Curious, who here owns an Oscar of good size/age that does not show pit erosion?

You know, HITH? Or lateral line erosion? I'm talking about a 7+ year fish of over 12 inches?

I personally have never seen a 7+ year fish with no pit erosion. Do such animals exist in the hobby?

Anyone have photographic proof that HITH Oscars are possible long term? I don't mean to sound harsh, its just that i haven't seen it.

Sort of like every blue tang i've seen in saltwater tanks have lateral line erosion.

I know i've asked this before, but i want to keep my finger on the pulse of the Oscar keeping "business", so that I can jump back in when HITH is no longer an issue.

The reason I re-ask this question is that i've noticed some companies putting out anti-heximia (sp?) foods..

Anyone?

Hole in the head is a big big pet peeve of mine and is the single reason I got out of the Oscar game.

I'd love to jump back in, but I can't risk getting attached to an Oscar and losing it to such a terrible disease.

And if you do have one, how do you keep HITH, Hexamita and pit erosion away?

No replies yet, does this confirm my suspicions?

FMA4ME said:

Great question, I've always felt the same, but always attributed HITH with something I was doing wrong, keeps me away from Oscars also

Not sure how big it was, but there was a thread that popped up here a while ago about someone's supper overstocked tank. It was full of monsters all gorgeous. There was an Oscar in it, picture wasn't a close up but it looked awesome, my first thought was
"where's the HITH?" ...maybe I just missed it.

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Im glad im not the only one who thinks this way.

I feel terrible about it, because of all the fish i've kept, the Oscar was the best, perhaps even topping the saltwater trigger.

I wish HITH was not an issue, and perhaps is there hope that it is not today in 2015 for Oscars?

Is tank size key? Do they need a minimum of 100, 200, 300 gallons to diffuse nutrients?

I've read a ton on HITH, but no one has ever given definitive proof of what causes it.

And because of that I simply don't want to jump in with both feet into the Oscar game again.

FMA4ME said:

my first thought was
"where's the HITH?" ...maybe I just missed it.

Click to expand...

That's my first thought always as well whenever I see an Oscar without it. Then my second thought is, well give it time, that Oscar will develop it eventually.

Etan said:

Good observation as I've always wondered this myself. I too wonder if maybe they need a large water volume because they are so susceptible to getting HITH.

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I've read quite a bit, and i've heard all the explanations, i'm guessing that they produce so much waste, that if the tank isn't very very large, the physical make up of their sensory pits has little defense to skin death. This is caused by internal infection in the stomach, which im guessing caused an immune response of some kind, or perhaps the bacteria migrates to the pores through the fishes system, and eats the flesh or causes it to die.

Perhaps a constant high volume drip system would hold off HITH? I don't know that i'm willing to go down that road right now.