The Truth About Neon Tetra Disease

[@AquariumCoop]

Buy fish at geni.us/LiveFish from our preferred online retailers with the code _aquariumcoop_ to save 5%. (As an affiliate member, we earn a commission from this link.)

[@loganspence1147]

do you have to go poop, wipe without washing your hands, and then touch your left eye disease?

[@mazobojo]

I like that you purposely have videos ready to come out, you commented 5 days ago on a 5 hour old video. Very informative.

[@mitchellportee150]

They have great prices and I absolutely love the fork tail rainbows, dwarf rainbows, and Harlequin rasboras I got from them. The neons didn't handle the trip or the adjustment to my harder water but I definitely plan on shopping with then again.

[@wyzemann]

Cory, this single upload has made a huge impact on my misconceptions pertaining to neons. I was under the belief that after so many decades of over breeding, the overall health and vitality of NT were degraded beyond hope. I recently ordered a batch of 25 from a reputable eBayer, but unfortunately, 13+ were wiped out, due to ich, during their first week of quarantine. My housemate warned me against them since a few years ago I lost a batch of 30 sickly neons from Petsmart😡. Anyway, I permanently swore off of them before this upload. Now, I still own at least 12 of my original 25 and they are ich and disease-free, so I'll fatten them up over time and see what results I incur from there. Thanks, my man, you are an irreplaceable asset to our often misguided & misinformed community.

[@steve_the_springtails]

There's a big box store by my house that sells everything pet related and 6 out of every 8 employees there are amazing and ask all sorts of questions and know any answer you could ask them i love it when a business actually cares about the life they're selling

[@benniboop752]

That’s awesome! I cringe when I go to mine & usually leave feeling disappointed & bummed.

[@hartatttackk]

I wish I had that. I have two local aquarium stores but both are kind of just in it for the sale and half the time I ask question that I kind of already know they get it completely wrong. Like onetime I saw an oto cat alone in a tank and I was like "oh whats that little guy" just out of nowhere idk why I said it. I knew it was an oto, I have 10 otos. But the guy who is ALWAYS working there said "I think its a Chinese algae eater."😐 that store also sold me what I thought was 30 neon tetras. At the register the price was high and found out they were cardinals. I paid went home put them in my aquarium and found they WERE NEONS! I paid over a dollar extra for each one smh

[@maggyf3932]

By my local stores they're all diff, I've had 2 polar opposites - 1 who said on all my qs yeah it's good, no major care, easy.... He was ready to sell my the entire store. 1 who looked me up and down and asked me too many unnecessary qs, if I have a tank set up, how long tank's been running, if I know how to care, if I've had this fish before - all this after I've told him I already have some of those and know how to care n what they need - and WHILE HE SCOOPED THEM OUT, THREW THE BIG DECORATION PIECE ONTO THE FROGS PINNING THEM DOWN AND WHEN I SHOWED HIM HE DIDN'T BAT AN EYELASH. 😮 Then he had to make sure I have food, asked if I had water sample, .... WEIRD GUY.

[@steve_the_springtails]

@maggyf3932 yeah they unfortunately fired all the good people and have hired a bunch of high-schoolers that can't tell the difference between a neon tetra and a white cloud mt minnow

[@coopmaster127]

Great info! I started my first tank over a year ago with 7 neon tetras, and they survived my beginner mistakes like ammonia and nitrite spikes and high nitrates for that first year. Just finished adding the original 7 plus 13 more to my new 40 gallon, and no deaths with either of the two groups!

[@maggyf3932]

You are extremely lucky!

[@mitchellportee150]

You just answered a question that's almost caused me to give up on neon tertas. I order 16 from online that's based in Washington state and I live in South Carolina where the tap water is hard and the Ph is around 7.6 . Well I had 13 of 16 die over night. I then went to my local petsmart and bought 6 more and they are doing great. Lesson learned. Thanks you for all you do. This is GOOD in my Cory voice. 😂😂😂 much respect.

[@VyvienneEaux]

When I want to put weight on a fish I notice is wasting away, I feed flake food followed by live daphnia. So far it's helped me save a lot of fish.

