06 November 2017

tetra health-

The two newer ones in my tenner look better every day. The dorsal fins are almost completely regrown, faster than I expected. Spit doesn't get quite as pale when the lights are one, and they are coming quicker to the front for food.

In my main tank, one of the serpaes gets so eager when I feed gold pearls, it gulps a lot of air at surface and then bobs around having trouble with swim bladder for the rest of the day. I fast afterwards and then feed peas; this has happened two or three times and it always resolves (and it's always the same fish). I'm trying to keep the pinch of fine food between my fingers to release underwater, but some always floats up top and that one fish realizes the others don't go topside looking so it can pig out up there without competition...

One of them has a lump on its nose, seems to be growing out of the nostril. Started like a small white pimple several weeks ago, now it is bigger and the skin around it appears to be peeling away, and there's a white center extruding. I don't know what it is.... So far I have just been keeping an eye on it, the fish appears unaffected- it swims with the others, spars and feeds as usual. It's one of my favorites- Punk. I thought to give it a salt bath or dip, but tetras are really sensitive to salt so I'm reluctant to act without knowing for sure what it is.
From my bit of research it could be: infection in a wound from sparring, infection and swelling from a bit of foreign matter that got in the nostril, bacterial infection, parasite, or lymphocystis. I tried to get a few photos but Punk is particularly camera-shy, I think I'd have to catch and contain the fish in breeder box or plastic cup to get a good close image, and I don't want to stress it too much...

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