Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hey all,

I've been dealing with this thing in my tanks for a bit now, and I thought I'd get some advice. Sorry if it's a common problem.

I've got a few neon tetras with this weird lump on their mouth that comes and goes. It's not fuzzy, doesn't get bigger, and it's only on their mouth. It's either white or light brown, and it's not big enough to cause any issues with eating. I don't really care about the aesthetics, but every time I see it, I start worrying that they're sick.

I found something similar in an old thread - https://www.fishforums.net/threads/neon ... us.477068/ - but the lumps in those cases were way bigger than what I'm seeing.

I'm tagging @sSjey, @coltin, and @Doubled (sorry, guys) since you've all dealt with this before or seem to know what's going on.

On a completely different note, has anyone ever had a case of permanent finrot? I've got a neon that's had slightly white-edged and ragged fins since the day I got it. It's never gotten worse or better, and it hasn't spread.

Thanks.

I'm not trying to point fingers or imply anything, but I do think it's worth considering if there's a bigger picture here. You've mentioned a few issues lately - the lump on the neon's mouth, potential fin rot, and the recent loss of a cory. I'm not saying they're all connected, but it might be helpful to look at them together and see if there's a common thread.

I know you take good care of your fish, and that's why I'm bringing this up. We all deal with problems in our tanks from time to time, and I'm definitely not an expert. I just think it's worth exploring if there's something underlying that could be contributing to these issues. Water quality, perhaps, or something else entirely. I could be way off base, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I think pics would really help here. Is the lump grayish in color? There's a relatively new condition affecting neon tetras that I've dealt with in my own tank for years, and it's becoming increasingly common, so it's definitely possible that's what you're seeing.

I was wondering, have you run any water tests recently, specifically for ammonia and nitrite levels? It might be worth checking to see if there's an underlying issue that could be contributing to the lump on your neon tetra's mouth and the potential finrot.

It's not uncommon for fish to develop bumps on their mouth that come and go without any issues. I've seen it in various species, not just neons. These bumps often seem to appear and disappear randomly, and in most cases, they don't cause any harm.

Regarding fin rot, I find it's a topic of interest. While it was once a widespread issue in the aquarium hobby, it's now relatively rare, mostly due to improved water quality management. In the past, fin rot was a common problem, but nowadays, it seems to be overdiagnosed. A little discoloration around the edge of a fin can be a normal occurrence, and ragged fins can be the result of mild sparring between fish, similar to the mouth bumps. Pictures would be helpful in determining the cause of the issue you're experiencing.

Clack wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 4:00 pm I'm not trying to point fingers or imply anything, but I do think it's worth considering if there's a bigger picture here. You've mentioned a few issues lately - the lump on the neon's mouth, potential fin rot, and the recent loss of a cory. I'm not saying they're all connected, but it might be helpful to look at them together and see if there's a common thread.

I know you take good care of your fish, and that's why I'm bringing this up. We all deal with problems in our tanks from time to time, and I'm definitely not an expert. I just think it's worth exploring if there's something underlying that could be contributing to these issues. Water quality, perhaps, or something else entirely. I could be way off base, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I'm really hoping someone can shed some light on this. I've been dealing with issues since the beginning, and I thought moving them to a bigger tank would help, but the problems just keep coming. I've been doing 30-50% water changes every week, and my water is completely soft with no chlorine. My cory stocking isn't ideal, but it would be fine if they didn't keep dying.

I understand what you're saying about looking at all the issues together. I've had a lot of deaths in my old tank, including a neon that jumped, a neon with black holes, and a pygmy cory that just turned pale and died. There were also some funky deaths, like my juliis dying from what I think was a protozoan on the brain. And just after I set up the tank again, I had a suspected case of NTD.

In my new tank, I've had a cory die, possibly from swim bladder issues, and I've had to save a pygmy that was looking pale and breathing heavily. I did a big water change and added salt, and it recovered, which was a first for me. And then there's the tetra with the suspected fin rot that's been like that since I got it from the shop.

I'm planning to test for ammonia and nitrite soon, I just need to get my hands on the API test kit.

Regarding the bumps on the mouth, it sounds like what you're saying, graye - they just come and go and don't seem to be an issue. It's not always grayish, but sometimes it can be. I'm curious, did your neons ever die or get bigger from the condition you mentioned?

And I know you all want pics, I'm trying, I really am.

I've had it with cories. Another pepper's gone. I'm throwing in the towel - I'll let nature take its course, see what can survive in my tank, and then restock. I'm done with the cycle of buying, losing, and wasting cash just to get a decent school going.

I think it's possible that there's been a single underlying cause - maybe a virus or bacteria that got into the tank and started spreading. I've had mysterious issues in my tanks before, and they usually follow a similar pattern. It's like the disease will take out one species entirely, and then pick off a few individuals from similar habitats.

I've found that the best approach is to just wait it out. It's not easy, I know - it's been a long time since I've had to deal with something like this, but it's worth it in the end. If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at quarantining any new fish for at least three months before adding them to the main tank.

It's been a few months since you started noticing issues, right? I think you said it was around the end of September. If that's the case, we're getting close to the six-month mark. I'd recommend gritting your teeth and being patient for a bit longer. Wait at least two months from the last death, and then you can start rebuilding.

It's tough, I know. Sick fish can be a real hobby killer, especially when we don't have many treatment options. But just keep doing those weekly 30% water changes like you're used to, and in 8 or 9 changes, the average pathogen should have died out.

I had a thought - what if the substrate is the issue? It was given to me for free by a friend, who claimed it was safe for cories, but now I'm having second thoughts. I can try capping it with play sand - it's super cheap - and see if that makes a difference. Removing the existing substrate with the fish in there is a recipe for disaster, so I'm not keen on that.

I'm also having a nutrition issue - my usual hikari sinking pellets were infested with bugs, so I've stopped using them. I've been feeding flakes, but the neons gobble them up quickly, and none make it to the bottom. It'll be a while before I can get more food, so what can I feed them in the meantime? And, I still have the packet, if I froze the wafers, would they be okay to eat? I've got about half a packet left, and I don't want to waste that much food.

I think it's unlikely the substrate is the culprit, you'd probably have noticed issues sooner and your other fish would likely be affected too, but without a test kit you can't rule it out entirely.

Regarding the flakes, crushing some up and placing them near the substrate while the neons are distracted should give your cories a chance to grab some. However, it's not ideal, and if there is an illness in the tank, going without food won't help. You might want to look into getting some food specifically for them. If you're in a pinch, you could try finding cheap samples of algae wafers online, like on eBay. How long have they been going without their usual food?