i have 5 glowlight's, latey old one of them stays on it's own in the corner
it's looking bigger then the others but all so duller.
it's still eating well tucking in to some blood worm this morning, i've all so notice it will chase the other tetras off.
any ideas?
cheers
Dear STEVE2493,
speaking as one who knows nothing - and please bear in mind that this is only one possibility among many...
I acquired 5 Glowlight tetras a year or so ago - the 3 survivors consisted of two very small fish which seemed very bent, and which I'd assumed had been injured in what was a horrifically rough capture, and one very large, obese female which I assumed to be full of eggs.
The smaller two, which had always been shy and spent much time off in quiet places alone never grew, although the distortions seemed to reduce over time: the female increased further in belly size.
Obviously, they had never been healthy, although I suspected at the time that the treatment they received in the pet store at time of purchase had marked them both physically and mentally, and none of their symptoms led to the identification of any treatable condition.
Last spring I'd been unable to find one of the little ones, finally located through the body floating up when I pulled up a box filter kept by some bogwood in their tank.
The poor little beggar may or may not have been trapped by some shift in the thing's position but more likely died, although it had recently appeared to be finally putting on weight, both of these little ones having been always, oddly, literally flat from the mouth on back: in any event I had recently to put down the other small one, as it had been dragging its little tail around for some time and could barely swim.
Whether for the best or not, I also put down at the same time the female, who was still getting around fairly well and may have survived longer as the lonely last of her kind, but as she always nipped back to check on the other little survivor, it seemed the kindest thing under the circumstances.
The small one, being weakened, slept quietly almost at once when put into the clove oil solution: the female died with her head resting on the poor little guy.
(Dammit, keyboards getting soggy here. Don't think I'm tough enough for fish-keeping, but I'm just not bright enough to learn)
But I'd discovered the strongest probable explanation some time earlier, and was, theoretically at least, braced for such loss.
And - importantly - other fish have been living with this for up to a year and a half without developing symptoms or weaknesses, and even the delicate neon tetras in the affected tank are very large for their species and beautifully coloured.
Please do not panic over the following, although this is a possibility of which we should all be aware.
I'm including quotes as I know my borrowed, low-power computer sometimes refuses to produce results on links, a problem which may or may not also affect others? and this is totally essential info.
Diana Walstad's paper on the subject:
http
/thegab.org/Articles/WalstadMyco_APC1.pdf
'... Fig 10. This figure shows M. marinum (as fluorescent spots) distributed throughout a Zebrafish embryo
injected with just 9 M. marinum bacteria a few days earlier. The infected macrophages have carried the
bacteria far away from the injection site. The random distribution of bacteria (via the wandering
macrophages) explains why MB symptoms are so unpredictable. Some (but not all) symptoms are
reduced egg production, lethargy, sores, curved spines, swollen bodies, unnatural weight gain, emaciation,
and unnatural black pigmentation. ...'
http/www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumap...eased-fish.html
Diana Walstad:
'... Symptoms of fish TB are vast and unpredictable, depending on which of the fish's tissue the bacteria (e.g., Mycobacterium marinum) attack the most.
A few common examples:
Blackhead disease of cichlids (fish's head turns black due to bacteria affecting melanin production)
shrunken bellies and crooked spines in livebearers
overweight fish that swell up (bacteria attack the liver causing unnatural fat metabolism)
reproductive failure (females stop producing eggs, as bacteria attack the ovaries)
Fish TB is slow-acting and often mis-diagnosed. Moreover, fish weakened by TB bacteria are much more susceptible to other disease. One study showed that goldfish experimentally infected with a non-killing dose of TB bacteria frequently came down with Ich. Control fish (not injected with TB bacteria) did not get Ich. ...'
From another of her posts following:
'... I suspect your Neons have TB. Fish TB is very common in tropical fish hobby. One study found that over 80% of the 300+ tropical fish examined had TB. Fish were from both home aquariums and pet shops. I'm speculating that the fish selected and autopsied were dead, dying, or moribund.
Fish TB is incurable. What's more, the usual measures, in my humble opinion, make it worse. I went all-out to feed my fish (for a month) with Rifampicin/Ethambutol (key antibiotics used for treating human TB). Did not work.
What's more, I think treatments and cleaning measures backfire. Mycobacterium species are all incredibly slow-growers that dominate clean environments. Some have been found in bottled water! They don't last long outside the fish in a dirty environment where they have to compete with much faster-growing, normal bacteria. ...'
My probably unnecessary comment: 'dirty' meaning normal, merely not sterile - good water quality is, of course more important than ever under the circumstances.
And further from Dwalstad on page 2:
'... I'm not sure that I would worry too much about it.
Why? Because many fish that have passed through my tanks (over the years) probably had tuberculosis. I suspect that the many of the store-bought guppies, Blue Dwarf Gouramis, etc that died within a few weeks were probably infected with TB. ...
'... I would keep an eye on the platies but not worry too much. As long as they are breeding and not showing symptoms, you're probably okay. Should any show symptoms (lethargy, not eating, etc), I would euthanize the afflicted fish immediately.
It seems to me that the really virulent strains that cause the problems are mainly associated with diseased fish. Thus, letting fish die in the tank and be picked on by healthy fish is a real no-no. I suspect that mycobacteria don't last long once outside the fish. ...'
