I have a 2yr old Oscar with major Hole in the Head. Are there any proven remedies for this? What causes it? Will it kill him?
Hole In The Head
- Thread starter jlandrum
- Start date
HITH is generally caused by poor water and bad diet Oscars are really prone to it try large scale water changes and a varied diet
I would add salt at 1 cup per 30 gal to keep it from getting a secondary infection.
Go to http://aquariumpharm.com/ and see if they can help.
Go to http://aquariumpharm.com/ and see if they can help.
What size tank? At least 55gal I hope.Better diet ,more water changes and take the carbon out of the filter Ive heard oscars are sensitive to it.
I went to a LFS today that had an FM that had the worst HITH I have EVER seen. Totally pissed me off. I don't think I will be welcome there any more since i chewed the owner and employee a new one....
my JD has recently gotten it.....how far along is the HITH??.....for the most part if it's not that bad u can treat it but sometimes the holes are still there for the rest of their lives....this may help
Innes...
Hole in the head (HITH) also known as lateral line erosion is a disease that is most commonly associated with cichlids, but can affect all kinds of fish. It effects the head area and along the lateral line causing erosion to the surface which can deteriorate and have horrific results, usually affecting around the eye area.
There are commonly thought to be four ways that a fish can contract HITH:
*Environment
*Diet
*The carbon theory
*Heximita infections
Environment
The environment of a fish is very important for the health of the fish, this can be either the water quality, or in fact the stress caused by conditions (tank size, tank mates, decor, etc...) if the quality of water is not good then the fish are likely to get any number of diseases, HITH is commonly associated with long periods of poor water quality, it could also be caused by stress.
Diet
It is important to give your fishes a good diet filled with nutrients, just like it is important for people, without a good balanced diet fish can become seriously ill.
HITH is commonly associated with a lack of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamins C & D, fortunately many good quality fish foods are jam packed with extra vitamins.
The carbon theory
It has never been proven, but there is much evidence supporting this idea - it is thought that carbon can be a cause of HITH, there are reports of people adding carbon to a tank and the the HITH disease developing, and then when the carbon is removed the HITH heals up.
Heximita infections
Heximita is an intestinal parasite which seems to reduce the amount of nutrients the intestines can absorb, it has been thought of as a main cause of HITH, but now it seems it might just be an extra problem for these fishes.
Treatment
To cure HITH you need to take good care of the infected fish, you want to start by ensuring the water quality is as perfect as can be, I would suggest doing 20% water changes every 1-2 days to help, you also should add some aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), a good diet is essential, so ensure that the food you give is high quality.
Remove all carbon - this only makes sense if you think it could be the carbon causing the problems, also raise the temp to around 82-86 this might help kill off the disease, and increase the speed of recovery.
There are also medicines that may help the treatment of HITH, if in the UK or some other countries you may need a vets prescription though, Dimetridazole and Metronidazole are said to be effective as is the Waterlife "Octozin" product available in the UK.
Innes...
Hole in the head (HITH) also known as lateral line erosion is a disease that is most commonly associated with cichlids, but can affect all kinds of fish. It effects the head area and along the lateral line causing erosion to the surface which can deteriorate and have horrific results, usually affecting around the eye area.
There are commonly thought to be four ways that a fish can contract HITH:
*Environment
*Diet
*The carbon theory
*Heximita infections
Environment
The environment of a fish is very important for the health of the fish, this can be either the water quality, or in fact the stress caused by conditions (tank size, tank mates, decor, etc...) if the quality of water is not good then the fish are likely to get any number of diseases, HITH is commonly associated with long periods of poor water quality, it could also be caused by stress.
Diet
It is important to give your fishes a good diet filled with nutrients, just like it is important for people, without a good balanced diet fish can become seriously ill.
HITH is commonly associated with a lack of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamins C & D, fortunately many good quality fish foods are jam packed with extra vitamins.
The carbon theory
It has never been proven, but there is much evidence supporting this idea - it is thought that carbon can be a cause of HITH, there are reports of people adding carbon to a tank and the the HITH disease developing, and then when the carbon is removed the HITH heals up.
Heximita infections
Heximita is an intestinal parasite which seems to reduce the amount of nutrients the intestines can absorb, it has been thought of as a main cause of HITH, but now it seems it might just be an extra problem for these fishes.
Treatment
To cure HITH you need to take good care of the infected fish, you want to start by ensuring the water quality is as perfect as can be, I would suggest doing 20% water changes every 1-2 days to help, you also should add some aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), a good diet is essential, so ensure that the food you give is high quality.
Remove all carbon - this only makes sense if you think it could be the carbon causing the problems, also raise the temp to around 82-86 this might help kill off the disease, and increase the speed of recovery.
There are also medicines that may help the treatment of HITH, if in the UK or some other countries you may need a vets prescription though, Dimetridazole and Metronidazole are said to be effective as is the Waterlife "Octozin" product available in the UK.
I agree with the advise offered, proper enviroment (water quality) and diet are normally the key to fixing this problem.
I am not aware of this "activated carbon" belief. I use and have used activated carbon on my aquariums for as long as I have owned aquariums with out any un desirable resaults (fresh water).
Can some one who knows more about this offer some input or direct me to where I can learn more about this?
THanks..Joel
I am not aware of this "activated carbon" belief. I use and have used activated carbon on my aquariums for as long as I have owned aquariums with out any un desirable resaults (fresh water).
Can some one who knows more about this offer some input or direct me to where I can learn more about this?
THanks..Joel