I have one longear, three dollars, and two bantams in a 55-gallon tank along with some loaches. The longear and two of the dollars are showing early but unmistakable signs of hole-in-the-head disease - enlargement and cratering of the sensory pores on the head. The longear even has a small crater (2-3 mm) directly between its eyes, and it is showing some discomfort with head-shaking and occasional scratching of the sides of its head on the sand substrate. The fishes have outstanding appetite and color and are very active. Aquarium conditions and diet are excellent.
Does anyone have experience with this condition in Lepomis, and, if so, were you able to determine its root cause and effect a cure?
Thanks,
Carlton
Hole-in-the-head Disease
Started by
Guest_fishintheboro_*
, Nov 24 2007 11:44 PM
2 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_fishlvr_*
Guest_fishlvr_*
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Posted 24 November 2007 - 11:55 PM
As far as I know, it isn't cureable, and it has absolutely no effect on the health of your fish. Just a not-so-pretty sight.
#3
Guest_Mysteryman_*
Guest_Mysteryman_*
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Posted 25 November 2007 - 10:12 AM
It's curable, no problem.
Well, okay, slight problem.
The problem is that hole-in-the-head is a symptom, not a disease. To get rid of it, you have to address the cause, which is the hardest part.
LUCKILY, many of the causes wind up boiling down to only a few, and one in particular is the usual culprit.
Be it caused by greedy intestinal parasites or poor diet, the chief cause of HITH is a deficiency in calcium, magnesium*, phosphorous, and vitamin-D. This is easily fixed by:
1- administering a course of metronidazole to get rid of intestinal parasites which are scarfing up these nutrients
and/or
2- supplementing the diet with these needed nutrients.
As luck would have it, there is a supplement made for elderly people available in health food stores which just so happens to contain these 4 things. I can't recall the name of the stuff, but a store clerk should know.
Barring that, there is a brand of frozen fishfood called "Lifeline" made by Biotope Research, inc. It is a bit pricey as fishfoods go, but it is marvelous stuff, chock full of all the necessary things so often lacking in most other commercial foods, and specifically made to be so fortified with these extra minerals and amino acids. It is health food for fish, as it were, and it cures HITH within a few weeks, as well as many other problems. It costs too much to use as a staple food, but it's great as a conditioning feed and a curative.
The stuff for humans is cheaper, though. Just add it to the fish's food and your HITH problems will be solved . You can go to the trouble of trying to add these nutrients separately, but why would you want to if you could avoid it? Try to find the combined product and save yourself some hassle.
*- I include the magnesium only because without it the calcium can't be effectively used. The calcium is what is needed, really, but you might as well get the Mg while you're at it. These two are often packaged together anyway.
As for the irritation/shaking, the eroded areas are often colonized by various opportunistic creepy-crawlies. These often make the problem even worse. You could try to treat for these as well if they become too much of a problem, but curing the erosion itself will likely evict these squatters. It is possible that they could prevent the healing of the erosion if they get too populous or even lead to a serious secondary infection, so whatever you decide to do, do it quickly.
Well, okay, slight problem.
The problem is that hole-in-the-head is a symptom, not a disease. To get rid of it, you have to address the cause, which is the hardest part.
LUCKILY, many of the causes wind up boiling down to only a few, and one in particular is the usual culprit.
Be it caused by greedy intestinal parasites or poor diet, the chief cause of HITH is a deficiency in calcium, magnesium*, phosphorous, and vitamin-D. This is easily fixed by:
1- administering a course of metronidazole to get rid of intestinal parasites which are scarfing up these nutrients
and/or
2- supplementing the diet with these needed nutrients.
As luck would have it, there is a supplement made for elderly people available in health food stores which just so happens to contain these 4 things. I can't recall the name of the stuff, but a store clerk should know.
Barring that, there is a brand of frozen fishfood called "Lifeline" made by Biotope Research, inc. It is a bit pricey as fishfoods go, but it is marvelous stuff, chock full of all the necessary things so often lacking in most other commercial foods, and specifically made to be so fortified with these extra minerals and amino acids. It is health food for fish, as it were, and it cures HITH within a few weeks, as well as many other problems. It costs too much to use as a staple food, but it's great as a conditioning feed and a curative.
The stuff for humans is cheaper, though. Just add it to the fish's food and your HITH problems will be solved . You can go to the trouble of trying to add these nutrients separately, but why would you want to if you could avoid it? Try to find the combined product and save yourself some hassle.
*- I include the magnesium only because without it the calcium can't be effectively used. The calcium is what is needed, really, but you might as well get the Mg while you're at it. These two are often packaged together anyway.
As for the irritation/shaking, the eroded areas are often colonized by various opportunistic creepy-crawlies. These often make the problem even worse. You could try to treat for these as well if they become too much of a problem, but curing the erosion itself will likely evict these squatters. It is possible that they could prevent the healing of the erosion if they get too populous or even lead to a serious secondary infection, so whatever you decide to do, do it quickly.
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