From post on pg. 3:
'... Yes, Bettas get Fish TB. In fact, I have about 3 scientific papers describing infections in breeding farms of Siamese Fighting Fish. If any tropical fish died of swollen belly, I would suspect Fish TB.
The disease is widespread. One scientific survey (autopsies and histological exams) of 70 dead aquarium fish found that 1/2 clearly died of it.
I actually should have called the disease MB (mycobacteriosis). It is the fish/reptile equivalent of human tuberculosis, and just as devastating. ...'
Pg. 6:
'... Can life forms such as snails contract MB and are there any known symptoms? Can they be a carrier from and to fish?
***Possibly, but from what I've read, snails are not major transmitters. Theoretically, fish could get it from daphnia, protozoa, snails, etc. But these are minor players, and the world is filled with mycobacteria-- all of which are potentially pathogenic to fish. Fish-to-fish is where I would focus my energy. ...'
pg. 7 comment:
'... No problem. Guaiac is right that there's no need to panic. I am sure that many fish with MB have passed through my tanks over the 50 years I've been keeping fish. They died soon after purchase, and I didn't think too much about it. In some ways, ignorance is bliss.
Bottom line: Do your quarantine as long as possible. Euthanize fish that are showing clear signs of distress. Its the smart and humane thing to do. Even if these platies do have MB, I would not assume that they will infect other fish. In the rare event that things go from bad to worse, you can always do what I did-- add a UV sterilizer to the tank. I believe this is a more effective route than tearing down tanks and chloroxing them. ...'
Link given to:
http/edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VM055
Please note re above link taken from comment: recommendations here designed for large facilities - not private aquariums, and recommended actions are to reduce large-scale spread of disease.
Below, yet another link provided which may be more pertinent to home aquarists:
http/members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/Myco.htm
'Mycobacteriosis (or fish tuberculosis), caused by aquatic Mycobacterium species, is a sub-acute to chronic disease known to affect a wide variety of wild and cultured fish of freshwater and marine species world-wide. Although Mycobacterium marinum was considered the primary causative agent of mycobacteriosis, a great number of Mycobacterium species associated with tubercle granulomas in aquarium and wild fish populations have been found. However, it has to be considered that the risk of infection in fish reared in captivity is significantly higher. The incidence of mycobacteriosis in aquarium fish has been reported to range from 10-22%. Most likely, the aquarium environment offers more favourable conditions for propagation of mycobacteria (temperature, water, oxygen etc.).
Mycobacteriosis in aquarium fish is one of the most commonly diagnosed bacterial diseases. A recent study (2006) on the presence of mycobacteria in healthy fish and aquariums has shown that the incidence of the pathogens is 'quite high'. Samples taken from home aquaria found that 18 of 42 samples taken from 19 fish contained various forms of mycobacteria. The study also showed that mycobacteria were present in the water itself, with 75.4% of samples testing positive. Mycobacteria were also found in snails and crustaceans used for fish feeding. ...'
Snails are not, however, considered to be a significant vector, as previously stated by Diana Walstad; there are too many other sources with which to be concerned.
If I may reiterate: even if mycobacterial infection appears to be a certainty, DON'T PANIC; fish which show evidence of succumbing to the disease should be humanely put down - otherwise, it's recommended merely to keep a watchful eye and to be particularly careful in providing healthy tank conditions and nourishment, with a UV filter added, if it can be managed..
If it's necessary to put down any fish, please, please, please use clove oil, in more hopeful circumstances used as a fish anesthetic.
For smaller fish, a few drops mixed into tank water in an ice-cream or similar bucket/container (the bucket, despite acquired negative associations, can be kept and dedicated for use in such worst-case scenarios) with the sufferer gently added (where possible, I always prefer to use disposable clear plastic drinking cups rather than nets for transfer of fish, and gentleness is of course even more imperative with a severely injured/sick fish) and placed in a quiet area (but not ignored, best to check up periodically, hanky and all) should result in the affected fish gradually swimming more slowly and falling into an ever-deeper sleep.
If too much clove oil is initially added, the fish may become agitated, and one can only guess at what it may be undergoing.
As this is an anesthetic rather than a poison, once the fish appears to have been definitely unconscious for some hours, I then add a much larger dose: unlike most other fish, Bettas (sob) will ultimately drown in their sleep, but apparently can also fall into a coma-like state and simply appear to be dead.
I, like many others, retain bodies until death is absolutely obvious: nothing could be worse than for the fish to regain consciousness in the garbage or sewage system.
This information also illustrates why suck-starting your siphon is a bad idea: most fish diseases may not be transmissible to humans, but some are, including nasty East Asian nematodes which can kill not only fish but people infected through consumption of raw fish.
And fish diseases are not the only organisms present.
In example, there have been more and more cases reported of people finding various slime molds moving around their tanks.
If the tank I'm doing is too small to simply submerge the hose, I fill mine with a trickle from a tap - the bath mat may get squirted a bit, but - especially if you only run one or a few aquariums with weekly changes - there shouldn't be that much of a mess, and it'll dry.
Unless your room-mates have hydrophobia, a much smaller problem than risking any possibility of becoming too ill to get that next tank set up...
Hope this isn't your problem, but it's something of which we all need to be aware.
And lottsa luck.
