Green Terror Hole in the Head disease ?

[ghekox233]

Wow guys thank you for your answers and opinions.

• The reason for the high nitrate is because of I dont have any plants.
• I've added a extra sachet of Seachem De-Nitrate and closely monitoring nitrate and it helped reducing the nitrate levels below 20 mg.
• Another reason for the high nitrate is the high fish stock for my 450 liter = 120g tank. I've 6 juvenile blood parrots + 1 adult blood parrot + 2 adult female geophagus + 2 bristlenose pleco's.
• But because of the high fish stock I've two big cannister filters; 2x eheim 4 600. Both Pumping @ 1250 liter (330g) per uur. A single one could handle up to 600L
• Also been feeding less (twice instead of 3 times a day now) only HQ defrosted cichlid live mix food. (lots of garlic in there)

• I've added easy life voogle (vitamins) everyday and her holes did not grow any bigger but are not healing either. Still no changes in behavior, happily swimming eating and pooping.
• My last water change was last week. I will do another 40% tommorow.
• I bought Esha Hexamita, specially made medicine for HiTH desease.

The questions now I have are:

1. Do I add medicine to the big tank ? Or keep a close eye on the wound everyday ?
2. Or.. move the GT now to a small quarantine tank and treat it there until the holes are gone (moving her will also cause stress)

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

Some red flags I see
sure plants help get rid of nitrate but not to that extreme
That is a wayyyy to over stocked tank even those canisters will REALLY struggle to maintain that tank
HQ cichlid mix is VERY high in protein with almost all the ingredients being protein source which is good but not 2x a day with those fish the goes need more plant matter
With that many fish you should be doing twice a week fin level water changes I do one fin level water change per week for ONE pair of oscars in a 125g and more if necessary

Questions
Move the GT to a smaller tank its less expensive for you and less stressful to the other fish

 

[Poseidon2.0]

The high nitrates are because your tank is over stocked not because you don’t have plants. Plants can only do so much to reduce nitrates. Up the water changes to 60-75% per week and that will help to start as others have said as well.

 

[duanes]

Canister filters do not reduce nitrate, if not cleaned regularly, they produce nitrate.
Plants only reduce nitrate significantly if the weight of the plants is triple that, the weight of the fish, so the lack there of, is of no consequence in that tank .
As others have said your stock is way over board, and the more stock you have, the more you need lots of water changes.
With such a high stocking level to control nitrate you need large daily or every other day water changes.

 

[ghekox233]

Update after 50% water change. Nitrate level is below 20mg/l now. I added more Salt and Voogle.

What do you think, will it self recover or do I need to setup quarantine tank + medicine ?

 

[kno4te]

A bit more time will tell.

 

[duanes]

A bit more time will tell.

Agree
If you keep up a water change schedule that holds nitrate under 20 ppm, it may self correct, but if you wimp out on doing frequent water changes, it will come back, the bacteria will constantly reinfect.

 

[ghekox233]

Update:

Last week (lucky me) a Freshwater Biologist came by to pick up my female geophagus. He has 6x 200+ G tanks in his home. He fished for rare species in Malawi lake, bred and sold them. What a guy...

I showed him my GT, he said that's definitely a HiTH and you should treat asap. I trust his expertise.

Then I discovered that my Jewel Cichlid also show signs of HiTH. After that I decided no more risk taking; medicine it is..

Added more salt and medicine (Esha Hexamita) contains Metronidazole. Dripping it in 3 days a row. Refreshed 50% after the 7th day. Again added another dose of (3 days a row). This is the third day so no more adding medicine now.

Cleared my filters for any carbon absorbing materials, switched off my UV light filter.

Biologist said it takes 10 days for metronidazole (esha hexamita) to incubate so lets see this Sunday.

If no signs of recovery it will be an all or nothing quarantine tank for my GT and jewel cichlid.






Video link of my tank now:

20210316_192051

Watch "20210316_192051" on Streamable.

streamable.com