Help! This Has Been Going On Way Too Long!

[Amazonia]

1.

My neon tetras dart about really fast when I switch the lights off. It has been happenning for many WEEKS!
I thought they might have velvet. I shone a torch on them and they appear shimmery (gold dusting, sparkly appearance).
One of them also has cotton mouth.
My parents have been overfeeding them!
They move about nervously now like they're sensitive at the slightest movement.

This morning, one of the tetras was very pale, a cloudy colour. His/her red stripe was fading. Fish was hiding.
Also, a few of them had slightly red gills (I am VERY worried about this, could it be flukes?).

The nitrite levels are 0. I am not sure about ammonia levels but about an hour ago I used ammonia remover and I did a 15% partial water change.

I checked on my neon tetras and their stripes are much brighter now. The pale fish has regained her/his colour in stripe and doesnt look cloudy anymore.

The shimmery colour still stands though when I torch checked them.

TREATMENTS - I don't want to use aquarium salt as I have heard my fish are not tolerant to it and they don't seem to like it.
I have interpret no.7 anti slime and velvet. Should I use it? There is a platy in there with the neons.
I haven't got a hospital tank.
I have potassium permanganate crystals but I heard that it could be dangerous to their gills and respiratory system in alkaline water and Londons taps are full of alkaline water.



2.
Platy bloated, not eating, hiding in her cave. Previously she has pooed out stringy poo leaving it hanging off all of the tank plants and now she doesn't seem to poo at all (again, has been like this for weeks).

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOULD BE DEEPLY APPRECIATED

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph.

Just want to look at ntd first.
Neons can go a yellowish colour when they have ntd it the yellow golden colour only in the blue area,
or its it on the whole body.
Also the red stripe will look bleached out like a milky appearance.

Darting can be many things from bad water quality, parasites, overdose of med, lack of 02. stray voltage,
Toxins.

Anys signs of flicking and rubbing against objects in the tank, or laboured breathing.

Cotton mouth is flexibactor colunmaris, is the mouth rotting away.

 

[Amazonia]

Hi Wilder,

Tank - 10 gallons
Fish - 5 neon tetras, 1 platy
Nitrite - I haven't got the pH, ammonia or nitrate test kits yet (the locals pet stores don't sell these, only the pH kit which I should get but I was a bit hesitant to cause I heard messing with pH causes problems).
The water is definitely alkaline and the neon tetras are supposedly really sensitive to pH and like acidic conditions better.

There is a bit of flicking movements from the neons.
I have never seen the neons rubbing against anything in the tank.
The neons sometimes briefly chase lasting only a second at eachother.
There doesn't seem to be any laboured breathing from neons.
One neon has a only very slightly bleached red stripe.

Ive done a check again with a torch and the lights off. The golden colour is over the whole of their bodies.

I am worried about nitrate poisoning possibility. I did a water change and their stripes went a bright red colour and this intense colouration I heard could be due to nitrates which could be also present in the local water supply.

 

[WILDER]

I would ask the lfs if they could order you the test kits for you.
Take sample of your water and ask them to write the readings down for you.

If it was velvet I would of expected to see alot of flicking and rubbing.

This is a list of ntd symtoms.
Bleached out white area in the red stripe area, or a milky appearance.
Blue area can be a yellow sheen like velvet.
Neons will leave the shoal and be restless.
The neons will swim oddly.
Black linning around the red area.
Lumps on the belly that sometimes go to a point.
Bent spines,.
Later stages can be popeye, dropsy, finrot.

Had ntd in one of my tanks and they showed all the symtoms on different fish.
I had the yellow on a few of my neons in the blue area and thought it was velvet at the time.

We must rule out ntd before you dose the tank for velvet.

 

[Amazonia]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=6585

The neon with cotton mouth has all of these symptoms.

Where do I get antibiotic from?


Thanks

 

[WILDER]

What your location as antibiotics are only available in the uk from a vet.
Red gills can be bad water quality as well as flukes so I would get your water tested.

 

[Amazonia]

Thank you for the quick reply Wilder. Fish problems are sooo distressing

The blue area doesn't really show a yellow sheen when I check in the dark with a torch. It looks kind of normal. The most distinct yellow sheen is on the lower half of the body.They'are all hiding behind a rock. They don't seem to like the bright light.
Red stipe is extremely bright red.
The shoal is prett much together though one fish has previously (many weeks ago) isolated itself from the shoal but they are now holding tight.
Milkyish pale golden on tummy area when I torch check.
When the lights remain off there are no erratic movements (only within the first 1-1 and a half mins of switching off)
When light are on they sometime do flick their tails.
No lumps.
No black lining around red are only a slight one lining the body near the fitrot of the 'cottonmouth and finrot' neon tetra.
Spines not bent


Many thanks 4 ur help

 

[WILDER]

I would treat the tank for columnaris first and see how things go and watch out
for more symtoms,.
Columnaris uk myxazin and pimafix.
United states maracyn one and two,
<a href="http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm" target="_blank">http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/neondisease.htm</a>
[URL="http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm"]http/www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm[/URL]
http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/heal...thprotist.shtml

 

[Amazonia]

Hey Wilder,

Thanks so much. I'll get that medication asap. Ready to go out the door in a sec I'll keep u updated. Watch this space



Much appreciated

 

[WILDER]

Good luck.