Why does my aquarium fish have a hole in his head?

Question

I have an african cichilid. He literally has a hole in his head right inbetween his eyes and he won't eat anything. The hole showed up yesterday and it was pretty big. Today it seems to be closing up but now there are about 3 or 4 small pinholes in that same area. What's the deal? Why does my fish have a hole in his head, literally?

where do i find medication for the fish??

Answer 1

Hole in the Head is the result of poor water quality over a long period of time. It starts off as a small "pimple" on the head erupts and grow into a deep crater that may affect the skull/head. Worst scenario is fatality and in lucky circumstances, it may just remain as scars on the face. Unfortunately, the disease is difficult to cure as it rarely responds to any medication. There are some water proof cream with antibiotic functions that can be applied to the injury areas but there's no real guarantee it will work.
There is one option. The combination of Flagyl (metronidazoel) and Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) usually does work to cure Hole in the Head. But these are both pharmaceutical drugs that require a prescription to obtain in many countries.
You can help to improve the rate of survival by keeping the tank water clean with regular fresh water changes or using biological filters. Salt for freshwater aquariums is also a good idea.
A

Answer 2

Hi Jess. Check out the "add/view comments" at this question.


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060923200209AAAyOqA&r=w&show_comments=true&pa=FZB6NWHjDG3N56z6v_2zW3cwfsIPfvnocqLr0ELkE_wEcQbWTQRBsQ--#openions


As for your question, check out this site.

http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles/fish-diseases/20.asp

Environment
The environment of a fish is very important for the health of the fish, this can be either the water quality, or in fact the stress caused by conditions (tank size, tank mates, decor, etc...) if the quality of water is not good then the fish are likely to get any number of diseases, HITH is commonly associated with long periods of poor water quality, it could also be caused by stress.



Diet
It is important to give your fishes a good diet filled with nutrients, just like it is important for people, without a good balanced diet fish can become seriously ill. HITH is commonly associated with a lack of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamins C & D, fortunately many good quality fish foods are jam packed with extra vitamins.






The carbon theory
It has never been proven, but there is much evidence supporting this idea - it is thought that carbon can be a cause of HITH, there are reports of people adding carbon to a tank and the the HITH disease developing, and then when the carbon is removed the HITH heals up.



Heximita infections
Heximita is an intestinal parasite which seems to reduce the amount of nutrients the intestines can absorb, it has been thought of as a main cause of HITH, but now it seems it might just be an extra problem for these fishes.



Treatment
To cure HITH you need to take good care of the infected fish, you want to start by ensuring the water quality is as perfect as can be, I would suggest doing 20% water changes every 1-2 days to help, you also should add some aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), a good diet is essential, so ensure that the food you give is high quality.
Remove all carbon - this only makes sense if you think it could be the carbon causing the problems, also raise the temp to around 82-86 this might help kill off the disease, and increase the speed of recovery.

There are also medicines that may help the treatment of HITH, but you may need a vets prescription. Dimetridazole and Metronidazole are said to be effective as is Waterlife "Octozin".

Answer 3

My Oscar also has Hole In The Head disease - he's also affected by having a long line through his body, aka lateral line disease - before I read up on them he was in such poor water conditions it's a complete shock he's still alive. But you can find the meds for HITH at www.drfostersmith.com - it's called hole in head guard. You have to do a 20% water change every other day while adding the meds on alternating days, as well as remove all carbon from your filters. You may have to do several rounds of this, depending on how bad it is. Good luck!

Answer 4

When my freshwater angel had HITH, I got it to clear up by:
1) removing a few fish from the tank (I had extras in that tank because my 55 gal sprang a leak so I spread the fish from the 55 into each of my other tanks till it cured and was safe to put the fish back in),
2) frequent water changes with good quality water that I purchased from an aquatic pet store (Reverse Osmosis water with essential minerals put back in),
3) adding vitamin and mineral block that releases into the water slowly like a vacation feeder (I will have to find out who makes it... I think it is by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc.
4) time and patience.... bring the water quality up to where it should be and slowly things will get better. Everyone I talked to told me that I should just put my fish out of her misery. I couldn't bring myself to do it, and now I am glad I didn't. My angelfish have gone on to spawn again, so I have a bunch of new baby angelfish!!!!

Good luck

Answer 5

Poor water quality is usually the reason for HITH (a.k.a. Hole In The Head disease). I am going to guess that you have been feeding them live feeders only. If that is the case I would recommend mixing up their diet (use very small cubes of Beef heart and Beef liver soaked in Garlic Extract as well as some kind of pellet food that you can get them to take/eat by soaking it in Garlic Extract).

Do water changes every week, and mix up their diet. That is the only way to really treat this disease, and it takes some time to heal.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Treat him with antibiotic and an anti parasitic. My suggestions are tetracycline and any anti fungal that is carried in the same store. Follow the manfacturer's directions for the proper use of the medications. That should solve your problem. Good Luck. Oh and brace yourself fish meds are not cheap. At least not the reputable ones.

Answer 7

you could commonly treatment the an infection, sturdy water, sturdy nutrients and medicine. The affected elements wont heal, yet when the damage and tear isn't too severe the fish can nevertheless stay a lengthy healthful existence. Ian

Answer 8

I found that it is caused by parasites. I read an article that says you need the medicine called "metronidazole".

Answer 9

assuming he wasn't attacked by another fish in the tank, I would guess some type of parasite or worm.