my neon tetras is sick

Question
Hi my name is Ivana and I have a problem. My neon tetra has lost a bit of the tail and the root of the tail has a pale orange and white discoloration. I wonder if it is fatal and if it can affect my other fish. I put it in another container and it is doing fine so far. I would like to know if it needs treatment and what kind. Thank you.  

Answer
Hi Ivana;

Poor guy. It sounds like tail rot. It is caused by a certain strain of bacteria. They will need an antibiotic to treat it. "Maracyn Two" or Tetracycline are the best ones to use.

It is contagious so you should treat all the fish. If the little sick one was getting picked on by the other fish you might want to keep him in his own container for treatment. Make a 25% water change in the tank to help boost the immune systems of all the fish. Here is a link to an article about it from our sister-site About.com;

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/finrot.htm

I hope he feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins