Unhealthy neon tetras

lolo62

I have a group of 12 neon tetras in rag order with ulcers and growths on their mouths, white spots on their tails and overall just general deterioration. I have 15 but 3 died and more look like they're on the way.
Right now theyre in a 30l quarantine tank because I didn't want them infecting my other fish. Have treated them with esha2000 and white spot treatment with little to no difference from either.
One of my tanks was a gift from a pet shop I won't name that came with a voucher for fish.
I thoroughly regret ever getting fish from this place as they were just never healthy to begin with.

Can anyone advise me as to what they would do in this situation?
They have no quality of life in a cramped 30l. Most have difficulty getting the food in their mouths even if I grind it up because of the ulcers. Euthanizing 12 fish seems brutal and I've only ever done that with 1 fish who was in a bad way. A friend says I should just let nature run its course but it's very depressing to see them just staying still in the small tank and not schooling around.
I have 2 other tanks but both have lots of other (healthy and happy fish) in them.

penev10

Personally, I would add lots of aquarium salt and up the temperature to 30', no food.

If the ick has gotten that bad you can only hope that some pull through.

If you've already been using the esha for 3 days then there's not much more it will do, has always worked for me within a day or two.

Large water change each day and add more salt. 30l tank is fine for such emergency conditions.

Best of luck

lolo62

penev10 wrote: »

Personally, I would add lots of aquarium salt and up the temperature to 30', no food.

If the ick has gotten that bad you can only hope that some pull through.

If you've already been using the esha for 3 days then there's not much more it will do, has always worked for me within a day or two.

Large water change each day and add more salt. 30l tank is fine for such emergency conditions.

Best of luck

Thanks a million for the reply! I don't think it's ick...or can ick cause ulcers? The other thing is they were in a tank with honey gouramis, a gold severum and a paradise fish so wouldn't they have contracted it also?

penev10

lolo62 wrote: »

Thanks a million for the reply! I don't think it's ick...or can ick cause ulcers? The other thing is they were in a tank with honey gouramis, a gold severum and a paradise fish so wouldn't they have contracted it also?

Parasites / disease is almost always there and fish only succumb to it when they are stressed / weak. The tetras may have been in a rough state having just shipped in from overseas.

Neons are infamously weak. Probably the mass production process / overcrowding etc.

Every time I have gotten cardinal tetras they had ick within a day, cured them up mind but still they just seem to be prone to it.

lolo62

penev10 wrote: »

Parasites / disease is almost always there and fish only succumb to it when they are stressed / weak. The tetras may have been in a rough state having just shipped in from overseas.

Neons are infamously weak. Probably the mass production process / overcrowding etc.

Every time I have gotten cardinal tetras they had ick within a day, cured them up mind but still they just seem to be prone to it.

Ok thanks. I thought it was the shop i had gotten them from. Although I can say seahorse aquariums tetras look much healthier overall so could be a bit of both the shop and what you describe.
We actually call them the ulcer faces now it's become a pet name for them. No meds work despite getting everything we tried. They're just up in the 30l passing time. I keep considering buying a load of baby brine shrimp and letting them feast on that...it fits in their mouths...and then sending them on their way. But then chicken out. Will never get tetras again, it's like having a tetra prison or concentration camp in my house

penev10

Did you try the aquarium salt? It's pretty cheap, and every pet shop has it.

Id do 1/2 tablespoon of salt then the next day do a 50% water change and add another 1/2 tablespoon, same again the next day if I saw no change. I believe the max salt you should do is 1 tbsp per gallon so in a 30l I wouldn't do more than 3 days of dosing.