Another Hole In The Head Question

[pica_nuttalli]

Suppose a novice/misinformed fishkeeper was to keep a mixed South American and African cichlid tank. Suppose they also mis-kept their fish so that the S. Americans started to develop HITH.

Would the infection also attack the Africans or would only the S. Americans suffer? Why or why not?

 

[juanveldez]

IME HITH is not contagious. there are some fish that are more likely to get it than others if water condtions slip up. I have a GT that has a very minimal amount of pitting on her( wouldn't even notice unless you look VERY closely.) I caught it in time and upped the amount and frequancy of the water changes on her tank and everything is peachy. now do I feel bad that it happened no. and that would be the answer to your theoritical question no it wouldn't spread and it is just a matter of if your fish is one that is more suseptiable to it or not.

 

[freddyk]

From my understanding the disease that causes HIH it's very contagious and will show up in the Africans in other ways (bloat for one).

 

[Lynden]

Hexamita (the worse variant of HITH) is commonly found in the intestines of cichlids, gouramies, and other perciformes. Vitamin C will often prevent its manifestation.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Hexamita (the worse variant of HITH) is commonly found in the intestines of cichlids, gouramies, and other perciformes. Vitamin C will often prevent its manifestation.

er, that's all well and good but not directly relevant to anything else that has been said... care to expound a bit further?

 

[juanveldez]

From my understanding the disease that causes HIH it's very contagious and will show up in the Africans in other ways (bloat for one).

like I said I disagree. I think that its just a matter of fish suseptablity. by stressing the fish by either neglecting water changes and allowing the nitrates to build to an unholly level. or by other means.

the carbon theory is another that hasn't been mentioned yet. my understanding is that microscopic bits of carbon from the filter media gets lodged in the sensory pores causing infection.

then again this is an interesting thread. because I use mbuna as dithers with my JD and GT yet while the GT has had a case of HITH in the past there have been no adverse affects on the mbuna. suppose its luck though.

 

[Synirr]

From my understanding the disease that causes HIH it's very contagious and will show up in the Africans in other ways (bloat for one).

I would think the bloat would just be another effect of the poor water quality that often causes HITH to begin with rather than directly caused by HITH in other fish.