Is this hole in the head?

[T-fisher0628]

This is my 6 month old Oscar he’s about 6 1/2 inches long and the other day I noticed all these pin like holes and it seems like every time I examine him I see more. He still eats and is still energetic but I moved him to a different tank because I’m not sure if HITH is Contagious or not. If anyone could tell me if it is HITH I’d appreciate it. Thanks

 

[kno4te]

It does look like sensory pits. Would watch.

It’s hith is just symptoms form fish that are stressed for different reasons. Poor water quality, stray voltage, carbon, bacteria etc. It can affect other fish.

 

[T-fisher0628]

Water quality is good as I keep up with it very well and test regularly. However I’m not sure how to test for stray voltage. I wouldn’t imagine it would hurt to treat him as if it was HITH? What would you recommend using?

 

[philipraposo1982]

Don't medicate without knowing what your dealing with. Metro can cause damage to internal organs of the fish.

 

[duanes]

There are different opinions as to what "good" water quality is.
Oscars originate in waters that have almost 0.00ppm nitrate, (so to me, any nitrate concentration over 5ppm in their tank, is not good water quality)(not saying that's what your have, just generic info) they also come from waters that seasonally have an influx of tannins, (which are anti-bacterial in nature), and help prevent these chronic type ailments, and if they don't get these conditions, don't do well over time, and get get stress born ailments like HLLE.
In many case their natural waters are also soft and mineral free, pH below 7, so if your water is hard, and mineral rich, and your nitrates are over 5ppm, this may be the cause.
Your 3rd pic looks to me like the beginnings of HLLE, in the area between the eyes.
Medication doe not solve the problem.
Prevention is the key, lots of water changes, lots of cleaning gunk out of filters, and the addition of tannins may be the best solution.

 

[PYRU]

There are different opinions as to what "good" water quality is.
Oscars originate in waters that have almost 0.00ppm nitrate, (so to me, any nitrate concentration over 5ppm in their tank, is not good water quality)(not saying that's what your have, just generic info) they also come from waters that seasonally have an influx of tannins, (which are anti-bacterial in nature), and help prevent these chronic type ailments, and if they don't get these conditions, don't do well over time, and get get stress born ailments like HLLE.
In many case their natural waters are also soft and mineral free, pH below 7, so if your water is hard, and mineral rich, and your nitrates are over 5ppm, this may be the cause.
Your 3rd pic looks to me like the beginnings of HLLE, in the area between the eyes.
Medication doe not solve the problem.
Prevention is the key, lots of water changes, lots of cleaning gunk out of filters, and the addition of tannins may be the best solution.

If they're bred for generations in a higher PH would they be adapted to it or still be sensitive? It's a curiousity

 

[duanes]

There have been many aquarium generations over the last 100 years, but when you compare the millions of years evolving in certain type water, a hundred is a drop in the bucket. I got my 1st oscar in the late 1950s, and have since seen so many oscars turned into LFSs scarred by HLLE I tend to believe although they exist adequately for a time in hard water, the chronic effects are not so minor, and always seem to show up in older individuals.
Could be just aging taking its toll.
And nitrate may be the most damaging over the long term, but the combination of nitrate (from too few water changes, in too small tanks) with the hard water may be the straw the broke the back.
Oscars do seem to get HLLE at a slower rate than the many Those Amazonian species that have been more recently added to the hobby, black water Geophagines, chocolates, and Uaru present the scarring much faster.