Hexamita Disease

[Neigh]

I have been doing some research on the Hexamita disease that seems to affect Cichlids I'm not sure if this is what they have, they have large open (looks like wounds) on their sides and heads. They are a whitish/gray color. I thought they had been fighting with each other and that is what was causing this but obviously that is not the problem. I have Oscars that I have treated with a tank antibiotic, that doesn't seem to help. I understand that the disease may be due to poor water quality. Help? What can I do to 1.) Improve the water quality and 2.) Get rid of this disease. I have lost 1 Oscar and 1 Firemouth. I don't want the rest of the tank to get infected and have no way of isolating the two sick Oscars. This is an established tank and I have never had a problem with this before and I have not introduced any new fish into the tank. Any suggesitons would be appreciated.

 

[wetwetwet]

Firstly hi and welcome Neigh,

As much of this information as you can would help

1. Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc)
2. A full description of the fishes symptoms.
3. How often you do water changes and how much.
4. Any chemicals and treatments you add to the water.
5. WhatTank mates are in the tank.
6. Tank size.
7. Finally how experienced are you in keeping fish.

It may be due to fighting and secondry infection. but more info would help. I'm not too familiar with this disease you mention - we'll see what the cichlid fans say...

 

[cichlidmaster]

Neigh,

First, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your having troubles. I am going to post a link to a very good article obout HITH (hole in the head) and Lateral line disease HITH/LLD

I have a fish that came down with lateral line disease from being stressed. The 135 gallon tank he was in split a seam and there was only a few inch's of water left in it when my wife found the tank like this. For over 6 months I tried almost everything on the market to no avail.

One day I was cleaning out my storage room and came across a bottle of Dick Boyds VitaChem. I was reading the label and saw it was recommended for HITH and LLD. I figured....why not!!!!!

Within 4 days the wounds that this disease caused had started to clear up. In 10 days time the fish was completely healed!!!

I believe several factors come into play with HITH and LLD:

1. Stress
2. Poor water quality
3. Diet

Do you feed you oscars feeder fish? If so it may be the root cause of your problem. Not so much that the feeders were diseased, but a diet of strictly feeders will NOT supply the needed vitamins for your fish.

Poor water quality can lead to stress so you actually have a double whamy here.

Most fish that get HITH do not suffer death as a result, therefore I would venture a guess that there was a secondary infection that did them in.

My advise would be to start doing water changes to the tune of 50% every couple of days. C/S American cichlids can handle this amount and more!!!! Do not worry if your water change amounts were not this high as the fish can handle it.

I, for one have my doubts that carbon usage is a culprit in causing this disease, but if you use it...STOP!!! It is reported that carbon removes much needed trace elements from the water that fish need and this deficiancy then leads to the disease. No sense in taking any chances. I do not use carbon in any of my tanks and with a good water change schedule you should not have to to have crystal clear water.

I would try using a vitamin suuplement to halt the spread of the disease, but once a fish has HITH there is no way to heal the wounds. They will be with the fish for the rest of it's life.

It is unusual for HITH and LLD to to occur simultaneously, but I suppose it is possible. I would start the water change schedule immediately as well as the vitamin supplements. You may also want to get a medication that has Metronidazol as it's primary agent. It would be most beneficial if you could get straight Metronidazol in powdered form and add this directly to your tank in the recommended dosage. The problem with medications that use this as only one of it's compounds is it becomes diluted many times over once it hit's the water.

Check with your veterinarian and see if he/she will give you some. If not than go ahead and use any of the various meds that have it.

Hope this helps and keep us posted.

CM

 

[Gibbo]

Good advice CM, my Threadfin Acara seemed to get it several weeks ago but luckily it has stemmed its spread... He is an old fish though I think and wild caught to boot. He has never really been in 100% condition, but has never really been that Ill either, he also rules his tank as well, I the big guy and he'll be one of those fish that I'll remember the rest of my life once he sheds this mortal coil (which is a long way off hopefully). I think his ailments may be stress related... might try some API Stresscoat in the water. It contains Aloe Vera and may calm him enough to let his immune system rally a bit!

They really aren't unlike us at all really are they? B)

 

[Neigh]

Wow, thanks for the replys. I'll try to catch all the questions and responses necessary in this one reply. I do water changes about 25% every two to three weeks, I keep the ph level around 7.5. I feed them a prepackaged diet of Cichlid food and freeze dried shrimp. I have only once gave them feeder fish, yuck never again! I am pretty much an amature at this, but do have some basic knowledge. I have had this particular community of Convicts, Firemouths, Oscars and Rams for about 9 months. I have City water and do treat it with a stresscoat when I do water changes. I've had the water tested at a reputable fish dealer and they said it was OK?
I'm going to see if I can get ahold of some Vita chem, that sounds like an easy quick "fix". I'll keep you posted and hopefully the results will be good. thanks for all your advice, I really do appreciate it.

 

[cichlidmaster]

Neigh,

Time for a few questions.....

1. What size tank do you have??

2. How big are your oscars. convicts, firemouths and rams??

3. How long have your fish been experiancing this problem??

I must key in on your oscars.

Oscar's are big messy fish!! They have the potential to grow to 16", but will realistically attain a size of around 12". They require excellant water quality. They also require a LARGE tank!!

