Appears to be HITH R octofaciatum

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jag123

jag123

Gambusia
MFK Member
May 16, 2008
936
10
18
Ohio
I've had this big boy for a couple of years, and he's beefed up in my possession and been cared for well in a solo tank. I never feed live and have good filtration. I have stopped running carbon in both filters and increased the temp from about 76-78F.

My question is: is this HITH and what more can I do to heal it and reverse it? This has occurred recently as well, it is not an old problem. I will post pics in a moment.


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It's hard to tell, but he looks good. I've never heard of JDs getting HITH.
If he does I've always had good luck w/ food based meds if he is eating. Also lots of water changes w/ salt and raise the temp.


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Your JD has great color, and looks very healthy.
Hard to tell by the pic, do you mean the spot that appears to be an enlarged area around the nostril?
There is a theory that carbon (or something related to the use of it) is linked to HITH, so maybe stopping your use of carbon will reverse it, if it is HITH.
The only time I had HITH in any of my tanks, was years ago, when I was feeding high protein, high fat foods. I don't know if it was because of the food, or that I wasn't doing enough water changes at the time, that it occurred.
When I have watched JDs in nature, they seem to constantly graze algae, and only occasionally make a kill of young mollies.
With any of my non piscivorous cichlids, I now feed a high spirulina, low protein diet, and do what some may consider excessive water changes.
 
It all goes back to vitamin B1! Feeders and goldfish are high in theramine which in fish reduce their ability to absorb vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is the one that promotes the regeneration of flesh and nerves in fish. Using too much carbon can absorb the vitamin B1 in the water, the parasite hexamite absorbs the vitamins and minerals your fish eats, hence HITH... poor water parameters dispose of vitamin B1... In other words... all the things linked to HITH all fall back on the fish's B1 intake or... well.. lack there of.
 
I don't think he has HITH. HITH seem to affect only soft water fish from Amazon basin like angels, discus, oscar and geophagus species, and I have never heard of HITH affect hard water fish from CA or African lakes. HITH is a slow eroding desease that you will recognize it as the holes will gradually enlarge and spread over a long time. IMO, HITH is worse than fatal desease as the fish remains alive and eat well, and you have a hard choce of euthanizing it or get stuck with a disfiguring fish.


If holes occur suddently, they are likely physical injury or something more serious from acute internal infection. Your fish looks too good to be suffering from internal infection.
 
cichlidfish said:
It's hard to tell, but he looks good. I've never heard of JDs getting HITH.
If he does I've always had good luck w/ food based meds if he is eating. Also lots of water changes w/ salt and raise the temp.


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Click to expand...

Thanks for the input and compliment! I will continue with the slightly raised temps and water change schedule.


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duanes said:
Your JD has great color, and looks very healthy.
Hard to tell by the pic, do you mean the spot that appears to be an enlarged area around the nostril?
There is a theory that carbon (or something related to the use of it) is linked to HITH, so maybe stopping your use of carbon will reverse it, if it is HITH.
The only time I had HITH in any of my tanks, was years ago, when I was feeding high protein, high fat foods. I don't know if it was because of the food, or that I wasn't doing enough water changes at the time, that it occurred.
When I have watched JDs in nature, they seem to constantly graze algae, and only occasionally make a kill of young mollies.
With any of my non piscivorous cichlids, I now feed a high spirulina, low protein diet, and do what some may consider excessive water changes.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input and compliment! Very interesting to know about natural behavior of these fish. I do feed spirulina based algae wafers and he accepts them well so I will continue with those. Yes, the pitting around the nostril was my concern, so I will keep an eye on it.


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