[@johncox8882]

Neon disease is a real thing and I am glad you did this topic justice. I had a group of neons that was five or more years old and started dying off in one of my show tanks in the late 80s. I purchased another group(8-10 been to long ago lol) and put them into quaratine. They lived for about three weeks. They were treated for the normal things like ich and bacterial infection upon arrival in my care. When they started dying I took one(living but sick) to the pet store that I dealt with and where they were purchased 50 miles away. He said everyone that purchased from that lot was having the same issue and it was neon tetra disease. This store like you quaratines everything for two weeks before selling. I miss that gentleman and his love of the hobby. His son in law runs the store now and follows the practices of the original owner but they seem to want everyone to switch to saltwater. Still a great mom and pop just not full of livebearers and other community fish like it was years ago.

[@WhoTheHellIsHarvy]

Best channel for the freshwater side of the hobby without a doubt. Thank you so much for another great video Cory! Yourself and KGT are my primary 'go to' places and I am so thankful for all the great content you provide!

[@blesson87]

I think Cory hit the nail on this fish. Feed them well and get them acclimated well and they re literally bomb proof! My oldest living neon tetra lived for almost four years which is a lot for a small fish and it was massive! Like 2 inches long! Love them.

[@kaiferox8008]

I finally put in my first order with you guys! I'm anxiously awaiting my package arrival, especially to see the plant I picked. I'm also super stoked about the bonus tetra sticker, so I feel it's fitting I watch this tetra themed video.

[@jrdudeck6038]

Loved having neon tetras as a kid in my 10 gallon tank. Looking forward to getting a tank here at my house in the next couple of weeks. Since I live in Peru I get to go find tetras instead of buying them. Thanks for the video!

[@captaincrunch8464]

They’ll likely be much healthier caught wild good luck

[@lyrieth8833]

Thanks Cory I have always loved these little dudes and I have lately been struggling to get a group of 10 for my 20 gallon tall I have 6 healthly little dudes at the moment I lost 6. Part of it was I didn't pay attention when I left the store and the person that dipped out my fish squished 2 of them they were still alive but they of course didn't make it. I always love listening to you cause you give the facts and make me feel better about about my wins and loses with my fish!

[@Cgraseck]

Part of the problem is that Neon tetra disease is a common name for more than one thing. Most articles blame a Microsporidian and not a Mycobacterium (which is what Cory is discussing). Mycobacteria are spore formers and therefore just about impossible to get rid of. Microsporidians are protozoans and also difficult to eradicate, but the Microsporidians that are a problem with neons ( Pleistophora hyphessobryconis) are spread through the flesh of the dead fish being consumed. If that is the problem, removing any sick fish will bring an end to the problem. Cheers, Chris

[@Andreas-gh6is]

In my memory that Microsporidian also was the "real" neon disease... But with fish the symptoms are always fuzzy, you almost never do actual diagnostics and it almost always comes down to buying new fish and taking better care of them.

[@ShadowTheNinjaKitty]

Andreas Klostermann Yea, I was just a little disappointed that he didn’t mention the true neon tetra disease. I think he kind of dropped the ball a little bit. To be fair though, I really do not know how common true neon tetra disease is in aquarium fish, so explaining mycobacterium is probably more relevant

[@carlstrohmeyer]

@@ShadowTheNinjaKitty Yep, he clearly does not know his fish diseases, but this is what you get when mentoring and research go down the drain.

[@ShadowTheNinjaKitty]

@@carlstrohmeyer I think he generally knows his disease stuff, he just goofed up here. Mycobacterium is probably more of an issue anyway, but still. Accuracy is important. I have appreciated his views on pretty much everything else up until this. This really was more of a technicality than anything, it was more a scientific error than a fish keeping one. The advice he gave was still valuable I would say, it is just a reminder that no one knows everything

[@carlstrohmeyer]

@@ShadowTheNinjaKitty We'll have to agree to disagree here based on my 5 decades in the industry.

[@brfinger]

Thank you. Neons have been about the only fish over the decades I have not been able to keep. These last few years I have really stepped up my game, and maybe I should give them another go. My water parameters should be able to keep them. You are awesome and thank you for everything you do for this hobby.

[@kellysuzanne976]

I never could keep them or guppies . I do have two neons that survived out of a group of 25 . I won't buy anymore of them .

[@fabriglas]

Same. Tetras are beautiful but for some reason tetras and gourami didn't last long. Cichlids catfish bristle noses guppies etc were solid. Got all of them to breed. Mostly by waterchanging, airstone and not stirring the tank up with vacuuming.

[@mperry2906]

Thank you for this. Great reminders about giving our new fish the best chances to thrive by quarantining and 'spoiling' them after all the stresses of getting from breeder to store to home.

