oscar hole in the head

[justonemoretank]

You had already said that NitrIte was zero, but we were asking about NitrAte, which is different. The test ranges from yellow to dark red. I'd definitely pick one up, because this is a critical test to have when you're keeping large fish with heavy bioloads.

 

[vdawgs22]

i mistyped the first time.. i had nitrates and ammonia already tested... and then found the nitrite test... sorry.. but they are all where they are supposed to be!

 

[steelshade]

One of my oscars got HITH because I fed him only Hikari cichlid gold. It's a good food but oscars must have varied diets. Deficiencies in certain specific nutrients is a primary cause of HITH. Soak the pellets in a vitamin solution. Feed him meal worms, earthworms, and crickets. Even break pieces off of an algae wafer. My situation was identical to yours. These days I now appreciate the benefits of a rounded diet.

 

[ryansmith83]

I just wanted to add that nitrate tests are almost never 0. There are usually small amounts of nitrate even in well water. Every tank should have some nitrate reading. I'm always leery of tests that say nitrates are 0 -- it usually means the kit is bad.