HITH

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
From this pic it looks like a scrape... hole in the head is like a wasting away pit..better pic will help but if it is hole in the head here is a bit of info..
The flagellate protozoan, Hexamita is usually involved in causing HITH. This can also be known as Octomitus.
Basically, Hexamita is a parasite that many cichlids including Oscars have living in their gut. Normally, this parasite doesn't cause any problems and you wouldn't even know the fish has them. However, if the fish was to become distressed due to factors such as poor water conditions, unsuitable diet, adverse changes in their environment, these parasites can start multiplying dramatically. You will then start seeing the symptoms of hole in the head disease such as holes and pitting.
Relatively mild cases of HITH can be cured by increasing tank maintenance, and improving the fish's diet with maybe supplements of vitamins. However, severe cases of hole in the head may need medication. A lot of these medications are meant to be added to food but unfortunately, many fish that develop hole in the head disease go off their food so it can be problematic trying to administer medication. Luckily, there are medications on the market that just have to be added to the water. Two such treatments are dimetridazole and metronidazole. These two medications are only available as a prescription in certain countries so you will have to consult your vet. There are various other treatments available off the shelf. One such medication that is available here in the UK is called Octozin and is manufactured by Waterlife. These come in tablet form so all you have to do is add them to the tank water. Unfortunately, hole in the head disease is extremely common in Oscars. The sad thing is it doesn't have to be. If you start off by sticking to some general rules such as keeping your Oscars/Oscar in a suitable tank and feeding them on the correct diet, you can reduce the chances of your Oscar contracting this disease.

If you do notice your fish developing any of the above symptoms, don't panic, follow these instructions and hopefully everything will be okay. If things don't improve, consult your vet for advice on what you can do next.​
 
I wouldn't have added any salt or Melafix at all. The scrapes my Oscars have had heal up in 24 hrs with nothing but clean water. But since you already did-next time dissolve the salt before you put it in the tank. There should be no chunks for them to "eat".
 
Vary Clean water and vary the food intake of the "O" 1/2 the amount of food. That's about it IME.
 
Natural_Born_Killer;3105962; said:
Thank Chi! I'll be doing an extra water change again tonight and clean out one of my filters the other later this week.

Hopefully if I keep doing that then it'll all get better. Also will do the frozen food I read about somewhere and pump up the heat a bit. I keep my tank at 26C so I'll go up to about 28C and hope that IF its HITH then it'll clear up.

Looked like a good plan. How's the fishy?
 
Well turns out it wasn't HITH at all... think it was just a scrape on his head.

He's fine and getting all better :)
 
That's good news. I've had my oscar bash into my glass lid before and take a chunk out of his head. I didn't add anything to my tank. I just did frequent water changes and let it heal on it's own. The wound healed in just a few days without adding any meds or salt to the tank. I believe clean water cures better than adding alot of meds and chemicals. Glad to hear that yours is doing better.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com