# Strange Spot on Lemon Tetra



## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a 75 gallon tank that is usually 78-80 degrees. Ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite are all 0. I feed once sometimes twice a day with flakes or blood warms. The tank has been set up for about 6 months or so and has some plants. A melon sword 2 anubias and several stalks of wisteria. I have 5 angles, 7 black phantoms, 5 lemons and 4 diamond tetra. I also have 2 kuli Loaches and 2 Oto's and a striped pleco, or chocolate zebra i think i've heard it called. The light is on usually for 6-8 hrs from 2pm-8 or 2-10 sometimes longer or shorter but I try to keep it very consistent and a use Flourish comprehensive once a week (a very small does usually 1-2ml).

My lemon Tetra has a orange/pink spot on her back behind her dorsal fin. Is this something an increase in temp can fix or should i do something more drastic? I don't want to lose any of my wish and would hate to lose even one. I loves them all


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

I would isolate this fish before attempting treatment. In my limited experience with tetras, lesions and odd spots on the dorsal area are a sinsiter sign. The variety of fish you have includes many that are sensitive to chemicals: scaleless fish, catfish, tetras, so I would not attempt any general treatment if it could be avoided. And you also have plants, some of which do badly with medications and with elevated temperatures.

Or it could be a simple wound from an altercation with another fish that is having trouble healing, in which case something like Melafix or Pimafix (the fish equivalent of Bactine) might actually do some good.

First things first: get it outta there.


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## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

*photo*

This is a photo of her. It actually seems to be healing. She is more active and eating some. Also her color is coming back.


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

That's hopeful. A hungry fish at least has the will to overcome. 

Looking at your list of tank occupants, nothing jumps out at me as a likely aggressor. Some species of loracarids have been kown to try to steal body slime from the sides of larger slow moving fish. It can be irritating but does it create a wound like this? Not that I have ever seen. I would think an Angel might be a target for that kind of attack, but not a little tetra. 

It's debatable whether this fish would heal better in isolation, but possibly pine for others of her kind, or run the risk of additional injury in the main tank but be a bit less jittery in the familiar company of her "school."

These are the kinds of discussions we have all the time and while we are blathering on, sometimes the fish gets better all on its own!

Some people will net a fish like this, cover its head in wet paper toweling and put a little mercurachrome directly on lesion. What happens to the topical antiseptic when the traumatized fish is returned to its tank is anyone's guess. Sometimes it is so hard not to do anything, the cures we come up with seem worse than the disease. 

There's time to do all those dumb things later, if the fish stops eating. Meanwhile: how is the water. Been keeping up on water changes and all that? Good food and good water has probably cured more fish than anything else!


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

This looks very much like something that appeared on two of my fish a couple weeks ago. It was clearly an open area on the fish, as if something has taken out a chunk, or perhaps some sort of parasitic thing. It appeared very fast. I didn't take any chances; whenever i see something like this I usually net out the fish and destroy it. A couple days later a second (different species) fish got the same thing, so out it came. No further signs so far.

There are so many possibilities, unless one is trained in these things it can be impossible to pin down.

If this was caused by a fish, it could be the angelfish. Any signs of aggression if you sit quietly in front of the tank for an hour?


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

I agree Byron. In one of my Marine tanks, the Heniochus Butterflies will sidle up to my tangs and sometimes give them a good hard peck. I know that Henies are renown as occasional cleaners, but this seems like a deception that ends in a free nip of body slime for the butterflies. 

And yes! It leaves a mark! Like a really bad hickey!

Part of the trouble with captive congregations of randomly selected fish is that it's anyone's guess who might nip who when. 

I also agree with your decison to remove and euthanize affected fish on occasion when these odd untreatable diseases arise.


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## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

The angles are only aggressive with each other changing the pecking order and such. Usually its Big (platinum Angle) or Black on of the other multi-color angles. The do get really aggressive when i put blood worms in though. Flake food is not an issue it spreads out.

So you think i should destroy the fish if it doesn't go away soon and save the rest? I don't want anyone else to catch this if it is something they catch.


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

When did this start? If you noticed it right away, did it gradually enlarge are was it at full size when it appeared? 

What first caused you to notice it? The fish's behavior or the wound itself?

Sorry I am being so circumspect: I just wonder how long this malady has been swimming in your tank and if there's any likelihood it is contagious. . .


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## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

I noticed it at feeding time after a larger than average water change of 40% I usually only do 25-30 a week. I always count my fish and one lemon was missing from the group. This all happened about 4 days ago.


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

At this point I would imagine that this is the result of an injury, not a disease, although there could be an infection of some kind since the injury took place, but probably not infectious.

I hope.

If the fish is eating again, perhaps it's turning around. Give us an update tomorrow. . .

(Lemon tetras are one of my favorites, for some reason. You might consider increasing the number of one or two of the species of tetras you have and letting the others go-- rehome them or trade. Schoolers look and behave more naturally in larger groups (15 or more) and the tank looks more natural if there are only one or two species rather than three or four. With the three species you have, I don't know what I'd do because they are all winners in my book!)


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## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

Iwould have liked to get red phantoms instead of the blacks for color but I don't think I can get rid of any of them lol


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## sidluckman (Jan 15, 2012)

Agree. But the blacks are mysterious and dignified looking. And the diamonds are really understated and elegant. Another favorite tetra.


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## Jester10 (Feb 20, 2012)

Unfortunately i found her dead this morning. I examined and it was a scab of some kind and when I peeled it back their was a large chunk of her missing. I'm thinking she may having gotten to close to one of the angles when I put blood worms in and one of them took a chunk out of her. I hope this doesn't happen again. =[


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