[@ivoivanciuc]

Cory thanks for getting me into the hobby I remember 3 years ago watching unboxings great vid very informational

[@kaydog890]

You're not in the hobby until you have 10 or more tanks.

[@kystonmartinez2197]

kaydog890 you’re very wrong about that, stop being rude tf... he just thanking him tf is ur issue

[@realkarfixer8208]

@@kaydog890 It's not about quantity, It's about Passion.

[@kathieperron5627]

Cory explains things so well. Love the videos!

[@Atabei]

Loved this video. I have neons and cardinals with my bettas and shrimp in heavily planted low tech tanks. It’s incredibly relaxing to watch them flash in and out of the plants like little jewels. My bettas ignore both the tetras and the shrimp (I know not all of them are so chill, I’ve had my share of hunter bettas…) so it’s a beautiful setup without having to spend a ton. It mostly just took time to grow the plants, deepen the substrate over time, make the tetra schools bigger, etc (not all out of a single paycheck). Makes me a little sad that people don’t value these little guys - they’re wonderful little fish ❤️

[@connie6705]

Thank you Cory for making these type of informative videos. I saw the one like this on Otocinclus as well. It helps tremendously to know what some of these fish go through before they get to you. We love our fish and love the hobby, want to do well and do right by the life we keep in our tanks. I’m a better and more informed hobbyist thanks to you and the great content you get out to us. Thank you!

[@richardevans193]

Awesome video, that I wish I'd seen before I bought Neons! Ashamed to say I probably made most of the mistakes you mentioned when we got our neons: they were starter fish in our first tank, got riddled with whitespot and other things. However, after some perseverance and care, we now have a nice group in the tank that are healthy, big and doing well. They're great little fish and I think we'll always have some now in at least one of our tanks. Great work on the videos-very informative and easy to grasp. The passion of yourself and your team is very obvious!

[@sloppyjoe400]

I've literally had no issues with the school of neons I have. They've actually done really well, all super healthy and active

[@georgejones7009]

My neon Tetras have done very well. They have doubled in size since I got them. They're great little fish.I medicate them and treat their water with cycle bacteria. I've had great results since watching and researching fish keeping. I think a lot of people go into fish keeping totally blind and end up having poor results.

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

Here in Australia, it is very rare to see a LFS that asks info about your tank and water parameters when your buying fish to put into your tanks. Yes Cory, I totally agree with you there on running a Quarantine tank and putting ALL new fish into it for a minimum of a month and treating them while they are in there, (Its what I do). Lots of people do NOT do enough research before purchasing new fish they just buy what they see at the shop, take it home and then put them into their tanks and the fish have to get used to and learn to live with the other fish in the tanks. I usually sell the fish locally that are not 100% for a very cheap price instead of selling them to one of the LFS that I supply my fish and pleco's to. .A great video Cory and something that needs to be addressed.

[@connie6705]

Thank you Cory! I’ve stayed away from neon tetras for this reason. Makes complete sense what you’re explaining and therefore I’m not afraid of those pretty little fish anymore! You can have problems even when you’re a very conscientious aquarium keeper. Research and subscribing to knowledgeable people like you are key😉❤️

[@garyt6479]

You do things right by keeping them separated, feeding them then restocking the sale tank from your own stock. I worked at a tropical fish store that had a separate building where the owner kept extra stock and breeding stock. You run a great store with fantastic fish.

[@marksguitars5617]

Good information, Cory, luckily I've always had good luck with neons and they lived long lives in my tanks. I've found they like plant cover, occasional live or frozen food and stable conditions with calm tankmates.

[@Shermanre1]

I bought 12 neons from live aquaria and they just died one at a time day after day. Water conditions and everything looked just fine. I didn't think of the journey and taking the time to get their weight up. Live and learn. I just learned a lot here, thank you!

[@farmert9679]

Very good segment. You could try and do one like this on every fish, one fish at a time. This would give great info for the hobbyist.

[@pelorix4969]

Just recently set up my first aquarium. Did a black water setup and put some NTs in there and they seem to be thriving. Love your info. Thank you!

