Neon Tetra Disease shorts for NTD are common in tetra fish, but rare among Oscar fish. It is a parasitic disease caused by the Pleistophora hyphessobryconis parasite. Currently, there is no effective method to cure the NTD disease, so it must be paid attention to prevention daily when keeping tetra fish in tanks.
What Causes Neon Tetra Disease
The main disease-causing organism is the Sporozoa. The spores are eaten along with the fish food and then enter the intestines of the fish. The spores transform into amoeba-type cells in the fish intestines, then spread throughout the fish body, and form groups of spherical cysts, especially in the fish body.
The NTD spores gradually take over the fish's muscle fibers and are released when the skin is damaged or when the fish dies. It will infect other fish again and again in the same fish tank.
A tetrafish becomes vulnerable to it in two situations.
●Fish digest the body of the parasite-affected fish body.
●On indigestion of the contaminated food.
The Signs of Neon Tetra Disease
In the early stages, the disease tetra fish swims erratically and may become emaciated later on. But the most typical symptom of Neon Tetra Disease is a spreading pale area under the dorsal fin, and the scattered patches of the infection are paler. Then, the tail fin, pelvic fin, or dorsal fin turns white, and the white part rotates slowly.
●Restlessness
●The tetrafish body becomes lumpy.
●In swear cases, the spine becomes curvy.
●Affected fish shows abnormal swimming patterns, i.e., erratic swimming, swimming sideways, and hard to keep balance.
How to Treat Neon Tetra Disease
Regarding the treatment of Neon Tetra Disease, the first thing is to remove the sick tetra fish from the quarantine tank, then remove the equipment of the tank and disinfect it thoroughly. This is the only effective way to protect the other fish in the tank. Don’t forget to install fish tank filters for powerful filtration.
Quarantine it and treat it according to the doctor’s suggestion.
