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Hello all -
While gone on vacation, my gf has developed a very disturbing problem! Immediately before we left, he developed a white cottony growth, so we made sure the water was changed and salted properly. We had a friend check on him every couple days, as he was on an automatic feeder, and he appeared ok.
However, tonight we came home to find he still has quite a bit of white cottony growth on the top of his head and up onto his dorsal fin.
ALSO - he seems to have a very small (only a couple mm across) hole in the very top of his head, right in the middle. It's very tiny, but looks like a small wound, looks like he's been poked with a very small sharp object - which is impossible because he's in a 30g(US) tank.

I don't have readings for his tank tonight, but will tomorrow, as we need to get new test strips - we're all out.

I'm very worried about his condition, especially since I've been unsuccessful at finding much information on this problem. If anyone can shed some light on this, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
delelie

Yep... need those water paramters. But: If you're nitrates are high, the 'hole' forming in the head is from HITH. Reduce the nitrates mimediately by doing a 30% water change, and repeat this every 2-3 days until the nitrates are back below 5ppm. AS for treating the HITH, it's a form of 'scurvy' for fish. This disease is related to a vitamin defficiency. There are a number of ways you can treat HITH:

1. Soak some pellet food in a good liquid multi vitamin. Something containing vitamins B,C and D is best. Feed that to your fish.
2. Feed you fish some fresh green vegitables, like Peas. This is my favourite solution... as it's all natural, and my fish go crazy for the peas. Get frozen peas, shell them while still frozen, break them into bite size pieces and feed to your fish.

Do either treatment until the hole turns back the some basic colour of the scales/skin. I regularly feed peas... as it helps the fish stay 'regular', if you know what i mean

As for the cottony substance.. this is unrelated to HITH, and is most likely a fungus. Remove your active carbon from filters and begin treating with something like Maracyn or an anti-fungal/anti bacterial medication. Your LFS should be able to advise on what is available in your local area. You'll need to keep a close eye on your tank parameters, as adding this sort of medicaion will destroy the good bacterial colonies formed by your 'cycle'. So, follow the direction on the med's closely, and do a 20-30% water change every three days until the course of treatment is finished. If one of your paramters spikes, decrease the amount of water being changed, but increase the regularity of the changes.

Please post your tank parameters ASAP.

Good Luck!

[span class="edited"][Edited by jester_fu 2004-07-20 23:42][/span]

jester -
thanks for the response.

I'll post the water params as soon as I get out this evening for new test kits, since I'm out.

He was looking pretty bad this morning, but since we didn't know what medicine to give him, we dosed the tank with Melafix. Before that he had been acted pretty aggravated and everything seemed more aggresive, but a few minutes after the Melafix, he was much calmer and everything appeared less aggresive.

I'll be feeding him peas tonight, and hopefully getting some medicated food as well.

Just so you know, his water was salted to .3%, temp is about 80*F, and the last water change was 7/11 (20%).
He's in a 30USgal tank, all by himself!

I'll post the water params as soon as I have them.

delelie

Your welcome.

The melafix wont help with the fungus i think he has on his head. It's good for cuts, stress and as a general antisceptic, but you need an anti-bacterial medication. I'm sure he has more than just HITH, if thats what's causing the hole. So, treat for a fungus as well. I'd stop with the Melafix once you start with the anit-bacterial/anti-fungus medication, there's really no point to using it.

Hello -
I finally have the water params:

ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 40
hardness - 120
alkalinity - 80
pH - 7.6
water temp - 80*F

He's very active, so it's only by his appearance that you'd know he's sick. He's not acting strangely. The white has significantly diminished since this morning, and the "hole" appears much less of a hole and less aggresive.

Here is some background on my gf (which I should have provided earlier, sorry) - about 2 months ago he had a growth start on his right gill cover. It has continued to grow unabated by fluke medication (which we thought he had). It is black, bulbous, and is composed of many bumps all together. It's never overgrown his gill cover, so he is still able to open it as normal - though I'm sure it can't be functioning properly. About this time, his color began to change as well. While he had been all black, he began to have small spots change to light orange and also white. Not all over, but just a spot here and there. He's continued to lose his color and become white underneath and it's now coming up on his sides.

I'm amazed by how much better he looks tonight just with one day of Melafix (even though it's not really supposed to do much). I'd like to keep going with this for another day to watch and see if it continues on this (positive)path, but am curious as to your thoughts.
I hate this helpless feeling!

thanks!
delelie

Your nitrates are EXTERME. 40ppm is the absolute limit for short periods. Start with a 30% water change and continue it every 2 days until the Nitrates drop below 5ppm. Do a thorough gravle vac as you are changing the water, and cut down on the food your feeading the fish. Is he eating any?? You should keep a close eye on this.

Some pictures of your fish might help here... Is the white stuff a visible film covering the skin, or is it the fish loosing colour? It really is a concern that this has been going on for two months. I hope i'm wrong.. but i have some ideas of what it may be. Some pic's might get you some second opiions from other forum members. I'm sure they'll all agree, however, that the nitrates are far to high, and the melafix is doing nothing for the disease effecting he fish.

My advice to you is to STOP with the Melafix now.. and get some SERIOUS anti-bacterial medication into the water. Something like Maracyn, Tri-Sulfur or another brand you can get your hands on. The Melafix is NOT going to make this better, you're only prolonging the fishes agony. Melafix is a MILD anti-sceptic medication to be used on stressed fish and fish with cuts to help them heal. It is primarily based on tea tree oil and does NOT kill bacteria that may be attacking your fish.