?

NTD usually effects only the blue portion IME

 

[DGalt]

i unfortunately don't have a camera that can get that fine of detail :headshake2:

everything i've read, though, says that the red part is the first thing affected

 

[jm1212]

here is what NTD looks like

the red is clearly still there but the blue has begun to pine away

 

[DGalt]

any idea what it might be then? because it's definitely the reverse of that (red gone, blue still in tact). and the fading isn't really to white...i don't really know how to explain it. it's like there is a layer of film that's dulling the color

 

[jm1212]

it might be the aging of the tetras, some bad genes, etc.

 

[leeser28]

it might be the aging of the tetras, some bad genes, etc.

I was also thinking that maybe they are getting old.

 

[shawnhu]

Does columnaris affect Neons? If so, that bacteria usually strikes the top and the tail first, leaving white cotton-like strands. The fish then become paralized, and death soon to follow.

I hope it's not that, it's a horrible disease.

 

[KarlTh]

Neons can live for ten years.

The definitive test for NTD is whether the fish separates from the shoal, and, most significantly, swims around at night when healthy fish are resting.