Are Neon Tetras Worth The Risk?

I'm looking at options for my aquarium stocking and neon tetras would work in my temperature range but I'm worried about the risk of neon tetra disease. Is it really that common?

I've been reading up upon it and the main signs given are restlessness, white spots and isolation. I really like the way they look and even though cardinal are similar they would push the temperature range and I do not wanna risk that affecting my other fish... I've been looking at other option like the black neon, ember tetra and silver tip tetra but I really like the neon blue colour they have.

So, all that to say is the disease really that common that it would pose a big risk?

 

The serious and repeated mortality of Neon Tetra in the ornamental fish trade was studied by C Michel, S Messiaen and J-F Bernardet. They were told by retailers that Neon Tetra Disease was the cause of these significant economic losses. However, in nearly all cases the mortality was shown in the laboratory to be due to Columnaris. Further, the Columnaris was found to be a virulent Asian strain.

I have kept Neon Tetras three times over the years.

For me they are the best looking small aquarium fish (along with Cardinal Tetra) and essential for my planted aquarium. I love their name as everybody knows their distinctive name Neon Tetra.

When I was a beginner I was given ten Neon Tetras by my Dad but only one survived and it was a traumatic time for me as a young hobbyist.

I tried again about ten years ago and had no problems at all. My Neon Tetras were sturdy robust fish when kept with Corydoras and other gentle fish.

Last year I chose a shoal of 20 Neon Tetras for my beautiful planted tank. However, they came with disease and I lost six quite quickly. This brought those feelings of hopelessness again. However, I was able to keep the remaining 14 alive, just losing the odd one every couple of months. and concentrated on optimising their conditions. I was also helped greatly by finding a reliable supplier of healthy Neons and purchased 10 more.

Now, twenty two months later, I have a shoal of 18 remaining fish.

Around half of these have some signs of Columnaris on them in the form of white patches on the body and small white growths on fins. Some of these fish are imperfect in other ways too as some have bent bodies. I think these fish are from my original 20.

The other half are perfect fish and I think these are mainly the 10 healthy ones I purchased last.

I am currently deciding whether to try and medicate my Neon Tetras or whether to accept the continuing symptoms and the odd fish dying every couple of months.

The optimal conditions I mentioned include feeding a good diet including quality small live/frozen/preserved foods, providing plants for security, removal of competing species, temperature 74F (as far as possible), control of summer heatwave temperatures by turning off lights, gentle flow, aeration of water and surface agitation, collection of rainwater to soften the water by mixing during water changes.

I was not able to spot the disease in the shop. I have heard of one retailer removing 50 diseased Neon Tetra each day so if he removed the obviously dying/infected fish customers may not be able to spot fish with the early stages of the disease.

So, in conclusion, you have to decide if you want to take the risk of purchasing Neon Tetras with disease. I have lost 12 out of the 30 I recently purchased and 21 out of the 50 I have purchased in total.

I hope my info helps you decide.

 

So what your saying is that it heavily depends on the stock? I do not want to have bought a bunch of fish and just watch them die, because from what i've read there's no real fix for it..

 

I know where to buy healthy Neon Tetras now.

Perhaps you can find a reliable supplier near you.

 

I know where to buy healthy Neon Tetras now.

Perhaps you can find a reliable supplier near you.

I'm going to get some plants from one of my local LFS next Tuesday so I guess ill start looking then.

 

I bought 12 last month. 100% survival. Even though I changed out the substrate in their tank, and then actually moved them to a different tank, so plenty of stress for the poor things. They are doing great. Absolutely stunning fish.

Agree that it's all about getting healthy stock. I bought them from a store that quarantines all newly arrived fish for 5-7 days before selling them. And I didn't buy them when they first went on sale, but watched and waited for a while to check they remained healthy.

If you like them, get them from a reputable LFS (even if you have to travel further and pay more), and quarantine for a good long period.

 

Its definitely worth it, at least in my opinion. There is always a risk involved with getting any new fish, but as long as you get them from a good source, quarantine them, and acclimate them slowly, deaths should be minimal, or even nonexistent. They are less hardy than fish like guppies, but I have had a lot over the years and not one get Neon Tetra Disease

 

I'm unsure if anyone noted this but NTD is found in more fish than just neon tetras.