[@tessw9744]

Y'know? I have never encountered a fish disease that was due to parasites or bacteria that I haven't been able to cure with Methylene Blue. Recently, I had a guppy that had ick....it was so bad that he lost his big triangle tail....it was bad. He was also lethargic. I put him in a hospital tank and some Methylene Blue (a gallon tank) 4 drops of MB. And I just let him live there for a week. That was 3 months ago and his tail is almost back to normal,and he's as feisty as ever. And WOW! Does he ever have a fierce appetite. Also feeding fish organic garlic powder causes them to thrive. Thanks for this informative video, keep helping us keep our fish happy! 😘 Edit: I also used MB on a fish that had dropsy....That was a year ago...I still have her, without dropsy. I can't say for sure that it was the MB,but that was the only thing I used, and she's fine now.

[@TakeNine]

My local store owner is very cool he tells us everything about the fish and all the diseases they could get he is such a great guy :)

[@adso5555555]

Appreciate this "keeping it real" content.. my neon tetras had white growth from Day 1 (no impact to other species), I have been through every medicine option available (in Australia) and nothing has made any difference.. thought I was just doing it all wrong, but seems like many aquarists are finding the condition untreatable.

[@chrisduncan3943]

I have 3 reef tanks and no freshwater currently, but I seem to enjoy all of these videos. It's got me wanting to set up a planted tank.

[@therealstewyward]

Very informative. Our family had a couple rounds of 5-7 neon tetras (tank mates with ghost shrimp) in our 20 gal tank, but they'd peter out after 3-4 months. Explaining the life cycle over and over and over was rough on our 5yo, so we took a break until I could figure out what we were doing wrong. Thank you! (Side note: our longest lasting fish was one with a bad spine. Hung in there almost a year and was named 'Spinal Tap' 😂)

[@naturedo2]

I got some neon tetras about 2 years ago. About 6 months later, one of them developed quite a severe zig-zag spine and has been that way for the last 1.5 years. It's colour has always been bright, it eats well and swims pretty fine too. At the time I thought it was neon tetra disease but it obviously wasn't.

[@prince151ful]

Thank You Cory 2 weeks ago I just brought 20 neon tetras I hear about this disease, but really went in depth about it. You have given me some great information. 👍👍

[@jeffb5785]

I love Neon and Cardinal Tetras, I have 6 of each in a planted 20 gallon tank with a few other small fish and I enjoy it as much as my 75 gallon Taganyikan African Cichlid tank.

[@sohampatel1682]

Thanks, Cory! Super informative, as always! You got me back into the hobby a few weeks ago and I got 4 healthy neons in my 20g, adding a few more this week! When you get the chance could you please provide some more guidance with keeping cories? Having trouble with their mortality :( btw, love the online store and im always excited to open the box and see what sticker I got. TY for all that you do :) also, just became a member so pumped!

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

Ours are $3.99 at our mon & pop shops here in Sarasota, Florida... They are far and healthy usually... At the big box stores, they are as cheap as $1.99 and they're not fat or healthy...! I did the "test", I bought 20 of each, put them in separate tanks... Only 3 of the big box store's $1.99 neon tetras lived... All but one of the $3.99, fat & healthy neon tetras survived...! I will always choose my local stores over big box tetras...! Thanks and keep up your awesomeness...!

[@msdanielleleegreaves]

Thanks for this vid, Cory! I was definitely one who thought neons tetras were more delicate but two months ago I took a chance and got 12 from a mom and pop shop for my established 29 gallon (6 harlequin rasboras, 7 black neons, 1 mystery snail, 2 nerite snails). I lost 2 during quarantine but the rest did great and have been happy and healthy in my main tank for about a month now. I'm glad I got them! Question: What's your favorite frozen tetra food?

[@ginafrench9198]

I have 12 neon tetra's doing fantastic. But yes in my earlier years of fishkeeping I had a hard time keeping them alive. Didn't know as much than and have been learning and continue to learn. Neon tetra's are awesome, so are cardinal tetra's.

[@MridulSinghMusic]

Thank you for posting this video! Now I can refer people to this when they talk about how neon tetras are prone to illness!

[@strayiggytv]

There's also pretty big variation in fish health just depending on which wholesaler the shop is using . My lfs in the part of Texas I'm living in now has fantastic quality fish over all but the one where I used to work in Tennessee frequently got in very poor quality fish. You'd be lucky in you got in a bag of 50 neon tetras and less than half didn't have some kind deformity. Crooked spines, missing find and eyes and deformed tails. Bettas and goldfish were even worse there. Sometimes fish farms will run for years and neglect to bring in any outside stock so they just keep inbreeding until you wind up with weak deformed fish.

