How To Treat Constipation In Neon Tetras? (Signs+Causes+Prevention)

Neon tetras are ravenous eaters and will eat as much as you provide them. Such behaviour of your fish can sometimes lead to overfeeding, making them constipated.

However, you can cure your constipated neon tetra by treating your fish adequately. So, how to treat constipation in neon tetras? Let us find out.

Here are the steps to treat constipation in neon tetras

1. Place your sick neon tetra in a hospital tank.
2. Take a container and add your tetra tank water into it.
3. Add one tablespoon of Epsom salt into the water and mix it properly.
4. Add the salt solution to your neon tetra hospital tank.
5. Keep your neon tetra in the hospital for a week or more until you notice an improvement in your fish.
6. You can place your tetra back in your home aquarium after recovery.

The article below discusses all the signs, reasons, treatment and prevention for constipation in your neon tetras.

Constipation in neon tetras

Constipation is a health condition in which your neon tetras finds it challenging to lose the stools due to the hardened faeces.

There are many signs, like being lethargic and refusing to eat when your fish suffers from constipation.

Overfeeding is the leading cause of constipation in your neon tetras. However, many other reasons, like poor water quality, providing low-grade food and lack of exercise, can also lead to constipation in your neon tetras.

Ignoring such a situation can lead to significant health issues in your fish, eventually leading to their passing away.

Therefore, you should provide immediate treatment to your constipated tetras to ensure the well-being of your fish.

What are the signs of constipation in neon tetras?

Here are the signs of constipation in your neon tetras

1. Your neon tetras are showing lethargic behaviour
2. Your fish is avoiding their food
3. Your neon tetras are swimming in unusual patterns.
4. Your neon tetras will appear bloated.
5. Your neon tetras will have stringy faeces hanging from them.

Your neon tetras are showing lethargic behaviour.

Your neon tetras showing lethargic behaviour indicates constipation in your fish.

Neon tetras are active swimmers, but while suffering from constipation, they will avoid swimming and prefer to stay in one spot.

Your fish is avoiding their food.

Your neon tetras refusing to eat their food indicates constipation in your fish.

Neon tetras are ravenous eaters and will eat anything you provide them.

However, they will refuse to eat their food if they suffer constipation.

Other issues like low-grade food and stress can make neon tetras avoid their food.

Your neon tetras are swimming in unusual patterns.

Your neon tetras swimming in unusual patterns indicates constipation in your fish.

Your constipated neon tetras will face problems in swimming, eventually swimming in unusual patterns.

However, other health problems like swim bladder disorder can also make your tetras swim in unusual patterns.

Your neon tetras will appear bloated.

Your neon tetras appearing bloated is a sign of constipation in your fish.

Constipation stops your fish from releasing the waste from their stomach, eventually making them bloated.

However, other health issues like dropsy can also lead to a swollen belly in your neon tetras.

Your neon tetras will have stringy faeces hanging from them.

Stringy faeces hanging from your neon tetras body indicates constipation in your fish.

When suffering from constipation, it becomes challenging for your neon tetras to lose the stools due to the hardened faeces making the stringy faeces hang from your fish’s body.

The above are some signs of constipation in your neon tetras.

What are the causes of constipation in your neon tetras?

Here are the reasons for constipation in your neon tetras

1. You are overfeeding your neon tetras
2. Poor water quality in the tank
3. Low-grade food
4. Lack of exercise
5. Swim bladder disorder

You are overfeeding your neon tetras.

Overfeeding is the primary reason behind constipation in your neon tetras. 

It can lead to digestive issues in your neon tetras, eventually constipating them.

Excessive feeding can also lead to significant health issues like stress in neon tetras.

In addition, overfeeding your neon tetras can also contaminate the tank’s water quality leading to a spike in the tank’s ammonia and nitrate levels.

Poor water quality in the tank

Low-grade water quality in the tank can also lead to constipation in neon tetras.

Poor water quality in the tank can lead to severe digestive issues in your tetras, eventually constipating them.

In addition, poor water quality in the tank can also lead to a spike in the tank’s ammonia and nitrite levels, eventually making your neon tetras suffer from ammonia poisoning.

Low-grade food

Providing low-grade food to your neon tetras can also make your fish constipated.

Low-grade food can cause blockage and weaken your fish’s immune eventually making them suffer from health issues like constipation.

Lack of exercise

Neon tetras are active swimmers that need a good tank size tank to swim and live comfortably.

Placing your neon tetras in a small space will lead to very few movements in your tetras.

Your neon tetras must swim around and exercise to ensure adequate growth and development.

Not getting enough exercise in the tank can lead to digestive issues in your fish, further increasing the chances of constipation. 

Swim bladder disorder

Swim bladder disorder can also lead to constipation in your neon tetras.

It is a condition where the swim bladder of your fish gets affected and stops functioning due to physical abnormalities, sickness and poor-quality diet.

Swim bladder disorder can lead to a swollen belly of your fish, which further puts pressure on the digestive system, eventually constipating your fish.

However, constipation can also be a reason for swim bladder disorder in your neon tetras.

So, we advise you to discover the actual cause before treating your fish.

Can your neon tetras pass away from constipation?

You can treat your constipated neon tetras by treating your fish adequately.

However, ignoring such a situation can lead to significant health issues, eventually weakening your fish’s immune system and making them pass away.