I've never experienced NTD myself and I've been keeping neons for years. I recently did switch to cardinals though.

The only issue is the overbreeding and inbreeding which can cause so many issues and disease. Just look for some good stock

 

Just curious here is this world wide or just in Europe? I haven’t bought neons in a long time and haven’t heard of this. They are still very popular in the local fish stores I use and look healthy to me.

 

I'm in the USA. My neons have had illnesses up the wazoo in QT. That's where I got my first experience with columnaris. It didn't arise until week 4 in QT.

 

The study I detailed took place in France but the results are considered relevant to all who are supplied by the Asian Fish Farms.

My third batch "looked" healthy enough in the shop because the retailer was removing any diseased ones he could see.

 

Now, twenty two months later, I have a shoal of 18 remaining fish.

Around half of these have some signs of Columnaris on them in the form of white patches on the body and small white growths on fins. Some of these fish are imperfect in other ways too as some have bent bodies. I think these fish are from my original 20.

I have a similar situation with my Cardinal tetras... Small white growth on the fin, but not on fin itself but on the body where the tail fin is connected to. Also some fast breathing, lighter colored mouths (not white but pale) and fast breathing . I have had them for over a year now, but have lost one very month or two. I wonder if it's columnaris like you suggest. For me they have taken over a year for them to die from this since I got them, besides an initial acclimatization loss rate of 25%.

How did you treat your fish for columnaris? Curious if should attempt. They are older than a year , so they have lasted longer than they would have in the wild. Still, makes me sad seeing them die off knowing they could live 3 to 5 years in captivity.

 

That's interesting that you have found the same as myself. I have treated my fish as described above in post #2.

 

That's interesting that you have found the same as myself. I have treated my fish as described above in post #2.

Ok, I see now. You didn't medicate just provided optimal living conditions. I added a UV sterilizer to my tank about a year ago. I tuned the water flow rate so that it provides level 2 sterilization, I think it has been helping but then again, who knows. My nitrates have been creeping up (around 40ppm, maybe higher, can't tell as it's a deep orange but not red), so have been working on more frequent water changes in case they are suffering from nitrate poisoning. I lost my rasbora to similar disease prior to adding the UV and while my nitrates were super low so originally thought it was neon tetra disease (it also affects rasbora). So I think my tank offers optimal conditions other than the elevated nitrates I have right now.

If columnaris I wonder if I need to treat with kanomycin/Furan2 cocktail. Probably should just haven't tried... No available hospital tank at the moment plus it's super hard to catch these fish in my planted tank.

 

I do not understand how a uv sterilizer can kill Columnaris bacteria which live on surfaces?

My nitrate in my planted tank is 5ppm, GH is 2° = 36 ppm. Do your plants not use your nitrates to grow?

It is clear to me that the fish which came to me already infected with (presumed) Columnaris are not able to rid themselves of it as they still have it 22 months later. In addition every 3 months or so there is a death attributal to the disease.

There is therefore a case for using medications.

If you favour medications why don't you treat the whole tank?

This is what I am considering.

I don't believe I can get kano/furan in UK without paying v. high shipping rates of 80 dollars from US.

However, I can get fish mox from China cheaply 2 dollars if I wait a few weeks.

The usual UK antibacterial fish meds are of course available to me.

 

I thought I was dealing with neon tetra disease, which is spread by spores which the UV could kill, assuming infected water goes thru the UV of course. If a fish eats an infected fish then obviously the UV doesn't help there either. Also was suspecting other parasitic infection. It wasn't for columnaris treatment.

Now that you tell me it could be columnaris I would consider the knomycin/furan2 cocktail. It just wasn't on my radar before.

 

Everybody assumed the cause of death was Neon Tetra Disease until 2002 when the French study became available proving it was the Asian strain of Columnaris.

 

Posting a link to the scientific study... interesting.. Many different diseases show the same symptoms (fin rot, ulcerations, etc.), but seems spot on for what I have seen in my tank... Columnaris disease in fish: a review with emphasis on bacterium-host interactions