Severum with HITH, help?

[L021]

I figure I kind of had this one coming, having diagnosed properly (thought it was fungus before) today, I'm working on making the water quality better, and tomorrow I'm going out to get some higher quality pellet food for my 120 and some HITH treatment. My severums shown symptoms for a little over a week now, white stuph on his head area, holes in his head area, though he's had what could have been minor HITH for a couple months. I'm doing what I can for him, lack of camera strikes again but he looks a little better off than this guy (http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Cichli245.jpg), my primary concern being an opening behind his left eye, about a centimeter across. What my main question is; how treatable is it? Are his chances for survival decent if I get better water params, better diet and some treatment? Thanks

 

[L021]

Pictures taken, opinions?

 

[fishfanatic80]

Its very treatable, there may be some scarring left over but i would try to get my water quality up asap and start medicating. What kind of food are you feeding the severum. I would suggest a different food, maybe nls pellets, good quality sprinula flakes because sevs mainly eat vegetable matter in the wild. mix it up because they cant have a constant diet of protein.

 

[L021]

I figured that would be the cause, my dog got into my good fishfood at the beginning of december and I've been feeding wardley since, with occasional veggie flakes. What brands are worth buying?

 

[squint]

Fungal infections are generally quite rare. What you're seeing is probably columnaris which is basically everywhere and has the potential to infect any open wound on a fish. You'll need antibiotics which will affect your biological filter. I thus recommend putting the fish in a hospital tank with large, daily, and gradual water changes followed by re-dosing the antibiotics. Erythromycin (Maracyn I) and kanamycin are readily available fish antibiotics that columnaris is sensitive to.