15 Gallon Tank Problem with Neon Tetra. Please help.

Hello Guys,

This is my first post here. I have a 60 Litre aquarium that we have had for over 18 months. We have 5 Neon Tetra, 2 clown loach and 2 Sword fish in our tank. We have noticed in last two days that one of the Neon Tetra has developed a white growth on it's mouth. I checked the water parameters and all seems okay. I will list them below.

NO3 50 mg/L
NO2 0 mg/L
GH 8 d
KH 3 d
pH 7.2
Cl2 0

We normally do 20% water change every 10 days.

There is no strange behavior on the fish. She still eats normally and is staying with the group. We also haven't noticed any aggressive behavior in the fishes so far.

I don't own a quarantine tank but can someone please help me identify the problem and how to prevent it from spreading to my other fishes. I do have an isolation chamber, one that floats around the tank but not sure if that would be much help if this turns out to be an infection.

 

Looks like an injury to me rather than a disease. When there all competing for flakes and bump into each other head on they can dislocate their jaws . If this is the case there isn’t much you can do

 

Alright. If it was an injury, is it something that heals over time? And how can I know for sure this isn't ich disease? I'm really worried

 

Alright. If it was an injury, is it something that heals over time? And how can I know for sure this isn't ich disease? I'm really worried

It’s not ich you would be seeing white spots on your fish like grains of salt. If it is a dislocated jaw it won’t heal and will always be the same and if it can’t eat it will die over time but you have already said it has been eating so could be ok. I am only speculating what the problem is and hopefully other people will chime in soon. It doesn’t look like cotttonmouth to me either. Fishkeeping can be rough sometimes we can only do our best.

 

I agree that it doesn’t look like cottonmouth. If the neon is still eating and acting normal (and it is an injury), there really isn’t much to do.

 

Thanks a lot for the replies. I'll try to keep an eye on her. But meanwhile if there is anything you want to add on this, please do.

 

Hello vivekverma247 I've just seen this post and decided to reply.

Firstly Clown Loaches do not belong in a 60 litre tank at any stage of their lives and should be rehomed. The minimum for an adult group of 6+ is considered to be 700 litres.

Swordtails may stress Neon Tetras in a 60 litre tank simply by being a much larger fish in a very confined space, even if they do not chase or physically harm them.

Neon Tetras would generally do much better in a much larger group I currently have 24 in a 200 litre.

The Neon Tetra that you pictured has what I and others are calling Bubblemouth. This is thought to be a viral disease specific to Neon Tetras.

It can grow so the fish cannot eat or it can fade away, depending on the ongoing health of the fish and the condition of its immune system.

The Neon Tetra also has Columnaris on the tailfin. This can also be lethal if it spreads.

Its a bacterium that has the capability to eat flesh, depending on the ongoing health of the fish.

Unlike with ich, I do not feel that medications are effective with these two issues and would advocate the provision of the best possible stress free environment to support the fishes immune system and enable the fish to fight off the diseases.

Pay attention to:
tankmates
shoal size
temperature 74F/23C optimum
oxygenation
hardness
ammonia
nitrate
security provided by plant cover
low to moderate flow
feeding little and often (each Neon Tetra requires 1/2 flake per day as shown by a study into food requirements of aquarium fish)