# Black Neon about to explode ...



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

The fish in the pictures got to that size over the curse of two weeks and remained like that for the last month. It behaves normally: eats, hangs out with friends, and swims (more like a waddle). The scales are not sticking out, so, it's not dropsy. There is a red spot on it's right butt cheek. When I look at it from the side with light behind it, it's 'beer gut' seems to be filled with clear fluid.

Any ideas? Thanks!


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## LArifleMan (Dec 13, 2011)

HOLY WTF BATMAN.

Not expert by any means, but I would isolate that fish.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Gotta catch it first. It looks fat, but it is smart and fast ... Maybe it's been partaking off the CO2 output ...


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## Sukhoi (Apr 28, 2011)

That is freaky. I wanted to cried after looking at the picture, I can't imainge what kind of pain the fish is in, if any at all. T_T


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## brainwavepc.com (Sep 27, 2011)

Wow wtf you let it say like that for a month? Lol damn I would have put it out of its misery a long time ago, look at its kinked spine, that has to be awfully painful


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

I appreciate people's concern for the well being of the fish. As I said in the original post, the fish behaves normally and does not look to be in any kind of distress.

I would really appreciate some ideas on how to treat it before I willfully kill a living thing.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

Maybe it really has to poop. Try Epsom salt treatment.

Could always try to drain the fluid with a syringe.


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## FriendsNotFood (Sep 21, 2010)

Holy crap. I had a fish that I assumed had a tumor and sort of looked like that, nowhere near THAT bloated though. It behaved normally until one day it had trouble swimming and died ):


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

DO you have shrimp? My rummy nose tetra, one of them ate a shrimp...he was fat for days! I KNEW he was going to eat it. He kept gazing at it. I should of fed him more lol

Wait a few days and see if he is ok.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

No shrimp in the tank and it's been like that for a month


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

That looks like a tumor. Fish can get them too. I've seen a betta with a tumor that looked just like that. The article actually showed pictures of the doctor sedating the fish, removing the tumor, and the fish recovered and lived. Though I cannot imagine shelling out the money to do that for any non-mammal.


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

That fish needs to be euthanized - keeping it in that condition is not humane.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Ethics lectures aside, any other practical ideas?

If I/we can figure out what is the root cause of the condition and a way to treat/prevent it, other fish would not have to suffer the same fate.


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## Rev_jim_jones (Sep 25, 2011)

OVT said:


> Ethics lectures aside, any other practical ideas?
> 
> If I/we can figure out what is the root cause of the condition and a way to treat/prevent it, other fish would not have to suffer the same fate.



I used to have a Betta that had a similar problem never could cure it, tried practically everything he lived for about 2.5 years after I noticed got a little slower as he aged but never really had any other problems.

If I had to do it over I would save him in a Jar of Formaldehyde and display him


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Almost looks like when fish get bloated eyes for whatever reason... Just in the belly :-/


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## FishFarmer (Feb 8, 2007)

OVT said:


> Ethics lectures aside, any other practical ideas?
> 
> If I/we can figure out what is the root cause of the condition and a way to treat/prevent it, other fish would not have to suffer the same fate.


I'd say it's genetic (a tumor). Not much you can do about it. I'd just kill the thing and spend $2 on a new fish if I were you. Or you could just leave him alone and let nature take its course; or try some experimentation to fix him :icon_roll.

It's up to you, but I'd say that's probably an irreversible condition. 

And just a side note; what nut-job ever spent the time and money to have a tumor removed from a fish? What the heck is wrong with people? I swear, people treat animals better than they do each other...


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## sc204 (Nov 27, 2007)

If this were infectious it is likely the fish would have acted sick and died during the last month. If it were organ failure that leads to the general bloating "Dropsey" appearance it also would have died by now. A damaged swim bladder that gets too large can give close to that appearance but the fish would not be able to swim normally. So you are left with some sort of mass, could be eggs, could be a tumor (doesn't have to be genetic). If the fish is feeding and pooping and swimming OK I would leave it be. It will likely succumb, at which point you could cut it open to see wha was causing this. (If you find it before it becomes fish food).

If you want to euthanize humanely, 2 options are the freezer or CO2 (soda water) Never tried CO2 but I am told that the cold is humane.

Stuart


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

dayam.....

Ice cube with water is probably the most humane....


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

Isolate the fish into a cup that has a heavy clove oil/water mix. Use more clove oil than you think is needed. You want lots of very small bubbles in the water. Clove oil has a two fold effect. It will almost instantly anesthetize the fish and it will also kill it within a few seconds. Leave it in for a few minutes for good measure. DO NOT get the clove oil in any of your tanks.


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## IxIBluepitIxI (Jan 25, 2011)

OVT didn't ask how to kill the fish people good grief how many times does that have to be explained. Read the thread before posting at least skim through the content.

It's got to be a tumor not much can be done if so. Man that is crazy looking that's going in the phone wall paper...... No one can judge me...


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## Joe.1 (Nov 23, 2009)

Did you count all of your neons? Maybe he went cannibal and ate one of them.LOL!!!!


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

All neons are accounted for. Maybe he is just doing Marlon Brando impersonation 

Guess whatever that is will remain a mystery. I will let nature take it's course.
Thanks all of the ideas.