[@ShaneZettelmier]

In my experience all Tetris are pretty robust. They’re tiny so you can hurt them when your netting and moving them but for the most part they work in a pretty wide variety of water parameters, though they like soft and once you get them in your tank and they’re established, they seem to be incredibly robust. I bought 8 ember tetras A couple years ago from Petco and then a pop and drop after floating them for 20 minutes and they’re fine. I can’t even tell you how many neon tetras I’ve had in my life, probably thousands and for the most part you throw them in your tank and if they get through the first week they’re usually there for a few years, eventually they get old and die, if you have A larger tank with snails and shrimp or a Pleco in your tank you’ll probably never see the dead unless their still floating. Like any other fish if your waters not cleaned enough ammonia and the basics will get them but compared to most other fish they’re incredibly hearty from my experience and very low maintenance, they’ll eat any flake food and they’re almost 0 maintenance. Also when Cory’s talking about stress, it’s a schooling fish and you have to have numbers. I would say eight is the bare minimum in a tank without predators or anything that would scare them or they would think it’s a predator. Lots of cover but the best thing you can do is have lots of neons, also I keep mine at about 72° and they’ve never had a problem the color at find their active the eat fine and even when the tank gets down to 71 or below on cold days they’re still fine but if your water is clean can you put 20 or more in there and they have some kind of plant cover or something to hide in your good 99.9% of the time.

[@k0olmini11]

Hey cory! Glad to see you’re making more videos!!

[@lorinabroda3317]

Thank you for the wonderfully educational video. I have been learning so much from your videos. I have been making lists of products, doos and don'ts and aquascape pros and cons. I also read and enjoy all of your emails I get. With all the educational information you have given me, my confidence has increased and I am almost ready to dive in again. Thank you for making things easy to understand and boosting my enthusiasm and love for the hobby again. Thank you.

[@matthewzito6130]

I've kept Neon Tetras and in my experience at least they're definitely less hardy than most other tetra species I've tried (Black Skirts, Black Neons. Serpaes and Glowlights. This may be at least partly due to my tap water, which is neutral and hard. I've also had lousy luck with Bettas and Gouramis, while Goldfish, Giant Danios and Ancistrus have all done well in my care.

[@TheSwiftCreek2]

Neon's can be difficult to feed right without making a messy tank. This is more true in smaller numbers and when you first get them. Proper maintenance (gravel vac, water changes) is a big plus. Neon's are big jumpers too. Need a good lid, with small cutouts only for filter intake, heater cords, etc.

[@benniboop752]

As always, fantastic info!! I just so appreciate this insight & education.

[@upserlivinthedream]

Thanks for this video Cory! Very informative! I love my little neon Tetras! I always learn something new every time I watch one of your videos.

[@amg5619]

Very cool to hear about the differences in size. My local pet store has insanely small neons and black neons. Honestly, not many look healthy at all. (Nor do many of their fish) it’s a shame to not have ideal local fish stores. Thanks for the video.

[@vickymast8485]

Another great chat about fish loaded with good information! Cheers from Bend Or!

[@Deddy676]

Thanks for the new knowledge, i'm just adding about 3 more Ramirezi Fish and now it be 5. And yeah you're right, my neon tetra stop schooling and start to hiding, i think they're scare. I'll try to buy more neon tetra after this. Thank you so much dude!

[@RonoTron01]

When you feed a group of fish, how do you make sure all fishes are well-fed? Can you please do a tutorial on feeding? Maybe amount, frequency, type of foods.

[@aa-to6ws]

Hey Tron, I'm an amateur but my method to feed everyone is to start with those who can eat at surface, and those who can't I give it a little shake to the water so it sinks and they can eat. (I have a tiny waterfall), so sometimes I shake some flakes so they go to the bottom and spread across the tank.

[@aa-to6ws]

Pd: The amount is according to how quickly it disappears the food. You just have to observe and look how well fed are they.

[@Jason_Voorhees.]

I bought 13 neon tetra almost a year ago. I still have all 13 of them, tank temp 77-78 degrees lots of java fern among a few other plants and a big pothos on top along with red root floaters. The tank stays very healthy, barely have to even do water changes more top offs than anything and once a month I put 5ml of aquarium plantfood.

