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A few days ago I noticed a sore on the Rainbows mouth, I didn't think anything of it because this rainbow has a habit of racing at the surface and trying to jump out, however it has gotten larger.

Is this something I need to be worried about? I am concerned it is Hole in the Head.

Here are the best pics I have of it.






And one that is not so good



Is this HITH? and if so What can be done about it?

Here are the test results on Water Chemistry.

PH 6.8
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Ammonia 0
Alkalinity 80ppm
Total Hardness 120ppm

Any Help will be gladly accepted.

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No, thats not hole in the head, rainbowfish are not a susceptible group for hexamita intestinalis, and even if they did catch a touch of it , it would only make them temporarily sick with a touch of short-lived gastroenteritits , and not cause any pits in the head or face.Unlike cichlids, rainbows immune systems can cope with hexamita infections. Their particular cross to bear is fish tuberculosis, or mycobacteria, to which they are horribly susceptible, but dont worry, cos this isnt that either!

This is your average low level saprolegnia or bacterial infection affecting the denticles on the lips, you can see them on the lips in this close up , and see how easily they might become infected.


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a245/longhairedgit/IMG_3929.jpg


Its common as hell with rainbows. It can be very persistant and hard to treat, but does comparatively little damage over quite a long time, its almost like stomatitis in reptiles, often started by a bump or a minor injury.Sometimes large and abrasive pellet or granular foods can cause it to start too. Rainbows in nature are midge larvae and fly specialists, and usually they barely have to chew their food, swallowing it down whole is more normal for them.

Treat it with gentle drugs like melafix and pimafix in combo, and it usually clears up, although it often takes a few weeks to clear up completely, and potentially many months for the lips to replace lost tissue.

Its a common cross to bear for rainbowfish owners. I have about 40 rainbows at the moment, and have kept hundreds of specimens over a couple of decades, and at least a quarter of them have had a touch of it at some point in their lives. Its primarily caused by this midwater and topwater fish feeding from the substrate, thusly exposed to more erosion and higher levels of bacteria than they would normally be in nature. Its pretty much unavoidable in aquaria. Some specimens get it, some dont, its pretty much a lottery and not the fault of the keeper. Just treat it if it accelerates to the point where there is noticeable tissue loss. If softer treatments dont do the job, you can try stuff like fungus clear. Think of it as cory barbel erosion, and treat it exactly the same way.

Keep on top of it with occassional treatments, and its nothing to worry about.Obviously if allowed to continue unchecked for months it could cause a jaw to be lost and that could obviously stop the fish from feeding, effectively killing it, but its not a big problem unless medical neglect occurs.Almost any combined antifungal and antibacterial combination med will do.


This is an adopted fish that I successfully treated easily with melafix and pimafix over about 3 weeks. His mouth has now healed but for the tiniest scarring, as you can see, his mouthrot was far more advanced than that of your fish. He'd probably been infected for months, even so his recovery was easy to achieve. In this photo, you can see the plaques that have formed where the infection has hit, and much like your photo it does seem to have a certain minor iridescence under flash photography. My guess is, its exactly the same thing.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a245/longhairedgit/IMG_3914.jpg

Basically its easily treated by any number of off-the-shelf cures, and rainbows handle just about any medication with grace. Fear not, you'd be dead unlucky to lose even a single fish over this infection. Its pretty par for the course stuff for your average rainbowfish keeper. Besides , apart from a little mouthrot, your rainbows look in superb condition, and a metabolically fit rainbow recovers from almost anything well. They are tough when it comes to disease resistance.

Thanks Git that was a big worry for me. I have Pimafix here, I'll head out and pick up some Melafix as well. Should I treat the whole tank or move this one to a hospital tank for treatment? He does share the tank with 8 other rainbows as well as 1 CAE and 4 Clown Loaches.

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No need to move them, just treat them in situ. Even though the tank might be basically clean, the ambient bacteria and fungus in the tank might have gotten a little high , and the mela and pima will help knock them down a little without adversely affecting the filter bacteria too much.

thanks again, The growth is worse know it has spread to over the eyes It looks like a white beard. I got the Melafix today and will start dosing with both tonight. thank you again.

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If its starting to get truly fluffy, and doesnt respond to the milder meds, bear in mind it could be the beginnings of flexibacter columnaris, so take a peek at the disease profile. It should have everything you'll need to know.


http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/d100011.htm

Good luck.

Hey there, how's the rainbows doing?

Well I am going into day 4 of the treatment and there is improvement. One of her Eyebrows has disappeared. treatment 4 will be administered tonight around 6 pm. Although I will probably have to continue for at least one more week. At least the stuff has stopped spreading.

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Well I'm giving the last or the next to last treatment tonight, I'll check the log book and see for sure. Any way, After I do the last treatment and the 25% WC the following day. Should I wait a while to see or should I go ahead and give a second round of treatment?

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Well its back. I am starting round two of treatment in a day or two. I think I'll get the meds you mentioned. Just a question though will they affect Inverts? I have a few ghost shrimp in there.

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Furan shouldnt kill shrimp, in fact the shrimp farms and oyster farms are approved for using it on stock intended for human consumption, its an antibacterial, not an anticrustacean, so unless the doses are very high it shouldnt harm them and secondary toxicity should be minimal. Composite medications might though, so if you can get meds that contain furan and nothing else it will be an advantage. Copper and oxolinic acid will probably kill shrimp eventually.