I’m sure that you did hear about the phrase “neon tetra disease treatment” when starting to raise this fish.
In the world of nano fish, neon tetras are regarded as a popular choice for their beautiful red and blue stripes.
However, these fish were sometimes vilified for their “sensitive” nature and tendency to die.
As a general rule, from our experiences, the tetras are just as hardy as other danios and rasboras, but there are a few factors that may weaken their immunity, thus making them more susceptible to catching cold and other illnesses.
We need to look at why neon tetras get sick, and how to prevent this from happening in the future.
Where Does Neon Tetra Sickness Come From?
There are many reasons why neon tetras may seem unhealthy, but the first reason lies in the large number in which they are kept.
It is because of this fact that fish farms breed them in massive quantities since they know they will always be in demand.
They are obtained from large wholesalers that purchase them in bulk at once, and then they make a large batch of them at one time and ship them to smaller pet shops where an employee mixes a new shipment with an active batch of them that is still unsold.
It’s true that there’s an increased possibility of spreading diseases when you keep tons of fish together, so you have to keep an eye out for their health and to ensure they won’t get sick.
At various facilities where neon tetras are kept, neon tetras are also commonly underfed, mainly because of a lack of food. In order to stay profitable, all of the parties involved, including the fish farms, wholesalers, pet stores, and wholesalers, want to spend the least amount of time and money on the fish as possible.
It is unlikely that all 100 tetras in a tank of fish flakes will get any bites of fish flakes since there could only be a few pinches per fish. It’s agreed that this practice works fairly well in the short term for most fish.
However, when neon tetras are kept in an overcrowded, high-stress environment, diseases such as ich will appear. Fungal infections will be prevalent, as well as neon tetra disease, which causes the fish to die.
The neon tetras are often kept in large numbers under suboptimal conditions and limited food sources.
Furthermore, since neon tetras are cheap and colorful, beginners are more likely to purchase them than other types of fish.
There is often a tendency for people to not look into the detailed care requirements for their aquarium fish before they buy them, and they often buy a large bag to put in a tiny aquarium with poor quality water and aggressive tank mates.
People would be more cautious and would do a lot more research on proper husbandry before taking neon tetras home if they were more expensive and would cost $10 each.
In our opinion, neon tetras are not necessarily more sensitive than other fish; they just get kept in less than ideal conditions through most of the supply chain, so they might not be as sensitive as other fish.
What Can You Do To Make your Neon Tetras Healthier?
It would be a good idea to try and buy as many neon tetras as possible. On occasion, it is also important to note that neon tetras are sometimes called jumbo, XL, or large tetras.
Although these tetras are usually more expensive, it is worth the price because fish farms must provide those tetras with a substantial quantity of food to ensure they reach a certain size.
Here at Aquarium Co-Op, we do our best to order the largest and full-grown neon tetras possible, quarantine them, and treat them with preventative medications before placement in quarantine.
The following tips will help our customers achieve greater benefits from their neon tetras and, as a result, are more likely to be satisfied with our store.
It is critical to feed your neon tetras a wide variety of tiny foods for them to gain a healthy weight after you take them home.
Unless you are a trained veterinarian, you should not feed baby bloodworms to little juveniles. I recommend using baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, crushed up flakes and micro pellets.
Moreover, they prefer to eat when the food slowly sinks into the middle of the water (rather than on the surface of the water), so you should give them several small meals throughout the day in order to maximize the effectiveness of your feeding program.
A Guide To Preventing Neon Tetra Disease
Neon Tetra disease (NTD) is currently incurable as well as highly contagious, so there is no cure. Consequently, we should all take steps to prevent the disease and minimize its spread.
To prevent the possibility of your existing animals becoming infected by any new fish, put them in a separate container for several weeks while you observe them for any health issues.
Additionally, the fish farm’s quarantine tank can also aid the fish is recovering after their stressful journey from their home farm.
I recommend keeping the temperature of your aquarium at 74-76°F (23-24°C), avoiding territorial tank mates, adding an air stone or sponge filter for increased oxygenation, and feeding a good mixture of healthy foods every day.
I suggest you take into consideration euthanizing the sick neon tetra if it has NTD, even if it doesn’t respond to your ministrations. By euthanizing the sick neon tetra in this case, you will save the rest of the school.
I hope you will get some lessons when reading my article. Thanks for your reading!
Video About Neon Tetra Disease Treatment
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010.