My Neon Tetras Changed Overnight.

So this morning I went to look in my 10 gallon tank with 6 tetras and one of them was barely moving but still breathing at the bottom of the tank and the other ones are lively like usual. The one on the bottom only has color on his head and tail fin. The water parameters are good but the water may be too hard for tetras. The other neons have a few white dots. And there are two kuhliI loaches in the tank as well. Is it ick or neon tetra disease or something else?

 

It is difficult to check for ick spots in that picture. I'd pick him out of there and euthanize him.

 

It is difficult to check for ick spots in that picture. I'd pick him out of there and euthanize him.

He doesn’t have spots he is all white aside from his tail and head. Do you own any tetras?

 

Better photos of the fish please.

How often do you change water?
How much water do you change?
Do you vacuum the substrate?
What additives or chemicals do you use? Eg De Chlorinator?
Do you have a water test kit?
Can you tell us the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
When you clean the tank can you tell us exactly what you do

 

Better photos of the fish please.

How often do you change water?
How much water do you change?
Do you vacuum the substrate?
What additives or chemicals do you use? Eg De Chlorinator?
Do you have a water test kit?
Can you tell us the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
When you clean the tank can you tell us exactly what you do

The other neons definitely look like they have ick. All my readings are what they should be it’s not the water. The water was on the hard side but I don’t know if you want to know the exact number? I just what to know from someone who has experience with neon tetras to know if this is the neon tetra disease. I am going to treat for ick if no one can tell me but I don’t know that ick would cause solid white discoloration that covers the majority of the body over night. It seems that neon tetra disease does though but can ick cause that? And does neon tetra disease ever look like ick?
I’ll try to get a better picture of the very sick on and a picture of the others but I only have an iphone to take the photos.

Better photos of the fish please.

How often do you change water?
How much water do you change?
Do you vacuum the substrate?
What additives or chemicals do you use? Eg De Chlorinator?
Do you have a water test kit?
Can you tell us the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
When you clean the tank can you tell us exactly what you do

25% every two weeks and as needed
Yes I clean the substrate
I don’t know the exact name of additives but the tank has been cycling fine for a year before I put these guys in. I got the from LPS a week or two ago.
What part of cleaning do you mean? Like just the glass? Or everything in the tank?
I had a betta in the tank before these guys.

 

Hi

Ich is usually easy to treat Slowly turning your heater up to 86 degrees and keeping it there for a week should work. Make sure you add an airstone to the tank.

Never used medication to treat Ich so have no idea what's good or not.

 

I think I see Columnaris (saddle back disease om this one.

 

Hi

Ich is usually easy to treat Slowly turning your heater up to 86 degrees and keeping it there for a week should work. Make sure you add an airstone to the tank.

Never used medication to treat Ich so have no idea what's good or not.

Yeah I’m currently doing that. What does the air stone do in this case?

I think I see Columnaris (saddle back disease om this one.

Okay I’ll look it up and see if the rest look like that. I’ve heard neon tetra disease causing discoloration (I’m new to neons) but would saddle back affect all the neons? The other ones have all the telltale signs of ick. It’s so confusing.

Ok so I’m pretty sure it’s columnaris. How do I treat both neon tetras and kuhlI loaches at the same time?!

 

Hi

The airstone attached to an air pump adds extra oxygen to the water, this is important as warm water holds less oxygen than cold water.

 

Okay so I have air stones running and I’m treating the tank with Artemiss microbe-lift. There is one neon that is now twitching.

And I am slowly lowering the temp to 75* F

 

Okay I’ll look it up and see if the rest look like that. I’ve heard neon tetra disease causing discoloration (I’m new to neons) but would saddle back affect all the neons? The other ones have all the telltale signs of ick. It’s so confusing.

please place some more pics

 

It’s very difficult to get a good picture because the are so small. But this guy it twitching and you can kind of see the protruding white spots on his head. Along his spine he has a few other spots on his fins and the smallest (the only one I think will survive) only has one spot on his tail fin. I’m unsure if neons always have red gills but the corpses seem to have red gills.

This is the best photo I can get

 

As Doubledutch said before the much better latest pictures. That looks like terminal Columnaris to me.

 

As Doubledutch said before the much better latest pictures. That looks like terminal Columnaris to me.

Darn it. I guess treating for ick is what made it so they had no chance. They all died, I guess upping the heat just quickened the rate of infection. :/ ya live and ya learn I guess. Anyone know how it spreads? Also, now what do I do now that the temp is around 84* F and there’s like a tablespoon of aquarium salt. The kuhliI don’t seem to have anything on them but it’s hard to tell as kuhliI only really come out dusk-dawn. I feel like they would have died too? Idk what to do. I’m hoping I can at least save the kuhlI loaches at this point.

Or should I ask about the kuhlI on a kuhlI topic

 

Or should I ask about the kuhlI on a kuhlI topic

Yes do a post on the khulI topic. You'll get replies from more khulI and loach experts.

 

I believe the Columnaris found on Neons affects mainly Neons. It is able to live free-living on surfaces and fish pick it up on contact with these surfaces and with each other. Fish may also pick it up when consuming fish that are already dead. It kills the host fish and is medication resistant. It is a product of the intensive farming system and does not occur in the wild.