Hole in the Head - treatment? Need specifics

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I cured my Oscar's HITH with a course of metro and the one-time addition of a "vitamin and mineral pyramid". Now I feed him more live than before and the HITH has not come back. People underestimate the value of insects in fish diets. Once a week I give him about ten to fifteen large gut-loaded crickets and that keeps him in tip-top shape. Well, that and keeping nitrates below 20ppm. I also buffer his water with crushed coral currently, which is probably beneficial but I'm not sure. No salt, no elevated temps needed here. Just metro, minerals/vitamins and improved diet with more insect action. Never feed goldfish, they are poison. Earthworms are amazingly perfect Oscar food, though.

*Looks like you've caught it early enough to turn it around completely! She's so little, is she only a few months old? What size tank?

And hikari cichlid pellets are about as good as corn flakes. At least switch to massivore and algae wafers.
 
Ok, so the live food no-no doesnt include insects? Just feeder fish? I want to make sure Im doing this right.

I've also read quite a bit about filters in relation to oscars. People are saying to take out all the carbon and any other media and only use filter foam and floss. I would like more input on this as well.

I have kept frankie in a carbon filtered tank his whole life...so 6 months or so. I never had a problem until he got stressed and bullied and I removed him to a recovery tank that I was treating with melafix and took the carbon out of the filter. This may just be coincidence but I do find it odd that that is when he contracted HITH.
 
knifegill;4936268; said:
*Looks like you've caught it early enough to turn it around completely! She's so little, is she only a few months old? What size tank?

And hikari cichlid pellets are about as good as corn flakes. At least switch to massivore and algae wafers.
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Really? I've been so worried! He's my favorite fish and I'd be heartbroken if I lost him. From a bit of inappropriate peeking Im fairly certain she's a he though it is a bit early to tell for sure on one so young.

He's about 6 inches long from nose to tip of tail and he's living in a 50 gallon wide. Eventually either he'll be the only fish in this particular tank or he'll be transferred to one of my 55s I have in storage. Im also always on the lookout for other larger tanks. I want to give me fish the best I possibly can.

I've never heard of massivore. All I've been told is that Hikari is the best for cichlids. I was also feeding frozen bloodworms and shrimp but this whole fiasco has me concerned. I did see some of the frozen foods being labeled as "parasite free". I may give that a shot as well.
 
Hikari gold is fine for Oscars; you can supplement them with freeze dried krill.

What is your water change schedule and percentage? also, how big is your tank and your fish load?
 
I've been doing a 25% change once a week but with the addition of dither fish, I was going to start doing that twice a week but the dosing of the metro kinda messed that up, for now. I use a gravel vac to clean and fill.

I have about 30 inches of fish total. I have 3 cichlids, 3 inches and under, the oscar as about 6 inches, the dithers - 5 at about 2 inches each, and the birchir at about 5 inches. I know Im overstocked but Im prepared to double my tank upkeep and in time set up another tank for a few of them to move in to.

I check my water a couple times a week and I've never had any problems with ammonia, nitrates or nitrites. My water is also soft and slightly acidic with a PH of between 6.4 and 6.6.

Is there anything else I should be adding?
 
BraveheartCalif;4937071; said:
You need to listen. U have a resistant strain of hexamita.
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um...ok? I wouldnt be active on this thread if I wasnt listening. So if this bit of information is to do me any good, what do I do about it?
 
What are your nitrate readings. When my Oscar gets this I do big water changes everyday until its better. Usually takes a week or two. You want to keep you nitrates down as low as possible.
 
Im a little under 20 ppm. It rarely ever gets this high but Im also 2 days past my weekly change. I didnt think to do it before I treated with the metro. Tomorrow is the last day and Ill be able to do it then.

I have absolutely no problem doing daily changes to get my boy back on track.
 
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