HITH? - Geophagus Tapajos Red Head

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freshwatertanks

freshwatertanks

Exodon
MFK Member
Oct 17, 2018
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Hi guys

Need your advise! I have a 120g tank with 6 geophagus tapajos redheads, lemon tetras and a bristlenose pleco. Yesterday evening i discovered that one of my geos suddenly has 3 marks/holes? in his head. Did a lot of reading and wanted to ask you guys what you think? Before i start medical treatment for hexamita i want to be sure that it's HITH or if he just scratched his head somewhere?

Some background info:

Tank size: 120g tank
Water changes: 30-40% each week
Food: Cichlid granules, Spirulina granules, bug bites, frozen artemia, frozen bloodworms, sometimes variety of flakes and freeze dried bloodworms from hikari.
Temp: 26c/79f
Filtration: 2 eheim 2078 canister filter
Water parameter: I added a picture with todays test

My fish is behaving absolutely normal and he also is the only fish with this marks. As a first reaction and after researching i raised the temperature to 28c/82f. I read some articles that geos tapajas need 28-30c/82-86f or they tend to get HITH. Also i bought vitamins, which i started to add to the granules. But my feeling is that i already feed my fish a great variety of food and that my water change routine and parameters are ok. I don't know.

Honestly i'm kind of feeling down right now and asking myself if i did something wrong? Wrong food or if the temperature was not high enough? On the internet there are different information regarding the temperature...

What do you guys think?

Have a nice evening and sorry for the long post. I added pictures from my tank, water parameters and fish.

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i have checked videos i've made and i can see that it has started two weeks ago with a first mark. so looks like hole in the head. will research more what i should do now... and probably start treatment on monday.
 
You can make your own. Create a gel food. As the water base make a 3% epsom salt solution (1/2 cup distilled water 3/4 teaspoon pure epsom salt). Then add metronidazole as you mix the food (before gel sets). I believe you can also add garlic powder to the gel food.
 
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Although meds may halt the temporary spread of HLLE, the under lying problem needs to be found and addressed, or HLLE will return, and always be chronic (especially as fish age).
IMO, since your water is a bit hard, and on the high side of their pH, (normal pH for this species is under 7) I believe 30%-40% water changes are not enough, even though nitrate is low. I'm not suggesting trying to alter pH, but that more frequent, similar sized water changes may reduce the tendency of bacteria to proliferate and infect.
I would also suggest adding tannins with each water change, in the form of peat infused water, or leaf litter and wood, as anti-bacterial agents.(I even hang tea bags, in HOB filters, or put in sumps)
My normal water change routine for geophagines (and most cichlids) is 30%-40% every other day.
My water was similar in pH (7.8) to yours, and I found with the more frequent water change schedule, as my fish aged, they had less tendency to get chronic HLLE.
Soaking leaves, or peat in water until it becomes tea colored and brown and adding to the water change water helped me with soft and black water species.


 
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duanes said:
Although meds may halt the temporary spread of HLLE, the under lying problem needs to be found and addressed, or HLLE will return, and always be chronic (especially as fish age).
IMO, since your water is a bit hard, and on the high side of their pH, (normal pH for this species is under 7) I believe 30%-40% water changes are not enough, even though nitrate is low. I'm not suggesting trying to alter pH, but that more frequent, similar sized water changes may reduce the tendency of bacteria to proliferate and infect.
I would also suggest adding tannins with each water change, in the form of peat infused water, or leaf litter and wood, as anti-bacterial agents.(I even hang tea bags, in HOB filters, or put in sumps)
My normal water change routine for geophagines (and most cichlids) is 30%-40% every other day.
My water was similar in pH (7.8) to yours, and I found with the more frequent water change schedule, as my fish aged, they had less tendency to get chronic HLLE.
Soaking leaves, or peat in water until it becomes tea colored and brown and adding to the water change water helped me with soft and black water species.
Click to expand...

thanks a lot for your advise! i have now started to change 30% water every other day and will keep it this way (it doesn't really take long to do that). i already add catappa leaves (but i think i need much more of them) after every water change and i have now started to use minerals and truce elements with every water change. i used to do this with my discus fish and so i called the breeder and bought his water conditioner. i should receive it this weekend. until then i'm using sera mineral salt. also my fish get vitamins with their food and i have raised the water temperature to 82f/28c. i hope this will help. if not i will start medication after one more week... can i ask you what the temperature of your water is?
 
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