hole in head disease

anyone ever have a native with hole in head disease? It appears both my rock bass have it. Sunfish in tank seem fine.

Hole in the head is often an infection of the protozoan parasite hexamita. It is most prevalent in large fish that are kept in insufficiently large tanks with infrequently changed water. My native fish have never contracted hole in the head because I keep them in aquariums whose tank size to fish size ratio is very large (15 one inch Elassoma gilberti in a 55 gallon tank).

More information about hexamita available here: http://www.fishchann...s/hexamita.aspx

The relationship between Hexamita and hole in the head disease is reasonably well-established. The lesions are caused by Hexamita parasites that have migrated into the sensory pores on the head where they cause the surrounding tissue to decay. Because of the damage to the epidermis, secondary infections easily set in, making things worse. ...

The prime medication used to treat hexamitiasis is metronidazole (often referred to by the trade name Flagyl). The most effective approach is using medicated food, especially when early infections are being dealt with. But seriously affected fish may not be eating, in which case you need to add the medication to the water, typically at a dosage of 250 mg per 10 US gallons, once per day for at least three days. Metronidazole is available to aquarists over the counter in the United States, but elsewhere a veterinarian prescription may be necessary. Alongside the medication, improvements to diet and environment are absolutely critical.

Edited by EricaWieser, 15 February 2011 - 07:24 PM.

Hole in the head is often an infection of the protozoan parasite hexamita. It is most prevalent in large fish that are kept in insufficiently large tanks with infrequently changed water. My native fish have never contracted hole in the head because I keep them in aquariums whose tank size to fish size ratio is very large (15 one inch Elassoma gilberti in a 55 gallon tank).

More information about hexamita available here: http://www.fishchann...s/hexamita.aspx

thanks for the reply.


well i have 2 rock bass and 1 sunfish (they are all only 2-4 inches at this point) in a 120g tank with a 50g sump. I also just read about activated carbon may also be a cause. I run a dual reactor of carbon because i like the polished look especially since drift wood can leak brown in the water.

will try some food with Metronidazole in it. Fish arent ill or anything, they just have the typical sores on there head.