To everyone who has questions about Neon Tetra Disease.....

[rollin_22]

Name: Pleistophora

Type: Pathogen

Location: Muscular membranes, then can spread to kidneys, and other areas..

Effects and cure: Pathogens can be detected under a microscope as pansporoblasts in the torso muscles. These contain multiple spores which can be released into the muscles, where they turn into amoeboid germs. These then undergo a propagatory phase, then form new pansporoblasts. so any fish that is infected will keep infecting itself again and again.

Spores that get into the open water via the kidneys, skin grazes, or from dead fish can also be taken in by healthy fish. They form an amoeboid germ in the intestine which reaches the Musculature via the blood stream, where it once again attaches itself to become a pansporoblast.

The area of muscle affected will break up in part or degenerate. The external signs of the disease are very varied: Blotchy discoloration of the skin and a fading of the color bands, disturbances of the equilibrium and emaciation are all common, but none of them can be sure signs..

There is no Known cure, all an aquarist can do is to is take preventitive measures: keep a close check on the state of health of the fish and apply the strictest hygeine, especscially in breeding tanks. This way the disease will at least be stopped from spreading...


Hopefully this helps at least a little....

 

[TCTFish]

My experiences in dealing with neon tetra disease, I have found that Nalagram is a good medication to help protect healthy fish from becoming infected...or it seems to. This disease can be quite devastating to an LFS and the disease mostly comes in from the wholesalers the retailers get their stock from. Entire batches of fish are easily lost to this disease. I place all the fish from the tank the infected fish are in into a QT and treat with Nalagram. Those obviously infected are culled. Within about two weeks the die offs stop and those that haven't been infected seem to be OK after treatment and are placed back into the main system without any problems afterwards.

Even though there is no known cure, at least there is something out there that can lend a hand so to speak. Nalagram is the only medication I've had any success in keeping the disease from spreading and of course as Rollin_22 mentions...strict hygiene. Keeping nitrates low is imperative to keep these buggers from having a chance to proliferate in the system. Nitrates should be kept preferrably under 25ppm to help keep any disease or parasite from getting out of control.