You should not take your fish constipation lightly as it can be the root of several other health issues like swim bladder disorder in your tetras.

Therefore, you should start providing treatment as soon as you discover constipation in your fish to ensure their well-being.

How can you treat your constipated neon tetras?

You can treat your constipated neon tetras using Epsom salt or making them fast.

Treatment using Epsom salt

1. Firstly place your sick neon tetra in a hospital tank.
2. Take a clean container and your neon tetras tank water into it.
3. Add one tbsp of Epsom per 5 gallons of water and stir it properly until it dissolves fully.
4. Add the solution to your hospital tank
5. Keep your neon tetra in that tank for a week or more, and you will start seeing improvement in your fish.
6. Once your fish recovers, you can place it back in your home aquarium.

As neon tetras are community fishes providing treatment in a hospital tank will be more beneficial.

Avoid adding excessive Epsom salt to the tank, as it can lead to significant health issues in your fish.

Consider reading all the information provided by the manufacturer before applying salt to your fish tank.

Here are the other ways to treat your constipated neon tetras

1. Make your neon tetra fast for 2-3 days, as it helps clear your fish’s digestive tract.
2. After making them fast for 2-3 days, start feeding them high-fibrous food like blanched peas as it helps to aid several health issues in your fish.

The above are some ways to treat constipation in your neon tetras.

How to prevent constipation in neon tetras?

Here are the ways to prevent constipation in neon tetras

1. Avoid overfeeding
2. Feed high-grade food
3. Provide good water conditions.
4. Provide a good size tank
5. Maintain ideal water parameters

Avoid overfeeding

You should avoid overfeeding your neon tetras to prevent constipation in your fish.

Excessive feeding can lead to severe digestive issues in your neon tetras, eventually making them suffer from constipation.

You can prevent overfeeding by providing the amount your fish can consume within two minutes.

Therefore, you should neither overfeed nor underfeed to ensure your neon tetras’ well-being and longer lifespan.

Also, read: How Often To Feed Neon Tetras?

Feed high-grade food

You should provide high-grade food to your neon tetras to prevent such health issues in your fish.

Low-grade food can lead to blockage and several other digestive issues in your tetras, eventually constipating them.

Neon tetras are omnivore fish species that require a mix of plant and meat matter food for their proper growth and development.

Here are some ideal options for your tetras

Neon Tetras Dietary Needs	Serving Amount	No.of times	Link to purchase
Brine Shrimp	One pinch	1-2 times a week	HIKARI BRINE SHRIMP CUBES
Tubifex Worms	One pinch	1 time a week	HIKARI FREEZE DRIED TUBIFEX WORMS
Mosquito Larvae	12-15 pieces	2-3 times a week	Feed Live
Bloodworms	One pinch	1-2 times a week	HIKARI FREEZE DRIED BLOODWORMS
Veggie Pellets	One pinch	2 times a day	HIKARI SINKING FISH FOOD
Blanched Veggies ( Cucumber, Zucchini)	One slice	2-3 times a week	Feed Fresh

Therefore, you should always provide high-grade food in a moderate quantity to ensure the well-being and a longer lifespan of your neon tetras.

Provide good water conditions

You should provide good water conditions in your neon tetras to prevent such health issues in your fish.

Lousy water conditions in the tank can lead to loss of appetite and other health issues in your fish, eventually constipating your tetras.

In addition to this, poor water conditions can also lead to a spike in the tank’s ammonia and nitrite levels.

You can provide good water conditions by adding a water filter and performing a 30% weekly water change in your neon tetras tank.

Adding a water filter helps to eliminate the harmful toxins from the water, making it safe for your neon tetras.

To learn more about the benefits of a water filter, you can read my article on  Do Neon Tetras Need a Filter?

Therefore, you should maintain good water conditions in your neon tetras tank to ensure the well-being and a longer lifespan of your fish.

Provide a good size tank

You should provide a good size tank to your neon tetras to prevent such health issues in your fish.

Providing ample space in your neon fish tank will help your fish get enough exercise, further preventing health issues like constipation in your fish.

To maintain ample space in your fish tank, consider providing one gallon of water per inch of your fish.

Maintain ideal water parameters.

You should maintain ideal water parameters in your neon tetras tank to prevent such health issues in your fish.

Placing your neon tetras in too cold or hot water can weaken your tetra’s immune system leading to constipation.

In addition, inadequate water parameters are also the root of several other health issues like stress in your fish.

Below are the ideal water parameters for your neon tetras

Particulars	Neon Tetras
Water Temperature	72-76°F
Ph Level	6.0-7.0
Ammonia Level	0ppm
Nitrite Level	0ppm
Nitrate Level	Below 20ppm

Also, read: Ideal Ph For Neon Tetras?

The above are some ways to prevent constipation in your neon tetras.

Conclusion:

1. Constipation is a health condition in which your neon tetras finds it challenging to lose the stools due to the hardened faeces.
2. Lethargic behaviour, refusing food and swimming in unusual patterns are some signs of constipation in neon tetras.
3. Poor water quality, overfeeding and inadequate water parameters are causes of constipation in neon tetras.
4. Ignoring such a situation can lead to significant health issues, eventually weakening your fish’s immune system and making them pass away.
5. You can prevent constipation in neon tetras by avoiding overfeeding and providing good water conditions in the tank.

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Reference: NCBI