Oscar's chronic hole in the head

LBDave

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monkeybike

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Thanks, I didnt think I'd need to do the legwork for someone when Google is at their fingertips.
 

aria

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Api general cure, i would go ahead and order zedrix as well. Can get sword guardian and vte for 20$ from fishfoodonline.org. use epsom to help aid in excreting parasites. If you can dose his food that's a more effective means of administsation. If hes not eating, syringe method with guardian.
 
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aria

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And although there is reason to believe it has to do with poor water quality i dealt with hith recently but i highly doubt it was my water, could be stressors. My kamfa developed it after his burn but his 40 breeder is over filtered and he always gets a weekly wc regardless of how many times throught the week i siphon poop out. Best of luck.
 

Coryloach

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Read the link RD. RD. posted guys. Spironucleus vortens, the parasite causing HITH and Hexamita can be triggered by poor water quality, or any other type of stressor such as pecking order in the tank, or even from a period of starvation. It overtakes when the fish's immune system has been compromised. It is normally in the gut of the fish initially, when easily cured at that stage but symptoms may not be visible for the fishkeeper to react on time.

The point is, it is something one needs to treat with meds unfortunately. You maybe able to control it with perfect water quality, but it is transmittable to other fish, although most show no symptoms, or at least for a while. It is very typical to cichlids and it is not always curable in the latter stages when it starts spreading to other tissues.
 
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duanes

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Filtration does not reduce nitrate, and if they are not purged of gunk, actually help produce excess nitrate.
Nitrate is a direct result of metabolism.
You can reduce nitrate with the use of plants, but in order to do significant reduction, the plant mass needs to be larger than the fish mass.
I use Pothos plants in tanks, and emergent plants like papyrus in planted sumps, in tanks where the cichlids destroy aquatic plants..


These plants do "not" however reduce the need to do the frequent water changes needed to dilute nitrate, or especially when soft water, black water species are involved, get tannins into the water.
When leaf litter is not available, tea bags hanging in HOB filters, or bags of peat can be used. Just as high stress contributes to disease in humans, same with fish, and nitrate is just one of those factors.
I also like to encourage algae growth in places to help eat up nitrate.
1362332
You can seat covering this side panel above, Or rocks Put outside in old water changes water, and bring in and place in tanks
 
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RD.

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I have seen cases of chronic HITH in fish that were in tanks where nitrate levels were 5-10 PPM.


Chronic HITH is caused by stress, water quality/conditions are just one area of potential stress to consider when dealing with chronic cases of HITH. That and some species (and even individuals among certain species) are more or less tolerant than others.
 

duanes

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I just read the original post again noticing the oscars are wild caught, which could make them more sensitive to out of the norm water parameters such as hardness and conductivity, and high nitrate (compared to natural conditions).
The other cichlids, Petenia and Parachromis are species that come from hard water, high conductivity, alkaline water types.
"If" the oscar has evolved in soft, mineral poor water, this could provide that extra amount stress, that allows a disease like HLLE to take hold.
I was reading a study done in Japan (sorry I've lost the link), that tied hard water conditions, in combination with high nitrate, a pathway for bacteria to attach on a cellular level as substrate inside the fish.
 

RD.

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This seems pretty straightforward to me.

My aquarium is 500 liters, 5 fishes 25-35 cm: 2 wild oscars, 1 petenia splendida, 1 jaguar, 1 pleco.

The tank is 130 gallons, 50% water changes 1 per week, filters cleaned twice a year. Nitrates are at approx 40% on water change day, the fish in question is at the bottom of the hierarchy ladder, and it's a wild O.

Stress from water quality, stress from tank mates, and as Duane just mentioned being a wild O it is more likely than not going to be more susceptible to water parameters outside its normal range found in the wild.

IMO the bio load is excessive for a 130 gallon, you need to drastically step up the water changes, increase the cleaning of your filter media, and consider tweaking your water to more favourable conditions for a wild Oscar.

The parasite linked to HITH in freshwater fish is Spironucleus vortens, and while it can be treated with Metronidazole I'm afraid that unless it is erradicated 100%, which is definitely easier said than done, this won't be the last time that this surfaces in your tank.

Good luck
 
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