i need help with hole in head...i have a 75 gallon with 3 fish...2 tiger oscars...one being albino, and a plecostemus. the albino has a pit by his nostril, and i am thinking it is hole in head...it is very small..about the size of his nostril. i want to take care of the problem asap. what kinda food could i use? i don't want to buy a bunch of medication because you have to change your water all the time and remove carbon. also...i read dog food is really high in protien and my fish would probably grow faster from it. do you think that would work? right now i feed cichlid sticks, and rosie reds every other week (about 20 of them for both). i have some beef heart, but that is expensive
2006-08-26 15:25:17 · 5 answers · asked by big d 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
The only thing I've ever had work for Hole in head was Hole In Head Guard. It is one of those chemicals where you have to change your water often, but I think it's the only real way to get rid of it. My Oscar lived for years with HITH before I did anything...
As for feeding, just feeding everyday will help make them grow a bit faster. I had to stop feeding daily or else he would have outgrown his 55g
2006-08-26 15:47:24 · answer #1 · answered by myaddictiontofire 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HITH is caused by poor water quality and poor diet. Some aquarists even believe that the dust from unrinsed carbon has something to do with it. A pit is definitely NOT ich. Ich is small white spots like grains of salt.
You should be changing your water all the time anyway. Don't you do regular (weekly) partial (25-30%) water changes now? If you don't, that is a contributing factor in HITH.
Most advanced aquarists now agree that feeder fish (goldfish, feeder guppies and rosy reds) are not good for the larger cichlids and other carnivorous fish. Feeders are raised in ponds and have a very good chance of bringing in some parasites and/or diseases that could shorten your oscars' lives quite a bit.
I have fed dry dog food to oscars with no problems. Just make sure you get a good high protein (40-50%) variety. Beefheart will foul your water quickly and if you continue feeding it, you should increase the frequency and volume of your water changes.
Never change 100% of your water.
2006-08-26 22:54:47 · answer #2 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not positive on treatment for HITH, but i know for sure Laurie is wrong in saying it is ich....there is no way ich can be confused with HITH. Two completely different diseases....ich isn't even a disease, but a parasite.
As for feeding, i suggest stop feeding rosie reds. This is most likely what caused it in the first place. Instead of live feeders as treats, try frozen bloodworms, live blackworms, cut beef or liver, or a cichlid-designed frozen food.
2006-08-26 22:56:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
dog foods wont work!!!
please take care of ur oscar
i love oscars
if u dont treat them they may die
Hole In The Head
Hexamita Hole in head is a very serious disease that warrants prompt treatment. Large cichlids such as Oscars, discus, and pikes are very susceptible to this disease. Hole in head, believe it or not, is an intestinal tract infection.
Symptoms: Holes in the head area, ulcerations on the body, loss of appetite
Treatment: A recommended treatment is Hex-A-Ex, although I am not speaking from personal experience. Contact your local fish/pet store
2006-08-27 02:53:48 · answer #4 · answered by R.C P 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like your fish have ick.I'm not sure if I spelled that right but its called something close to that, and sorry if I am right you will need to medicate your fish.Medicating them is the only cure I know of and unfortunately it only works part of the time, in my experience you have 50/50 odds of loosing your whole tank of fish.Whether or not this works depends on so many things, the fish and how sick and how long its been sick, how good of immune system they have etc.If you do lose the whole tank empty it and clean with bleach, then let it completely air dry before next use( bleach evaporates in air).It also sounds like you are over-feeding your fish, which can cause ick because it makes the water mucky.I am no expert but do have a lot of experience with Oscars, and fish and my sis-in-law works in a place that breeds Oscars and other fish and water critters.Let me know how it goes and if you have more questions..Good luck...I'll pray for you and your fish.Oh and also you may be able to find a pet store with reasonably priced feeder fish, which I would guess is better than beef heart since they do not eat beef heart in the wild lol, but I know a lot of people feed there Oscars beef hearts so if that's what they like and you don't mind it sure wont hurt them.
2006-08-26 22:50:34 · answer #5 · answered by Lauri 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