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hi guys,well im not sure if two of my oscars(albinos)are getting hole in the head,as none of my fish have ever had this before i dont no what it looks like or how to treat it.on one of the albinos,behind his wright eye and behind his left eye,his scales are kind of flaking off,im not real sure how to describe it,ive moved them all into a bigger tank and the aggression has stopped(problem from b4 in another post those who red it will no what im on about)all my water is fine,and changed and tested on a regular basis,these two are the only ones like it in the tank,i thought it was just from being picked on and knocked around a bit when they were in the smaller tank,but now the aggresion has stopped and its not getting any better,i wouldnt say that its looks heaps bad,the patch is a little smaller than a five cent coin and even smaller on the other side.as for there behavour they seem fine,they are still there normall greedy self,still swimming around ok.there diet is pellets,color pellets,beef pellets,etc,sometimes they get meal worms,and feeders from home but only as a treat,a couple of months ago i gave them some christmas bettles but they were not the only ones to eat them, most of my fish ate them too.but im not 100%sure about this condition so here i am,can anyone please help me,even if someone could direct me to a link where i can view what it looks like,then i will no 4 sure.if ive missed any info u need just let me no.thanx guys.sory for the long post

Last edited by hokese at 11-Dec-2005 19:05

i forgot to mention above,he has been like this for about two weeks,i cant put him in my qt tank cause im alredy minding fry for a friend and the only tank i have empty now is a little 1 footer with a gravity filter in it.what do i do? i tryed to take some pictures for you guys but it pointless everytime i get close to the class they go mental thinking its chow time.:%)

Last edited by hokese at 11-Dec-2005 19:30

Hi there,
Adult fish, espescially males, often have naturally
occuring pores on their foreheads, which get slightly
larger and more visible as they age. It is possible
this is what you are seeing.

Here is a great article with excellent pictures for
you to look at, particularly about Oscars with HITH disease.

[link=http://www.flippersandfins.net/HITHarticle2.htm]http://www.flippersandfins.net/HITHarticle2.htm" style="COLOR: #FFC0FF[/link]

A few items of interest to help us help you, is to post
the tank size, readings for ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes, ph and gh/kh if possible, or as many of these as you can.
Temperature also could be helpful, as well as listing the tank occupants if there is anyone aside from just the two oscars.
How large are the oscars?
Thanks.



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well guys BAD NEWS its hith alrite,the link that so very sneaky provided answered it well,its the same as the pic of the albino but not as bad as that ,i would say its a mild to moderate case,so guys what now,(first timer) im clueless and on the verge of tears ive had this fella for ages.please tell me i can cure him.ive been saerching and reading about this since 9.00 this morning and in my opion(not sure tho)i think i mite have been over feeding them.i cant beleave i was so stupid

Last edited by hokese at 11-Dec-2005 20:53]:|

Last edited by hokese at 11-Dec-2005 21:44

hmmm there are several good quality treatments for hexamita, HITH disease.
One is Jungle Labs parasite clear, it comes in fizzy tabs.
Those work good.
Anything with the ingredient Metrinidazole should clear
it up for you.
How big is the tank?
Cut back on feedings, do a couple good water changes and medicate. Improving water quality and treating with the right medications should work.


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Hmmm, when my oscars had HITH, someone reccomended me to crush vitamin c tablets, i think it was 2 per 50 gallons, (not those fruity kid kinds) and add it to the water daily. It went away in a couple of weeks after I added vitamin c and did about 20% water changes DAILY.

ok the tank is 6x2x2,how many feeds should i cut back 2and how much is a couple of good water changes,should i start the water changes today.will my other fish catch this from my oscars,should i put them in my (small 1 foot) qt tank or put a divider in to keep them seperate from my other fish.after xmas,im scraping my cannister filter and going to do a mini reef.(need some better filtraion).i cant thank u enuuf for the help,sory about all the questions.ill keep you posted

Last edited by hokese at 11-Dec-2005 23:09

Hokese,
What other fish are in the tank?
Many fish are more susceptible than others
to these kinds of parasites.
Treating the oscar will be easier in a smaller tank,
however, that depends on how big the oscar is.
If the oscar is 8-10 inches, I wouldnt put it in a 10g tank.


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ok in that tank is 2 tiger oscars,a blue acara,green sevrum,firemouth,and two bristle noses,i also had a choclate chiclid in there untill two days ago(gettin picked on by blue acara,gave him to mate).plus i discovered hith on my other albino this morning,so now both are infected,one would be about five inches long,and the other about 4 and half inches,do u think i should put them in the 10 gal(just to be treated of course)if not do u rekon use a divider to keep them apart from my other fish,im going down to get that treatment you recomened to me aswell(jungle labs),and how much is a couple of good water changes.

Last edited by hokese at 12-Dec-2005 21:11

i tryed to get the treatment(jugle labs parasire clear) you recommened but now where has it where i live ,so i tryed to get something else with(metrinidazole) in it and its not avalible in this country(so i was told)can u recommend something else,i could probly get some jungle labs parasite clear off the net but by the time its gets to me it will be ages and i want to get sum sort of treatment asap.plus my lfs,said to give melifix a go,but i didnt try it yet,do you think it will work.one shop even said that there NO treatment at all,but i fond that hard to beleve,if you cant recomend anything else,do u think a trip to my local vet for some advice or treatment will be worth a go.

Metronidazole is available for oral use (human)in australia, so theres a good chance the drug is available for vetinary use. Its one of the more commonly used drugs for protozoan gastroentiritis in reptile collections, so zoos in australia probably have a ready supply. You might not be able to buy it over the counter, but a vet could probably supply you with some, but it wont be cheap. Doublecheck with some local suppliers to make sure.

great ill take a trip to the vet to day,and keep you posted.

great news guys i got some metronidazole,from my local vet,he gave me ten tablets,about 8 days worth,for 10 bucks,ive already started the treatment.thanx heaps guy for all your speedy help.ill let you guys no if i see improvment.]

Hopefully the metro will work, if by any chance it should fail (it usually doesnt fail) there is another form of the drug : D-metronidazole which is usually kept in reserve for especially difficult cases when protozoa become resistant. Just thought it might help you to know that in advance.

great,thanx heaps.there is nothing wrong with having a plan b.you guys are full of usefull info(GIVE ME MORE LOL).