Two weeks ago i finished treatment for white spot in my tropical fish tank with success.

Question

I now have a neon tetra who at first i thought was carrying eggs but now its skin is peeling off and is very very bloated????. breathing is faster but swimming with other fish up and down.... Any clues oh nitrate,nitrite,ammonia,all at zero ph has always been at a steady 7.4

Answer 1

Do you remember what treatment you used to cure your white spot problem?

Do you have other neon tetras in the same tank? Are they showing similar symptoms?

"very very bloated" is a primary indication of Dropsy. And usually when it gets to that stage, it's too late to cure it as it is very difficult to do so. I've never seen a neon with dropsy, so I'm not sure if it's skin will peel.. I do know that Neon Tetras have very small, fine scales. So looking for the "pine cone" look will do little to no good.

If I were in your shoes, I would isolate the poor guy (or girl) and give him (or her) some antibiotic food as soon as possible.

Answer 2

You say that the neon's skin is peeling off, is it that its scales are sticking out making it look a bit like a pine cone from behind? If yes , then your fish probably has a condition called dropsy. I had a molly that developed it, we thought she was pregnant at first because of her swollen belly, but then her scales started to stick out too. Sad to say we lost her. When dropsy gets to that stage it's very difficult to cure, I'm afraid. Google 'dropsy' for more info and advice on how to treat, to see if it matches your fishes symptoms. Good luck!

Answer 3

I very much doubt your nitrate is at zero, I would test that again.

It could be that this tetra has a bacterial/slime coat related problem. if I were you I would isolate this fish into another tank and go from there. It could also be a sign of water quality issues, hence my suspicions of your water quality readings, it may be time to by a new kit if you're testing with an old one, remember liquid kits are more accurate than strips.

Sometimes medications can kill off your good bacteria and therefore cause an ammonia spike.

Answer 4

I'm guessing you didn't use the half dose that you should for sensitive fish like Tetras?  If you didn't, there's a fairly good chance that the small-scaled Neon absorbed and metabolized far more medication than it should, and this eventually destroyed the kidney, which filters toxins from the blood.  With the kidneys failed, the fish was then incapable of osmoregulating, leading to considerable amounts of fluid accumulating in the abdomen, thus the swelling.  Severe kidney failure is irreversible, but you may be able to save it by adding 1/4 teaspoon of epsom salt per 10 gallons to help draw some fluid from the fish, at least giving it a chance at regenerating its kidneys.

Answer 5

have a vet check it out

Answer 6

TRY REPLACING SOME OF THE WATER ROUGHLY  A QUARTER,  AND HOPEFULLY  YOUR FISH WILL BUCK UP. REGARDS, WILDY N ANGEL