Hexamita infection question

[gwand]

My Paradise fish has a probable hexamita infection. I transferred him to my 5 gallon hospital tank and started API General Cure. Should I also treat his home tank? There are several types of fish there who do not appear infected. Thanks.

 

[GaryE]

That's a weird one to deal with. I'm not sure all neuromast pitting is from Hexamita. With some Geophagus who had it, I was able to control it with water changes. If I went past 7 days, it would begin to reappear, but if I stayed on schedule, it would heal up.

It never spread to other fish, although whatever causes it (or some of it - I'm no vet) was directly water quality connected. I wonder if for many fish, it's just there, lurking and biding its time, and is opportunistic in becoming an infection.

 

[MuddyWaters]

I found this on Discus.com- might not be Hexamita if it's hole-in-the-head. Also it said that the cure is the same and API General Cure is good for it. I'm guessing you may have already read that, but just in case.

Because of the facts that Both Hexamita and Spironucleus are one-celled protoza that can cause changes in fish poop shape & color and also the same treatment may be applied to both, Spironucleus species is sometimes incorrectly identified as Hexamita.

Most of the time, the Spironucleus is responsible for hole in the head disease in fish, whereas Hexamita is known to cause severe intestinal problems.
Most Hexamita species are non-parasitic organisms!

 

[gwand]

That's a weird one to deal with. I'm not sure all neuromast pitting is from Hexamita. With some Geophagus who had it, I was able to control it with water changes. If I went past 7 days, it would begin to reappear, but if I stayed on schedule, it would heal up.

It never spread to other fish, although whatever causes it (or some of it - I'm no vet) was directly water quality connected. I wonder if for many fish, it's just there, lurking and biding its time, and is opportunistic in becoming an infection.

Water parameters are fine with a nitrate of 5 ppm. I did my usual weekly 30% water change on Saturday. But the fish has pitting right on the top of his head. No other symptoms except somewhat subdued.

 

[Innesfan]

During my early Discus days, when Hexamita was an issue, I fixed every case by large, frequent water changes, as @GaryE suggested. As I learned more about Discus husbandry over the years, my more vigilant (and laborious) water change regimen prevented any recurrence. Not sure this is Hexamita in your case but I'll wager that whatever it is will benefit from large and frequent water changes.

 

[gwand]

Large water change accomplished.

 

[Innesfan]

Large water change accomplished.

Reminds me of something I learned from a goldfish breeder years ago--the Chinese Bucket Method. Chinese goldfish breeders, when faced with a sick fish, no matter the cause, placed the fish in a bucket of clean water. The next day, the fish was moved to another bucket of clean water. And so on until a cure was achieved. Basically a 100% water change daily.

 

[GaryE]

That bucket idea is too sensible to ever catch on. I like it.

My Geophagus became a treadmill - I had to do so many water changes and never slip. When illness hit in the family, that was the end of them. It is a really frustrating disease because of that. Hopefully, the antibiotics in the med clear it up more deeply than endless water changing.

My Geos were affected, but equally sensitive Satanoperca in the same tank were clear. In another tank, Satanoperca had it and the Geos didn't. Go figure.