[@treyreppe4348]

What you said with water parameters makes a lot of sense. Here in eastern Washington state we will have hard water and I have seen lots of loss at pet stores. I think most small fish suffer, I saw a whole batch of henriques rasbora dead in a box store recently (hard water part of WA st)

[@theturtwig50]

Man did I learn this the hard way. I brought home 5 cardinal tetras from a REALLY crappy tank at a mom&pop store, 2 were missing fins, 2 slowly withered away due to starvation/illness, and 1 is STILL alive. Some of the tetras that made it (including the alive one) also got Ich, so that was fun to treat. :)

[@Vod_MacDuff]

The Petco near me refuses to even stock neon tetras anymore, because so many die shortly after they get them.

[@kdog543]

Good i been wanting to explore or learn more about neon tetra diseases i used to be in the hobby as a kid but like to see it from a far and good work Cory i been watching your channel for years or as a kid i always wanted my own farm or pet store.

[@REVOisMYname]

I always feel so bad when I see tanks with 2 neon tetras lol

[@SuperGankBros]

I'm at 15 years now in the aquarium hobby and the only time I have "kept" neon tetras was when I was 7. that was about 6 years before I actually started the hobby and don't count it. My parents decided to get a small 5 gallon hex tank. Filled it up with water and went to the store the next day. The employee sold us a goldfish, a single neon tetra, a silver hatchet, and a marbled hatchet. Needless to say within 4 days all that was left was a fat (somewhat happy due to finally getting food) feeder goldfish. 15 years later and I've finally decided I wanted to try some smaller community fish with my first actual "small" tank in a planted 40 breeder. Always had large (6' tanks) with CA and SA fish. Reading up on Neons I actually started to get a bit nervous with all the woe is me commentary going on about them and how sensitive and prone to disease they are. I'm glad I came across the video to essentially calm my nerves about getting them. I'm looking forward to the day when I can sit here and turn and see a giant shoal of them in the tank with some Bolivian Rams.

[@catherinebeatific535]

Good to know. These are one of my husband's favorites. I don't like the way they look. Just my preference. We haven't had issues. I've noticed that my danios more of a canary than neons. If something in the tank is off our danios are affected first, harlequin rasbora's second, neons third. Not going to lie, I thought neons were hearty.

[@kristinayagmin5893]

Petco employee made me probably permanently shy away from super tiny fish like neons. Brought them home to find out the way he was catching them made two lose their tails entirely, and others had severe fin damage. They died within the hour of being put in a perfectly stable tank, cycled for 2 months. They even hid the entire hour before they died.

[@brunobarroso1597]

Few things are as cool as adding some to a shoal you already have established. Little guys freak out, then realize, ”oh cool...there’s a lot of us here....”

[@Xsksnssjccxghb]

Can someone film of video of just that😂? Would be too satisfying to watch

[@ST62382]

I don’t understand why so many people have such a hard time with neons. With the random exceptions, I’ve never had a problem with them

[@mapd6831]

Haha same I got my first ones 3 weeks ago and they are still good

[@donaldfishvibes]

@@mapd6831 lol 3 weeks may not be long enough.... they live around 2 to 3 years...

[@ouroborousking8644]

I will admit my very first tank I did the common thing jumped right in with minimal knowledge of the cycle, did a half hearted cycle no testing and plunked in a group of neons with obvious results. Since then and hours and hours of research and education I don’t lose fish constantly. I still regret that original setup though. Made me gun shy on tetras for a good year.

[@americanrebelking8337]

Cool story

[@rachaelb8187]

I am having so many problems. I got neons for nostalgia reasons (had them as a kid but I know the care wasnt to standard). They came from the store rampant with ich, treated and lost near half. Got more once the ich was clear. New ones had ich again. Lost a few more in treatment. They now have these white patches on them that I thought was left over for the ich. It has been weeks and it has not gone away. I've tone 2 rounds of API Fungus cure and no change. I've also done general cure and that e.m. antibiotics. I can not get a handle on it. Temp 80/81°f Tank was cycled but I think all the water changes with the meds may have crashed it. Very planted tank so oxygen should be fine.

[@TitelSinistrel]

I can confirm this, I've had tetras in almost all my tanks. Yes, you lose some in the beginning, exactly due to how it was held in the store, but once that is over they can live over a year and you lose maybe 1-2 every 6months or so. If you have some long-lived ones you'll be surprised how big they can actually get. Also, sometimes they can eat to much and start "floating" and they will try to swim downwards. They are little pigs, so just feed less for a couple of days when that happens. Also...the easiest way to tell if they are happy/healthy is the color of the stripe, if it's not blue and goes towards yellow/green then you have a problem for them.