Most oscar keepers recommend 30-40 gallons of tank space per adult oscar!! IMO 50 gallons is better.

I will post further once you have had a chance to post your reply to the questions.

CM

 

[Neigh]

CM
My tank is 55 gallons, the Oscars are about 8", there are two of them, one died. I have one Convict about 4" two firemouths, one about 2" one about 3" and the rams are small, about an inch to an inch and a half there are 5 of them.

They have been having this problem for about 4 weeks. I didn't pay mucha ttention to it, thinking the "sores" were due to their fighting. Only the Oscars have these sores.

Thanks for the advice about the Oscars, I love them, but I'm thinking they might make a good meal. LOL.

 

[mooga]

the new theory on hexamita. i read in a article stated that cichlids carry some sort of internal parasite that usually lies dormant till the fish experiences some sort of stress. when this happens it causes this secondary problem. a product that worked for my cichlids was called "hexamit" made by aquatronics. i also wouldn't advise removing the carbon from your tank (unless treating) especially having a oscar with multiple fish in a 55. also oscars are prone to this when matured. most large oscars i've seen have some degree of hexamita.lol.

 

[cichlidmaster]

While I agree that oscars are prone to this disease, with good fish husbandry it will not become a problem!!!

I have kept oscars in the past and not had a problem with HITH.

Neigh, you say that there are two oscars, but one died. Does this mean that there is only one now or that you had three to begin with and now there are two??

Sorry I don't quite understand. Either way IMO/IME a 55 is really to small even for one oscar. Here is my opinion as to why......

An adult oscar is a deep bodied fish and therefore needs a wider (front to back) tank. A 55 gallon is usually 13" wide (give or take a 1/4"). This IMO is NOT enough room!!

You should also up your water change schedule to 25% bi-weekly or at least 35% weekly once the disease is in check.

One more question...what type of filtration do you have on the tank??

mooga,

I am just curious and have to ask....what reasons are you basing your decision on to NOT remove the carbon from the filter???

CM

 

[Neigh]

CM,
There are two Oscars, I had three and one died. I can see your point on how a 55 gallon would not be enough room for them. I really didn't realize when I bought them at 3", that they would so quickly get so large. Live and learn.

I have an outside filter ( I am going to try just some filtering material and leave the carbon out) and an undergravel filter. I debated about the undergravel, because I read that Cichlids prefer a sandy bottom instead of gravel. What do you think?

I have read the links that everyone hooked me up with and I now feel very informed, great articles and good advice from everyone. Last night I did a water change, also cleaned the gravel some more. I added some aquarium salt and readjusted the Ph, low and behold this morning, my Oscars were like new fish. They came right up to greet me. I order some Vita Chem and I think I will have this problem licked.

 

[semper fi]

okay here we go guys and gals. time for one of semper fi's book reports. so grab a cigarette and your favorite drink of choice and get ready for another doozie.

there are two different diseases referred to as hole in the head. one is caused by a flagellated protozoan, either hexamita or spironucleus and the other is environmental. the first is less common in the aquarium due to breeding as cm pointed out. quick pat on cm's back!

the symptons and sores caused by the disease differ. the end result can be fatal in both cases though. the first is so uncommon with the modern age of fishkeeping that it is rarely found any more. it is caused by the specific pathogen a flagellated protozoan. the protozoan is found in every fish in their guts and other organs. it is kept in check in healthy fish through their immune system. once a fish is weakened or environmental changes favor the protozoan, the numbers of the protozoans in the fish increase thus resulting in hole in the head (HITH). the symptons of HITH are the fish will lose it's appetite suddenly, will excrete white slimy feces and will develop puss filled holes in the head area. left untreated this can result in the fish's death.

the other HITH is caused by environmental stress. this is the most common form of HITH and can be an indicator of poor water and filter maintenance. this can be caused by an excess of fish waste in the water, but more than likely by the presence of heavy metals in the tank such as copper. more than likely in rocks that are gathered and not tested to be safe for the aquarium. the fish develops small open sores hat are not puss filled but rather like pits that can become enlarged as time goes on. this is caused by the epithelial cells dying. this can continue til too much of the head is exposed to the open water and the fish dies. unlike the other HITH the fish does carry on it's normal appetite and produces normal looking feces. there is no pathogen responsible in this form of HITH.

while the first HITH can be cured with meds, the second form will only be aggravated by th meds. the first step is to find out the environmental cause of the stress either poor water quality or the contamination of heavy metals. you will need to change the water atleast 75% every week to 10 days. remove any rocks that are not approved for aquarium use, ie out of your yard or found on the banks of rivers, lakes, etc.. another problem is the filtration of the water. if you choose a filtration system for a fish that is not full grown and do not regularly check that it is keeping up with the load of waste, this can cause excess waste in the water. aquarium filtration only slows the degradation of water quality it does not stop it.

from looking at your water changing schedule, you probably are experiencing the latter of the two HITH. the oscar is probably eating and pooping normally but he is growing. the water maintenance schedule was probably sufficient when he was younger, but now he is quite larger and you need to increase the frequencies of changes. once you get rid of the HITH you should continue the water changes on a weekly basis of atleast 20%. also make sure that your filter system is large enough to handle the amount of waste that is being produced by your oscar.

hth

maggie