I Think Adding Vitamins To The Food Is Healing Hole In The Head Diseas

[Brette]

So guys... I just wanted to share this because I think it's something worth trying if one of your fish has hole in the head disease. I've tried metronizadole a month ago but I don't think it did anything. I don't think my blue ram has hexamita (parasite), but just a mild case of hole in the head disease (also knows as lateral line erosion). I read on a ton of sites that it COULD be related to a dietary defficiency and some people recommended adding vitamins to the food.

So in addition to keeping the water in tip top shape with weekly water changes, I bought some blood worm 3 weeks ago and sprinkled a teaspoon of bird vitamin powder (yes you heard me) over the worms. I own finches and feed it to them regularly so i had it on hand. When it melted, I mixed it up and fed it to my ram over the week. It's been about 3 weeks and half of the lesions are gone. AND he is strutting around, full of color and acting very feisty and fat. I'm hoping the newer lesions will dissapear too. The brand of birdie vitamins is called "nekton s" if anyone wants to try it out. I have no idea if what I'm doing is helping or if his immune system is just fihting it off on its own but it's worth trying for a few weeks i think, but not every day for longterm. (too many vitamins can also be bad)

Birdie vitamin i used:
<a href="http/www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/m...sfp=32502131008" target="_blank">http/www.windycityparrot.com/Merchant2/m...sfp=32502131008</a>

Available at most large pet stores that sell birds.


PLEASE NOTE: I'M NOT A VET AND THIS WAS TRIAL AND ERROR FOR ME. I can't guarantee that this will heal your fish or what kind of reaction to the vitamins they may have. i can only say that after treating my ram for 3 weeks with blood worms and these vitamins (the tetras also ended up gobbling a bunch of it too) that the end result was some healing of the lesions.

 

[rabbut]

It's well known in Discus keeping circles that hole in the head, HITH or Hex (all the same, just different common names for it) disease is either caursed or contributed to by poor diet. I can strongly see vitamin suppliments working, in fact specialist fish vitamins are usualy recomended to people with problems, though I have never know anyone try bird vitamins Interesting idea, and I'm glad it's working for you Thanks for posting it

 

[england]

sounds intresting, anyone know if theres tablet style vitamins avalible or how you could feed it to a fish thats very picky?

 

[rabbut]

If you get a tablet, you need to crush it down to a powder and mix it with the food as Brette describes above; Defrost any frozen foods, sprinkle it over and mix before serving (sounds like cooking lessons as school all over again )

To answer the other question, no, I don't know of any vitamin tablets in the fish or other pet industory sectors that can be used. You can usualy get arround vitamins by reviewing your diet, as it will be lacking if it is a caursing or contributing factor in the condition. If you don't remady the caurse, you don't solve the problem

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Syphoniera]

Thanks, Brette, excellent idea and much appreciated.
I'd never have thought of bird vitamins, and yet I worry about the nutrative value of foods for all my pets.
And I'm very glad your fish is doing better.

 

[Tolak]

Liquid Centrum, a human vitamin, is often mixed in food for treating HITH. I'm sure the bird vitamin works just as well.

 

[Brette]

And I'm very glad your fish is doing better.

thanks, I'm hoping in a few more weeks he'll be completely clear or any marks.

And Tolak, Liquid Centrum! Good tip. Anything is worth a shot i think with something as misunderstood as this disease. It certainly didn't hurt trying.

 

[england]

nelly's going to go a find some bird vitamins for mixing with his frozen foods why not eh, how much should i give mind to keep them in tip top condition so as not to be overdosing in vitamins<just a healthy measure as gandulf had HITH set in after the horific ordeal of a vieja beating, and its around hasnt got any worse mind,,waterchanges are top food i feed is the green bag of hilraki,, this could also be brought on by to much protien<is that corrcet?

 

[SharonCC]

I actually tried that when I lost my Rams to HITH. Water quality wasn't an issue, so I attributed it to diet. My Rams were very picky eaters, and wouldn't touch anything other than Bloodworm, Mysis Shrimp, and peas. It didn't work for me, but I think I was not consistant with the VitC. I have purchased two new Rams, and will be trying this again...very helpful info!!!

 

[rabbut]

food i feed is the green bag of hilraki,, this could also be brought on by to much protien<is that corrcet?

My understanding is that a lack of vitamins (namely C and D if memory serves correctly) caurses the condition Too much protien could be a relative statement, like saying Beefheart has too much protien and caurses HITH in Discus. Though true if neet Beefheart is the only food offered, with vertually no vitamins in it, there is too much protien relative to vitamins.

Too much protien is excreated as solid waste and ammonia, leading ultimatly to nitrates rising more quickly on a high protien diet, than you would expect on lower protien diets. You can't give them too much in reality, as fish have natural systems for loosing excess

All the best
Rabbut

 

[england]

cool thanks,,, do you know if the green hilraki or red ones better?

 

[Tolak]

Straight beefheart is not a balanced diet. Anyone I know that feeds it uses a beefheart mix, usually home made. About once yearly a group of local guys will get together & have a beefheart party, we add spinach, vitamins, flake food, spirulina, peas, and on occasion the kitchen sink. I doubt that it is more than 2/3 beefheart.

I feed it about once a month, there are better, more balanced foods out there to use as a staple. I'm surprised more companies don't sell a beefheart mix as opposed to straight beefheart, frozen spinach is a lot cheaper than beefheart. It would up their profit margin while providing a more balanced food.