[@AdriCr4ft]

The neons I brought nearly a year ago are huge! So I know what you mean. I had 10, ended up with 3 of that batch and recently I brought some more for them to school. The fish are tiny!!!! Compared to my big neons! I have one single guppy there that also survived a year life and the neons are bigger than the guppy. They are not shy at all and eat from the top of the water. I call them Piranhas because they are reckless when eating food

[@BigggRoss]

I had a shop World Of Fish they had sales on neons all the time 3 for a dollar. I use to love seeing that and would always buy some

[@BobBombadil]

I fricking love this guy

[@dianapereira1327]

Always with very good videos, very good information. A few facts were explained here that I was trying to comprehend for a while. Thank you.

[@ShadowTheNinjaKitty]

Small correction Cory, but true Neon Tetra Disease isn’t a mycobacterium. It isn’t a kind of bacteria at all. What you’re describing is more of like a “false neon tetra disease” that is easy to mistake for the true thing. The true disease is caused by a Microsporidian, which is a kind of parasite. They are technically a kind of fungi (which is really strange. They were re-classified from being protists to being their own phylum under the kingdom fungi). It spreads when healthy fish ingest spores (usually from eating dead infected fish). You’re going to want to quarantine/euthanize the affected fish ASAP, because like you said, there is no cure. If you opt for quarantine, I’d treat it with anti-bacterials/antibiotics and see if it clears up. If it does, it wasn’t ever Neon Tetra Disease. The scientific name of the parasite is Pleistophora hyphessobryconis. It is pretty species specific, but it can also affect zebra danios and some other kinds of fish. I think I might have had it blow through my tank recently, killing all of the neon tetras over the course of maybe a year or so. The black neon tetras were never affected. Most of the neon tetras got this skeleton-y look, and had white patches on them. They also had a loss of color. If you think you have it (or any disease for that matter), don’t make the mistake I did. I was too slow to remove the fish affected. I thought it might have just been isolated fungal/bacterial infections. I probably could have saved the fish if I had been more knowledgeable and faster acting. I suppose it still could have been a bacterial infection and not Neon Tetra Disease, but you get the point. I didn’t act fast enough. The fish either had it when I bought them, or the live tubifex worms that lived in my gravel (introduced from my live plants) were carriers of the disease. I euthanized the last neon tetra I had and fixed it in ethanol. I plan on getting it tested sometime to see if they died of true Neon Tetra Disease. The only reason I know a decent amount about this disease now is because I attended some lectures on fish disease, and this was one of the diseases covered.

[@adatewithnature8333]

nice job on the editing cory!!!

[@patriciafarrow9586]

Great Grizzly Adams look! Thanks, this was a good educational video - also interesting about how the industry operates!

[@ubermausse306]

I lost almost my entire school of standard neons just because i moved them to a bigger tank. They were the ONLY fish that failed, the guppies, cherry barbs, corydoras and black neons all took to the new tank with ease and are thriving. Black neons are by far the better option to go for IMO, they're a little bigger, heartier and way more tolerant of water conditions and whatnot

[@anna-_-....]

This was an anxiety roller coaster 😅. These signs match up 😥😰 .... but 🤨, curved spines etc. are not an immediate cause for concern. Take care of your fish, baby them, do your research, and don't assume the worst. You got this 😀!

[@justinturner4850]

Neons are one of my favorites. Here in Maui they are $4 each, a cardinal tetra (if you can find them) is $10.

[@rsolo9294]

Thats a scam

[@Atabei]

@@rsolo9294 almost everything’s more expensive on an island…

[@robinbregman7540]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Much appreciated!

[@LittleLargeMouth]

I love my neons. Thanks for the vid, Kobe

[@tigerick7291]

What a great video. Very well explained. They are getting a little more expensive here in the UK.

[@daviderimedio1085]

Do you know for how long the spores remains active/infectious?

[@marysoldeeley2218]

Back in the 80s and 90s the best fish to cycle a tank with was neon tetras, we would sell them with new tank set ups because they are so hardy, or were. There used to be a fish med specifically for neon tetra disease, I can't remember what it was called. It was discontinued here in Canada in the late 90s. Florescent green stuff in a pill. The main ingredient was Tetracycline. So at the pet store we would get shipments in that had obvious neon tetra disease. We got a prescription from the vet for human grade tetracycline and treated with that. No issues after. We fed the bent ones to the lionfish or other live food eaters. Now I'm seeing other info and videos like yours here, I'm starting to second guess all that... Things change fast as new info is learned for sure Eh. :)

[@michaelwestcott3004]

Very valuable information. Thank you.

