HITH

[Myka]

Hmm, the HITH is pretty bad, I actually didn't realise that it is irreversible, can they die from it? I'll see if I can get a pic, his nostrils seem to be rotting, and you can also see his white line...is it maybe white line disease? Also, his white line breaks closer to his tail, and carries on lower. His jaw is crooked too...I think from fighting the rocks and glass? The poor guy...I feel bad for him. Hopefully I'll be able to convince my mom into getting his tank healthier. I'll do a 75% waterchange right now for him since I am over.

 

[Myka]

Any comments about his crooked jaw and "rotting" nostrils? And just how bad is his HITH?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Hey Myka. This is your Mom's fish? How often does she do water changes? What does she feed and how often? What size tank is the oscar in and how big is it?

HITH or HLLE is common in stressed oscars that live in poor water conditions and are not fed a varied diet. Sometimes, it can be as easy to treat as doing weekly heavy water changes and feeding a varied diet of live foods, frozen, freezedried, etc.

Answer those few questions and it may help further.

HITH can definitley be treated if caught early enough, which it seems you have. Usually just need a change in habits of care. IF your mom does feed a varied diet and does weekly heavy water changes, a medicine to treat Heximita may be needed.

HTH

 

[Myka]

Ah yeah, sorry one of the mods moved this part of my thread over to this forum, so the whole story wasn't included!

He's been housed in this same 55 gallon tank for 3 or maybe 4 years, he's had the HITH for at least the last two years, and it seems to come and go in severity, however it is never fully gone. The way it is now is definately on the better side of what it usually is. He's about 9", and has a 7" Pleco in with him. 2" of 1/4" gravel substrate, a couple lava rocks, and a calcium carbonate rock. Filtration is an AquaClear 500 and an AquaClear 200. A 275 gph AquaClear powerhead is in one of the corners. She rinses the filter media (just the AC sponge) in tap water when she does waterchanges, and doesn't ever remember replacing the sponge.

Temperature is kept at 73; she goes by the stick on thermometer which says 79, but I just used my good one that I use for my reef tanks, and it says 73 (so we'll go with that!), I just turned it up to 78. I tested her tank for her (I don't think it's ever been tested before) to prove to her how bad I knew the water in there really is; Ammonia ~ 0, Nitrite ~ trace, Nitrates ~ 75. I knew the nitrates were going to be REALLY high because she doesn't do big enough or often enough water changes.

I did a 75% waterchange the day after the test results (it's now 5 days after testing), and tested it again for nitrates which were then 25. I'm going to do another 75% waterchange today for her. She does waterchanges a bit irregularly...about 40% every 2-3 weeks. I've been bugging her to do them weekly. She vacuums the gravel profusely during waterchanges (but doesn't move the rocks to vacuum under them).

Oh, and she feeds Oscar the Hikari Cichlid Gold large pellets as many as he will eat until he starts to show less interest, which is probably about 15-20 of them. This is the only food he gets.

Is the rotten nostrils part of the HITH? What is HLLE?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Sounds like a change in diet and more frequent water changes might be all he needs.

The nostrils are part of HITH yes, and HLLE is Head and Lateral Line Erosion, which is what your fish is showing signs of (the deterioration along the lateral line). Basically, HLLE and HITH are the same thing.

This site..

http://www.worldcichlids.com/diseases/Adamhith.html

has been one of the best I've ever found on HITH. Give it a good read, it gives lists of foods your Mom could try and feed and also advocates the addition of vitamins in it's food.

HTH

 

[Myka]

Oh forgot to mention she uses some carbon too, about 1/2 cup which she replaces rarely...so I don't think it does much!!!

Thanks for all the info, and the link. I'll go read the link.