Salt and hemibagrus?
- Thread starter justarn
- Start date
I don`t know about your fish specifically but check to see what hardness they come from. If they come from even moderately hard water it won`t bother them. Catfish usually produce more slime in response too external stress so if you see them sloughing slime do a water change and move the oscar.
My impression is Hemibagrus are not that sensitive. My wyckiis have been through a lot, including salt at medicating doses and not succumbed to anything.
You do what you have to but I'd not introduce a pathogen source in your 300 gal. It is always a gamble and I'd not gamble.
You do what you have to but I'd not introduce a pathogen source in your 300 gal. It is always a gamble and I'd not gamble.
From the sound of it the oscar is already in the tank. I agree it may not have been a good decision to put it in with the catfish but if it is then he has to treat it.
Agreed.
Justin, why are you using salt? It looks like metronidazole is what you need:
Nice article. Will quote one paragraph: http://www.oscarfishlover.com/hole-in-the-head-disease
Treating using Metronidazole
Hexamita parasites are what cause Hole in the Head Disease. They are best treated using a medication called METRONIDAZOLE
which needs to be obtained under prescription in the UK if bought in tablet form. This medication needs to be ingested by the fish, it can't simply be added to the tank like other medications. Obviously a fish is not going to simply eat these tablets, you will have to mix the medication with food so the fish will readily eat it. There are various ways to prepare Metronidazole so that it can be easily fed to your fish.
Your veterinarian should prescribe you Metronidazole in tablet form which you will then need to crush into powder form. I would rather not give you exact measurements as this is a job for your veterinarian. However, if you don't need a prescription and you can buy this medication off-the-shelf then they should come with detailed instructions of how much to use. If you are still confused them visit our community forum for advice. There are a couple of ways to prepare your food, one way is to take some frozen food, partially thaw it, mix the powder mix with the partially frozen food and then refreeze it. Once it is frozen it is ready to feed to your fish. Another way to prepare your medication is to use dried pellets food, crush them using a mortar and pestle until the pellets are in the form of fine powder. Then take your Metronidazole tablets and crush them into powder. To bind them back together you can use gelatin which can be purchased from most food stores. You will have to mix the gelatin and tablet powder together until you have the consistency of firm paste. Roll the pellets into balls that resemble the food size that you feed your fish. Don't make them too big or the fish might struggle to eat them. It should only take half an hour for the pellets to set, after this they are ready to feed to your fish. So you should feed your fish for a minimum of one week on this food type, do not feed your fish any other type of food during this period of medication.
If you are in the UK then there is a product called Octozin
.This medication comes in tablet form and you treat your tank over a number of days, these tablets are not meant to be ingested so don't prepare them the same way as Metronidazole. I can't really give you any kind of guarantee that this medication will work, but it's always worth trying.
From http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2586 Drs. Forster and Smith
Treatment
Because there may be multiple causes of this disease, the treatment usually consists of taking a multi-faceted approach. The goal is to rid the fish of Hexamita, improve water quality, and improve vitamin/mineral supplementation and nutrition.
A common treatment for infection with Hexamita includes the addition of the antibiotic metronidazole to the treatment tank housing the infected fish. Water quality must be closely watched, and the water quality adjusted to the exact standards required for the fish. Improving nutrition by adding fresh or frozen meaty foods or vegetables in the form of seaweed strips or lightly steamed broccoli may help. Make sure to target the nutrition to the species you are treating. For example, some cichlids are primarily vegetarians, whereas oscars are carnivores. In cases where secondary bacterial infections are present, additional antibiotics such as Maracyn, Kanacyn, or Furan may be needed. When treating this or any disease, try to use a separate treatment tank and treat as soon as the first symptoms appear.
Justin, why are you using salt? It looks like metronidazole is what you need:
Nice article. Will quote one paragraph: http://www.oscarfishlover.com/hole-in-the-head-disease
Treating using Metronidazole
Hexamita parasites are what cause Hole in the Head Disease. They are best treated using a medication called METRONIDAZOLE
Your veterinarian should prescribe you Metronidazole in tablet form which you will then need to crush into powder form. I would rather not give you exact measurements as this is a job for your veterinarian. However, if you don't need a prescription and you can buy this medication off-the-shelf then they should come with detailed instructions of how much to use. If you are still confused them visit our community forum for advice. There are a couple of ways to prepare your food, one way is to take some frozen food, partially thaw it, mix the powder mix with the partially frozen food and then refreeze it. Once it is frozen it is ready to feed to your fish. Another way to prepare your medication is to use dried pellets food, crush them using a mortar and pestle until the pellets are in the form of fine powder. Then take your Metronidazole tablets and crush them into powder. To bind them back together you can use gelatin which can be purchased from most food stores. You will have to mix the gelatin and tablet powder together until you have the consistency of firm paste. Roll the pellets into balls that resemble the food size that you feed your fish. Don't make them too big or the fish might struggle to eat them. It should only take half an hour for the pellets to set, after this they are ready to feed to your fish. So you should feed your fish for a minimum of one week on this food type, do not feed your fish any other type of food during this period of medication.
If you are in the UK then there is a product called Octozin
From http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2586 Drs. Forster and Smith
Treatment
Because there may be multiple causes of this disease, the treatment usually consists of taking a multi-faceted approach. The goal is to rid the fish of Hexamita, improve water quality, and improve vitamin/mineral supplementation and nutrition.
A common treatment for infection with Hexamita includes the addition of the antibiotic metronidazole to the treatment tank housing the infected fish. Water quality must be closely watched, and the water quality adjusted to the exact standards required for the fish. Improving nutrition by adding fresh or frozen meaty foods or vegetables in the form of seaweed strips or lightly steamed broccoli may help. Make sure to target the nutrition to the species you are treating. For example, some cichlids are primarily vegetarians, whereas oscars are carnivores. In cases where secondary bacterial infections are present, additional antibiotics such as Maracyn, Kanacyn, or Furan may be needed. When treating this or any disease, try to use a separate treatment tank and treat as soon as the first symptoms appear.
