Is this hole in the head?

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Some SA cichlids are prone to HITH if especially nitrates are not maintained at the lowest possible levels.
Any other recommendationsbfor treating HITH other than treating with Metronidazole? Should I raise the water temp to the upper 80s and use Epsom salt? What are your thoughts
 
Most just stay consistent with wc's, and keep their nitrates low and have noticed fish recovered in some cases. You will not see immediate improvement will take time.
 
Most just stay consistent with wc's, and keep their nitrates low and have noticed fish recovered in some cases. You will not see immediate improvement will take time.

Is this a somewhat easy curable thing if treated well or is it hit or miss. I have quite a lot of fish in the and another good source
 
Don't waste your money on medication. Is it a Geophagus and what species. Keeping soft water cichlid in hard water is suceptible to HITH. Clean water and medication don't help unless you can alter the water chemistry by peat filtration and/or RO/rain water mixing.
 
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It's a geophagus winemilleri and the other fish is vieja melanura. My true parrots also have it.
Don't waste your money on medication. Is it a Geophagus and what species. Keeping soft water cichlid in hard water is suceptible to HITH. Clean water and medication don't help unless you can alter the water chemistry by peat filtration and/or RO/rain water mixing.
 
Don't waste your money on medication. Is it a Geophagus and what species. Keeping soft water cichlid in hard water is suceptible to HITH. Clean water and medication don't help unless you can alter the water chemistry by peat filtration and/or RO/rain water mixing.

I've never had issues in the past with keeping domestic fish in harder water that are from soft water environments in the wild. My ph is in the 7.5 range. These fish were raised in normal tap water from the guys I got them from.
 
True Parrot Hoplarchus psittacus and Geo winemilleri are from acidic black water of SA. Their native water has very low pH and almost zero hardness. These fish have not been domesticated very long. Even long-time domesticated Geos such as Jurupari and surinamensis are suceptible to HITH. I have kept both of these species and although they thrived in my 7.5 pH tap water and grew to huge size, they were disfigured by HITH.. Their tankmates from hard water CA and Africa were all healthy so I know it is not water quality or nitrate problems. Your Vieja melanuras should be fine as it is from hard water CA.
 
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True Parrot Hoplarchus psittacus and Geo winemilleri are from acidic black water of SA. Their native water has very low pH and almost zero hardness. These fish have not been domesticated very long. Even long-time domesticated Geos such as Jurupari and surinamensis are suceptible to HITH. I have kept both of these species and although they thrived in my 7.5 pH tap water and grew to huge size, they were disfigured by HITH.. Their tankmates from hard water CA and Africa were all healthy so I know it is not water quality or nitrate problems. Your Vieja melanuras should be fine as it is from hard water CA.
So did your Hoplarchus psittacus and winemilleri fight off the HITH living in your water at 7.5 ph?
 
True Parrot Hoplarchus psittacus and Geo winemilleri are from acidic black water of SA. Their native water has very low pH and almost zero hardness. These fish have not been domesticated very long. Even long-time domesticated Geos such as Jurupari and surinamensis are suceptible to HITH. I have kept both of these species and although they thrived in my 7.5 pH tap water and grew to huge size, they were disfigured by HITH.. Their tankmates from hard water CA and Africa were all healthy so I know it is not water quality or nitrate problems. Your Vieja melanuras should be fine as it is from hard water CA.

Any recommendation on how long to treat with metro? And should I add non iodized salt after treatment is complete to help repair the holes. I've been reading to treat for about 5 days and no longer then 10
 
out of all my fish, my parrots are the only ones to have the same thing but smaller and less holes on them. I didn't know that it was hith but I guess so since it's the same as yours. I do weekly water changes and add salt and lately I've been treating with metro bc my sajica had white poop. I guess inneed a water tester asap and see what's going on with my levels
 
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