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## NatCh (Feb 23, 2011)

TexasCichlid said:


> Isolate the fish into a cup that has a heavy clove oil/water mix. Use more clove oil than you think is needed. You want lots of very small bubbles in the water. Clove oil has a two fold effect. It will almost instantly anesthetize the fish and it will also kill it within a few seconds. Leave it in for a few minutes for good measure. DO NOT get the clove oil in any of your tanks.


Clove oil won't kill except in extremely high concentration. In any sort of likely concentration, it just knocks them out, they recover in a few seconds when removed from it. 
The times I have had to euthanize, I did what TexasCiclid suggests, and once the fish is out, pour in high proof ethanol, 35% or higher, until you triple the water volume, then leave it for 20 min or so to be sure it's gone.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

I would isolate it, not feed it for a couple days to see if it'll pass anything. Then just let it live out it's life.


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

NatCh said:


> Clove oil won't kill except in extremely high concentration. In any sort of likely concentration, it just knocks them out, they recover in a few seconds when removed from it.
> The times I have had to euthanize, I did what TexasCiclid suggests, and once the fish is out, pour in high proof ethanol, 35% or higher, until you triple the water volume, then leave it for 20 min or so to be sure it's gone.


I put in in a little cup of 99% alcohol, it bellies up in less than 6 seconds every time.


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## NatCh (Feb 23, 2011)

Yeah, the clove oil step is mainly to provide me some comfort that they don't feel anything.


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

OVT said:


> All neons are accounted for. Maybe he is just doing Marlon Brando impersonation
> 
> Guess whatever that is will remain a mystery. I will let nature take it's course.
> Thanks all of the ideas.


Do you use a UV sterilizer?


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Not on this tank atm, but I have a portable one that I can move.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Call insensitive... but I just flush them ;\


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

--^ That practice is called 'back to the nature' :wink:


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

OVT said:


> --^ That practice is called 'back to the nature' :wink:


 
I like it.. has a very earth friendly conotation to it lol


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

So you put a live fish into the toilet and flush it, where it's exposed to toxic waste and chemicals? Are you just too lazy to humanely euthanize it, or do you enjoy the thought of it suffering that way?


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## Rev_jim_jones (Sep 25, 2011)

Does it help the Humaneness if I play Taps while I flush?


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

is this guy still alive. i have a fish with dropsey and at a cross roads on what to do


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## Virto (Dec 6, 2012)

Dropsy is almost always fatal - once symptoms are obvious, the infection is usually too far along.

In most cases, euthanizing the fish is best - Betta folks love to use clove oil, although very rapid chilling is also acceptable. Putting a fish in the freezer works very slowly - it's best to add the fish to a container of nearly frozen water that you've prepared ahead of time.

The only truly instant method is to crush the head of the fish, but not a lot of people want to experience that.

I generally consider dropsy fatal and put the fish down.


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

That's not dropsy virto


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CoffeeLove (Oct 31, 2012)

wendyjo said:


> So you put a live fish into the toilet and flush it, where it's exposed to toxic waste and chemicals? Are you just too lazy to humanely euthanize it, or do you enjoy the thought of it suffering that way?


I use the garbage disposal. Works fantastic.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

This spring I turned up a black neon in my tank with a very similar looking issue. Started off looking a little thin, then started swelling up. Lived that way for about 2 months before I was finally able to catch the bugger. 

Autopsy (yeah, I'm weird) showed it to be a tumor originating within the abdomen--insufficient tools to get narrower diagnosis than that.


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## dreamchick (Nov 15, 2012)

wow! that is one BIG fish.


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## Virto (Dec 6, 2012)

DerekFF said:


> That's not dropsy virto
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I know. This is an old thread. If you look at the post directly above mine, you'll note it was resurrected by an individual that does have a fish with dropsy that was uncertain what they should do.


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

Oh I see it now. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

I had to put down a molly with dropsy on Sunday. I also use the garbage disposal. I HATE putting fish down


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## Razorworm (Jul 24, 2011)

I hate to sound callous but the quickest way to the great beyond is the best. garbage disposal, stomping, anything quick. It is hard being God but that is what you are when you take on the responsibility of a life, no matter what type of life.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

The Black Neon in the OP was not isolated or treated. It lived in the same tank for 3 more months before expiring.

That tank is still up and running with no changes. All of the remaining neons and other fish are still alive.


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## Virto (Dec 6, 2012)

OVT said:


> The Black Neon in the OP was not isolated or treated. It lived in the same tank for 3 more months before expiring.
> 
> That tank is still up and running with no changes. All of the remaining neons and other fish are still alive.



Figured about as much, when it comes to the fish. As long as it was behaving normally, no reason to pull it and put it down. It was likely a tumor of some sort.

Glad to hear the rest of the tank is still perfectly happy.


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## civics14 (Dec 21, 2012)

These post are hilarious... this thread should be on reddit haha


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

I had a danio that looked like that neon and he also lived months like that. He bobbed around the tank same as usual, ate fine, etc. so I saw no reason to put him down until he appeared to be struggling.

I agree that was probably a tumor and not dropsy. Dropsy has it's own look and if you've seen it once it's pretty easy to identify when you see it again.


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