I treat all my cichlids like discus when they are young. I keep them in bare-bottom growout tanks, feed them 4 - 6 times a day, and do water changes daily or every other day. Usually you see an explosion in growth up to a point.
I still don't even know if what I'm seeing is HITH. It's been on every small Uaru I've ever owned. All I know is that there are small pinhole-sized dots up both sides of the snout/forehead between the eyes. They are above the nostrils and are definitely not their nostrils. With daily water changes my nitrates are extremely low, so I know it's not water quality. I keep them at 85F like my discus, so I doubt it's temp-related either. I'm throwing my hands up with Uaru!
Whatever it is, it hasn't stopped the fish from growing and thriving. As you can see, their color is awesome, they have nice, bright eyes & clear fins, and their appetite is... well, let's just say, I've never had cichlids that eat like Uaru (and that goes for the U. fernandezyepezi, U. amphiacanthoides, and these guys).
Dave, what size tank are yours in? My five grow-outs are in a 55 gallon and I moved the two largest into my 150 gallon. The little Laetacara dorsigera you see in the pictures is a rogue male -- he tried to kill his mate and now he's in the Uaru tank. The ones in my 150 gallon are sharing space with keyholes, festivums, severums, a couple wild Peruvian angelfish, and a small Geophagus species.
