HELP!!!!!!! 1 of my Neon's has brown stuff.

last night one of my Neons were acting funny, he was under the filter and just staying there. He wasn't even eating. I woke up this morning and I was like AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! He had brown stuff on him, but this time he was swimming around with the rest of the neons and he was eating again. Is it ich or something??

 

It's not Itch because that is little white spots on the fish. There is a very small chance that it is just algae on him but mote likely than not it is some kind of disease. But if you ever get Itch I would recommend Nox-Itch it works relay well but the only problem is that it dies your silicone blue but most treatments do.

 

Ich is white, not brown, and looks like grains of salt.  Not sure what the brown stuff is, do you have a picture or a better description?

 

The best treatment for ich is raising the temp and adding salt to the water. Chemicals should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, IMO, for the best health of the fish, and they aren't necessary for ich treatment.

 

It looks like brown algae, but it maybe. He was out of the light for a VERY long time. He was in a very dark area. He looks ok now. He's eating and everything.

 

Fish don't normally grow algae on them. Does it look dusty at all?

 

Yea, it was all over him. He's swimming around like he's fine now tho.

 

Sounds like it could be velvet. Treatment is similar to ich, raised temp and salt .  Highly contageous so the whole tank will need to be treated. Dimming the lights also helps.

 

Will have to do it tonight, gotta work first. It was a saltwater tank before. So there is a little bit of salt in there. That maybe why he's getting better.

 

The use of salt in the aquarium for treatment of ich or velvet is fine for salt tolerant fish but the dosage is recommended at 1 teaspoon for 5 gallons of water [per fish vets and Manual of Fish Healthby Dr. Chris Andrews, Adrian Exell, and Dr. Neville Carrington, Tropical Fishlopedia A Complete Guide to Fish Care by Mary Bailey and Peter Burgess (converted to .9 teaspoon for 5.5 gallons from metric measurement)].  This is a continuous bath and can be maintained for the 14 days that the fish is to be in a raise temperature.  The aquarium should be kept dark for this period of time as well as this parasite requires light to survive to its best level.

Rose