# What is this? (Image Enclosed)



## Sagittarius-Aquarius

Okay, I've tried google but it's not very helpful. I was thinking this may be ich, but it's been around for a long time, so I'm thinking it's just an injury. Poor little guy. This is a neon tetra from my sister's tank.










He looks like he has a fungus on his mouth or something. Although I'm told it's been around for 5 months now and hasn't changed. Is he just deformed? I don't think he is...

Any help is appreciated, thanks.


----------



## Sagittarius-Aquarius

Oh, and so everyone's aware, the tank is not overstocked, there are 10 neons in a 10 gallon tank with a filter acceptable for 20 gallons. Also, he is the only fish this severe. There is one more with a similar coloured deformity, but this fish looks like it merely scratched it's nose on something. Of the tank, 8/10 are 100% okay. These two have been alive and show no signs of poor health, other than the super weird mouth thing on this one.


----------



## Harry Muscle

Looks like mouth fungus to me, but who's telling you it's been like that for 5 months? It should have killed him way before 5 months. If it is indeed mouth fungus, Melafix and Pimafix (combined is best, not either or) are very good treatments for it. One gets rid of the fungus the other helps the healing. Melafix and Pimafix are also natural products based on tea tree oils (if I remember correctly) which is a plus (ie: no harsh chemicals in the tank).

Hope that helps.

Harry



Sagittarius-Aquarius said:


> Okay, I've tried google but it's not very helpful. I was thinking this may be ich, but it's been around for a long time, so I'm thinking it's just an injury. Poor little guy. This is a neon tetra from my sister's tank.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He looks like he has a fungus on his mouth or something. Although I'm told it's been around for 5 months now and hasn't changed. Is he just deformed? I don't think he is...
> 
> Any help is appreciated, thanks.


----------



## Sagittarius-Aquarius

Harry Muscle said:


> Looks like mouth fungus to me, but who's telling you it's been like that for 5 months? It should have killed him way before 5 months. If it is indeed mouth fungus, Melafix and Pimafix (combined is best, not either or) are very good treatments for it. One gets rid of the fungus the other helps the healing. Melafix and Pimafix are also natural products based on tea tree oils (if I remember correctly) which is a plus (ie: no harsh chemicals in the tank).
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> Harry


Okay, just a quick question, should I do anything to the filter? I've heard some copper-based medicines can kill beneficial bacteria and snails.

Although that's from an unreliable source.

**EDIT: Wait, I'm stupid, nevermind.


----------



## Harry Muscle

Sagittarius-Aquarius said:


> Okay, just a quick question, should I do anything to the filter? I've heard some copper-based medicines can kill beneficial bacteria and snails.
> 
> Although that's from an unreliable source.
> 
> **EDIT: Wait, I'm stupid, nevermind.


Nice thing about the Melafix and Pimafix I mentioned is that they won't affect your beneficial bacteria (or at least not to a significant amount) unlike some medicine than can.

Harry


----------



## Ciddian

I have a black neon like that as well I just can't figure out. :/ The thing's been around for half a year like that and its never gotten any better.

I'll try the mel, pim fix too and see how it goes.


----------



## AquariAM

Those look more like viral papiloma to me.
BTW Melafix is tea tree oil, Pimafix is Pimenta racemosa (a kind of pepper)


----------



## arinsi

HOLY SHI

you better get that treated or everything goes downhill

starves
immune system degrades
too tired to eat
infection takes over
death


----------



## Sagittarius-Aquarius

But I think this is similar to Ciddian's case! I do remember one of the tetras looking weird when it came home.

I'll try the remedies. Thanks, I'll keep people posted on how it does.

To be honest, it looks like his nose is shredded more than anything when you see him up close.


----------



## Joeee

Truthbetold, I was going to answer "Neon Tetra"... Lol

It's fungus, but because you had him for 5 months, I have a plausible explanation. It is possible that you already have dormant fungus in your tank (like how saprolegnia grows like hair on the walls of tanks or on food) and something triggered stress, perhaps a water change or some social behaviour. 

But anyway, I wouldn't recommend using medicines and I've been wondering myself if you could just raise temperature or add aquarium salt to eliminate fungus. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will shed some insight for us.


----------



## Joeee

AquariAM said:


> Those look more like viral papiloma to me.
> BTW Melafix is tea tree oil, Pimafix is Pimenta racemosa (a kind of pepper)


I think those "kind of pepper" things are more commonly called "Wax apples" and you can buy them at several Chinese grocery stores.


----------



## AquariAM

Joeee said:


> I think those "kind of pepper" things are more commonly called "Wax apples" and you can buy them at several Chinese grocery stores.


Never heard of them but googling that brings up the scientific name Syzygium samarangense and if I google that I find very very similar pics so maybe I accidentally put up a wax apple picture


----------



## Sagittarius-Aquarius

Nothing has changed. And I looked at pictures of the tank a couple of months ago, and I can see white on one tetra's face. I think it's the same guy. He's kind of scary. I'm raising the water temperature to maximum neon and gourami capacity and I've added a bit of salt, we'll see what happens.


----------



## Mr Fishies

Maybe fish TB, or Mycobacterium?

Diana Walstad wrote a good article on it last year - it's a far more common problem than it's talked about. It can mainfest itself in lots of different ways with different symptoms in different fish, spinal deformity, mouth ulcers, potbelly, sunken belly...

Check out "Mycobacteriosis - The Stealth Disease"

http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/00388.htm


----------

