Based on the pictures, it doesn't look like he has hexamita. I know you said he was eating fine, but does his poop look normal?
Hole in head?? Please help!!!
- Thread starter vinnie coyle
- Start date
All cichlids have sensory pores in the head area, as part of the lateral line system, some more than others
Take the Stomatepia pindu below, some of the white areas (emphasized by the cameras flash) are sensory pores that help it detect prey hiding in mud and leaf litter.
That said, as any cichlid grows, your water change schedule should be increased in volume, and frequency, to reduce stress, and stress from poor water quality is a major cause in fish getting Hole in the Head.
If when your cichlid was 1" and got a 10% water change per week, at 5 ", they may need a weekly 50% water change to stay healthy, and dilute the by-products of metabolism and fish urine.
Hey,
Thank you very much for the information.
And yes these holes are situated exactly as you describe. So fingers crossed nothing to worry about.
I only received my fish last week,. It's was shipped to me overnight from England,. Mm situated in Ireland. So I can't comment on the previous owner's WC schedule.
The holes I am talking about, were not there a few days ago, and only seemed to appear the day after I done a 50% WC, Could be a coincidence though.
My little guy is approximately 3 inches long now,. I feed him a mix of flakes, sinking cichlid 2mm pellets, blood worm pellets, glass shrimp pellets, Algae pellets, Daphnia and I just received a bag of Okiko Heads up which I have also included in his diet a few days ago.
I try to give him a different feed each time. He always eats everything.
I will be doing weekly 40-50% WC.
He also seems to be a bit more aggressive aswell,. He charges me when I go near glass, and also attacks my PH/PPM readers.
The holes are still very noticeable today,. I will continue to monitor.
Thanks for all the advice... Much appreciated..
If it was hexamita, his poop would likely be white and stringy. If you are really worried, you could take a poop sample and look at it under a microscope at 200–400× magnification.
All cichlids have sensory pores in the head area, as part of the lateral line system, some more than others
Take the Stomatepia pindu below, some of the white areas (emphasized by the cameras flash) are sensory pores that help it detect prey hiding in mud and leaf litter.
That said, as any cichlid grows, your water change schedule should be increased in volume, and frequency, to reduce stress, and stress from poor water quality is a major cause in fish getting Hole in the Head.
If when your cichlid was 1" and got a 10% water change per week, at 5 ", they may need a weekly 50% water change to stay healthy, and dilute the by-products of metabolism and fish urine.
Hey,
Thank you very much for the information.
And yes these holes are situated exactly as you describe. So fingers crossed nothing to worry about.
I only received my fish last week,. It's was shipped to me overnight from England,. Mm situated in Ireland. So I can't comment on the previous owner's WC schedule.
The holes I am talking about, were not there a few days ago, and only seemed to appear the day after I done a 50% WC, Could be a coincidence though.
My little guy is approximately 3 inches long now,. I feed him a mix of flakes, sinking cichlid 2mm pellets, blood worm pellets, glass shrimp pellets, Algae pellets, Daphnia and I just received a bag of Okiko Heads up which I have also included in his diet a few days ago.
I try to give him a different feed each time. He always eats everything.
I will be doing weekly 40-50% WC.
He also seems to be a bit more aggressive aswell,. He charges me when I go near glass, and also attacks my PH/PPM readers.
The holes are still very noticeable today,. I will continue to monitor.
Thanks for all the advice... Much appreciated..
Hey, yeah I have been keeping any eye out for his stool, as I have gravel on bottom of tank, it's hard to find unless caught in act... Lol..
I'll keep an eye out aswell, thanks...
I'll keep ya posted. I havent noticed any white stringy stool, but I'll definitely keep an eye out.. thanks
