Which Cichlids Get Along?

[ozzydafish14]

Hey everyone, I currently have a 55 gallon fish tank with a 7" tiger oscar in it, but sadly, he has HITH. His name is Ozzy, and he turned 1 yesterday. His HITH hasn't been getting better in all of the efforts I've made, so I'm preparing myself for the worst. So I want to try something new, and I was wondering what kind of South American cichlids would get along with eachother the best.

 

[Emclenaghan]

I introduced a Gold Severum to my tank not too long ago and it gets along great with the 3 Oscars and 2 Convicts I have. It's very pretty and very calm. I have always been in love with Oscars but this guy has become my new tank favorite!

 

[HUKIT]

I've rescued quite a few oscars over the years with HLLE/HITH and daily water changes and a high quality pellet has never failed me in curing the disease. The there may be some scaring left behind but the illness can be cured. The key is to keep the nitrate levels around 5-10ppm tops, this with a quality diet will have him on the road to recovery. There's also some speculation about carbon in filters having a effect but it hasn't been proven either way. The last thing you could try is a couple rounds of Parasite Clear or something containg Metrozoidale and Praziquantel which has been shown to kill Hexamita. I wouldn't give up on your current fish.

 

[ozzydafish14]

Thanks so much for the info! I'll definately try it! Is there any specific medication that you recommend?

 

[HUKIT]

Clean water and a quality diet works best but others have show success with Jungles products. I just received another Oscar with HITH this weekend so I'll be starting on him as well.

Jungle Labs Hole-N-Head Guard

 

[ozzydafish14]

Okay, and I just have one more question; I have those Hakari Cichlid Pellets, and I also have some frozen shrimp. Is there anything else I should try feeding him?

 

[HUKIT]

Hikari is pretty good as a staple, their Bio-Gold would be best and the prawns are good as well. Just keep the nitrates below 10ppm and your off to a great start.

 

[ozzydafish14]

Okay, thats probably everything I need to know... I'll keep everyone updated on his condition! Fingers crossed!

 

[HUKIT]

Here's a picture of my rescue, you can see the hole right in the center. Any chance to post a picture to see the extent of the disease your fish?

 

[ozzydafish14]

Here he is! Today I'm going to pick up everything I need.

 

[HUKIT]

That's pretty minimal by from that picture, I'm sure its worse in person but that should heal very well with little to no scarring. He/she's a great looking fish though.

 

[ozzydafish14]

Thanks! Okay, thats good to hear!

 

[ozzydafish14]

Bad news, my local pet store doesnt sell any products with metrozoidale... so I ordered that Hole-N-Head guard by Jungle Labs online, and I won't be able to get a hold of any for 2 weeks.
Should I just continue with daily water changes?

 

[HUKIT]

Clean water and diet are the most important.

 

[Bl80]

Would API melafix help at all? I know on the bottle it says open wounds. I had some rescues that had fin and some knicks in them last year and I treated them with it. Worked pretty well on that. But I know nothing about HITH, just curious.... Hukit is the one to go by .

 

[ozzydafish14]

I just changed the water, and Ozzy seems to be alot happier with the frequent water changes. But I have a new problem, he won't eat when I'm in the room! As soon as he sees me he shrinks back into a corner like I was some sort of monster!