neon tetra fishes

Question
hi there. i would be greatful if you could helps us.
just about 4 weeks ago ,we sat up our first fish tank and love it. everything has been fine, until change the filter and start feeding the elefant nose bloodworms. im not sure what the reason is, but since we hae done that the neons has got some white spots on there bodys! i've got no idea how this has happend. i do really hope it is nothing. but better to ask ,just incase. hope you could help.
best wishes victoria

Answer
Hi.
I am glad you're enjoying fishkeeping.
A filter needs to be cycled before fish go into it, but since fish are now in it, you have to take things slowly.
I recommend you buy some test kits, for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The ammonia and nitrite are supposed to be at 0.0, but since your tank has not cycled, I doubt it will be so. Water changes will help reduce that. Do 40 percent twice a week to start, and when it is at 0.0, do 30 percent once a week. Your nitrate is safe at levels of under 30ppm, and if it is higher, live plants help lower it.
Never clean all the filter at the same time, you will lose beneficial bacteria Clean half of it each time.

Now, to the Neons. This is called White Spot, or Ick/Ich. It is a parasite which is easily treated, but if not treated early enough, can be fatal. I lost a whole tank to a very severe case of white spot once, and I hope that does not happen to you. You can buy medication for it at your local fish shop.
Also what size is your tank? If it is under 30 litres, Neons are not very suitable for it. Do you know what you will stock your tank with? If you have any more questions or are not sure if a fish is suitable for your tank, just ask. I'll be happy to help.
Wishing you the best of luck,
Kathryn

P.S. A very good website where you can ask anything to do with fishkeeping is tropicalfishcentre.co.uk
Go to the message board area and become a member. It's easy and you can ask anything you want.