Neon lost its colour

[Amber]

Hello,

I wanna pick your brains - one of my neons has lost a bit of its colour, its not gone pale as if it were neon tetra disease its like a streak of colour lost.
The best way to explain is say the tetra was coloured in with pencils then it looks like someone has took an eraser and rubbed a line out from dorsal fin to belly.
The fish is eating fine and looks fine swimming about and just curious as to why this is? Should I be worried?

 

[WILDER]

That sometimes how Ntd starts a blob of colour gone pale, also it could be saddleback columnaris, i will leave you a link to it, good luck, sorry best to issolate the fish if you can just to be on the safe side.
http/article.dphnet.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml
http/ukdiscus.co.uk/columnaris.htm#Ident...ng%20columnaris

 

[Amber]

Thanks for the info, don't think its that saddleback (which I had never heard of) because the 'stripe' is just on one side and the link said that circles the body, however ntd I have heard of but still not too sure how it works. These tetras have been with me for about two months now, can neon tetra disease just develop like that?

 

[WILDER]

There carrys of the desease like any other desease if they get stressed and there immune system shuts down then the desease kicks in, i would issolate the fish if you can to observe it for a while to make sure it isn't ntd or you will end up with alot of fish deafths and having to strip the tank down and start again.

 

[Amber]

Thanks Wilder, I'll set up a hospital tank straight away to be safe.

Poor little guy

 

[WILDER]

Good luck hope it isn't, i've had it and it's awful.

 

[Amber]

Little neon is currently in its own tank - I was just wondering is there anything I should be looking for, anything I can add to the water, is it true ntd is uncurable?
How long before I know if little neon is indeed infected or if he can go back in with fellow tank mates?

 

[The-Wolf]

I'm affraid NTD is incurable, however there is a
very slim chance it is false NTD, which is curable.

I fear though it is the worse and therefore the only
humane thing to do is euthinise they fish.

 

[Lateral Line]

NTD is a parasitic infection caused by sporozoans. As the parasite develops, it forms large cysts which distort the shape of the infected fish. The rate at which this develops is highly variable. Can you see any evidence for curvature in the body?

 

[Amber]

No, none not at all, the fish seems perfectly normal at the mo. Its eating & swimming fine and there is no disfigurement of the body so far.

I want to give him the best chance but I don't want him to suffer either.
How do I know if it is NTD?

 

[WILDER]

If it is false ntd you could try an internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[Amber]

I have anti internal bacteria med already - ill start a course in the morning, see how he goes.
If it is 'false' ntd does the colour return?

 

[sylvia]

It should eventualy. BTW, there's also a chance it could be the very start of a fungus infection - if it begins to bulge outwards lishgtly (like a white bump or patch) or starts looking fuzzy, treat for fungus (or bacterial infections depending on the type...).

 

[newbie_alicia]

I have a question about one of my tetras. Recently the tetra had some fungus which is completely cured now B) . However, it has become very pale and the stripe looks as though someone erased it just like your fish . I was wondering could it just be from stress. I noticed that mine is the littlest and does get chased around more than the others. My tetra is now in a smaller tank but I'm wondering what to use to help it? Is it a bacterial infection? stress?
~alicia

 

[Lateral Line]

The pigment cells responsible for red/yellow colours, (xanthophores), lie in the outer layers of the skin. If the outer layers of the skin are damaged, it is entirely possible these cells have been damaged/lost - a scar of sorts.