# Suddenly Deformed Neon Tetra



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I have a 20g NPT community tank with 10 neons, 8 rummynoses, 5 cory cats, 2 otos, and 1 platy (and who knows how many Malaysian Trumpet Snails). I had 8 cory cats but in the last several weeks, 3 of them turned up mysteriously dead. They were all panda cory cats; my others are fine. Today, as I was cleaning out the latest casualty, I noticed one of my neons hovering at the surface with what looks like a deformed back. It is now isolated but I have absolutely no idea what's wrong with it. I don't know if the same thing that killed the cory cats has affected this neon or not. Its color is good, it just has a deformed back that it never had.







I change 20-30% of the water once a week and am using an AquaClear 20 (mature and cycled) filter with a prefilter. Up until a week ago, I also had a small internal filter in the tank as well. My pH is a little high at 8.0. 

Any help or insight would be appreciated.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

its not really the back that I would be worried about. It that its completely emaciated. Only thing I could think of it to try deworming it. Its likely some sort of internal issue.


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## Quantum (Jul 23, 2011)

could be 'neon tetra disease - NTD'


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm worried about the emaciation too. I feed New Life Spectrum Small Fish formula - just sprinkle some in the water column - and I do watch to make sure every midwater swimmer appears to eat. And just in case, I leave an extra wafer for the bottom feeders because I've seen my tetras picking at them too. 

I really hesitate to bring this up because it's such an overhyped disease, but could it be tuberculosis? The back is deformed and the fish is wasted.  

I am currently battling an outbreak of camallanus worms in my bettas but so far I have not seen any evidence of these worms in my community tank. Do you think this may be a cause?


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

If you had camallanus worms in any of your tanks I would be deworming every tank you own.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Ohhh yes, just waiting on the meds to arrive. *shudders* Hate those worms. But I haven't seen any evidence of them in the community tank where this tetra came from so I don't know if that's why he's so sick or not.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

You never see evidence of camallanus unless its a major infection. Its one of the big diseases that quarintining is pretty useless against. It can take weeks or months for an infected fish to show any noticable symptoms. 

Last time I went to a local auction I ended buying fish that had camallanus. I had it for 20 days before it killed a fish. Even after examining the fish and identifying the problem I still say that fish looked perfectly healthy. It was certainly not thin at all. A month from now I will still be running dewormer through all my tanks.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Thanks for the heads-up, Mikaila.  I will definitely be following your example. I want these worms out of my tanks for sure.


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