[@janets9179]

Yeah, have been waiting for this.

[@flawlessstrategy9972]

"Watching this video alone is gonna put you over the top." Yeah, that's why I made everyone leave the room!

[@JerryMaday]

Thank you Cory! I just treated for ich and lost most of my Neon tetras on the last day... day 4... before changing water and treating. I caught it early and used ich-x ... But the neon tetras succumbed. Maybe I had the temp go up too high... 88 . Kuhli loaches and Corydoras were ok!

[@Blackfox_Kitsune]

yikes is your eye ok cory? :( and thanks again for this vid, been planning in getting some tetra's so this came up while i was starting my research searches.

[@thabsmashego676]

1st bought 5, only 2 survived and they still going strong. Went to the pet shop to get more and I was advised to wait because they have been dropping like flies, one dead every hour. Went to a different pet shop got 3 and they all died. Did some research and found out about neon tetra disease. Nearly gave up on neon tetras but now I understand better. Bought 2 more 2 days ago and they doing great so far!

[@ryanglenzel9467]

I've got a question, my neon tetras feed off the bottom all the time. I've got 15 of them and I feed at least 2 time usually 3 times a day of micro pellets but the neons still seem to eat off the bottom

[@jamesrixon9837]

This is such a helpful video, thanks Cory

[@alexfedermesser7032]

Thank you very much, Cory, for your Detailed information, this will be very helpful

[@sed6]

7:41 Meds Cory uses in quarantine, best part!

[@yosemi7429]

Recently started the fish hobby 4 or 5 months ago I still consider myself as a beginner, but I recently bought neon tetras (4 of them) and I find them easy to take care of them. I actually have mines nice and plump With great color on them I am still watching over my fishes constantly

[@jhaych]

Wait until you start marine (if you do) you won't sleep for the first week ahaha.

[@catfishcave379]

You’re doing a natural ecosystem? Here, mix these Oscars with those neon tetras...

[@malachigrey4895]

I would do it in a big enough system

[@gregleuze6657]

Not to worry, they will not be around long enough to get sick.

[@Xsksnssjccxghb]

After studying this video a couple of times I decided to introduce green neons to a very shy Betta. Both share similar water temperature, flow, ph and acidity levels. I do water tests and give them a small dose of anti-bacterial meds for prevention weekly. Things are working out so far. Trying hard to keep all numbers right below the said threshold

[@MacHamish]

That would be expensive oscar food, lol.

[@mellywell]

Much respect, yes misunderstood, yes undervalued, but you also spoke of the neglect in our hobby from the "breeders" and wholesalers and sometimes store associates. This can be compared to the puppy mill industry and brokers which move them. Knowing what they are doing but moved by the dollar...they don't have feelings anyway, right....This very much should be taken into consideration when purchasing. Great video.

[@SophterLightPhoto]

You’re explanations are great

[@RyanStonedonCanadianGaming]

I tried purchasing some Neon tetras, they sold out when I went to pick up. So the LFS/reptile store gave me the same amount of Cardinals no extra charge. Made a accidental savings there.

[@MrTheWaterbear]

I would say that the issue with neon tetras are, that even though they are not more sensitive than the guppy, they have different base requirements than the guppy, and most people would be better at providing the guppy condition as a matter of course, compared to the additional steps people don't realize they should take for the neon tetra.

[@dylanmorrison951]

Just got 4 neons yesterday from petco put them ina plant and fish tank thats been going for 3 months no issues no deaths. Added them at like 8pm all 4 where dead at the bottom of the tank at 730 in the morning. All other fish are fine.

[@1998232v6]

We got an aquarium for the kids about a month ago and in the last 12 hours we lost 75% of our fish to include a female beta, almost all of our neons, and one upside down catfish. The fish did appear to have ich, but the neons also stopped schooling and turned pale very quickly. we’ve done few partial water changes and the water was safe. I don’t understand how the fish could be happy and then all sick and dead within 24 hours.

[@casvanmarcel]

thanks for the information. very helpful!

[@ParissouslaJungle]

Thanks for those explanations !