Looking for some help...

[jlennon]

Hello all!!!

Haven't been here for a while but it doesn't mean I haven't been reading. So my problem is my Oscar fish which I have had for almost 6 years and she contracted hole in the head within the first year mainly cause of my poor water quality(thanx city). We have been dealing with it ever since. Well it is back with vengeance. She is almost 12 inches long and here is where you all tell me BAD john but she is living in a 55 gallon tank. She has also taken out two of three bio filters 350's. I am down to one with a hot magnum. This evening I believe she knocked out my last bio filter. So I am working on repairing another filter and see what I can piece together. So I need some input for treatment(ran out of melfix yesterday after her water change, guidance on whether or not I should keep her(cannot afford a larger tank), and treatment cause I do want to keep her. Looking for a little input. Thanx.

[MCHRKiller]

Maybe not a larger tank...but a tank thats shaped diffrently would be a blessing for the fish. Look at your buy/sale ads Im sure you could find a used 75G tank slap a piece of 3/4" plywood on your 55G stand and then sell your 55G tank and probably have invested less than $50 after it was all said and done. Honestly that and inadequate filtration is what has brought your HITH back with a vengance, I know its not what you wanted to hear but its true. What are your water parms? Do some big waterchanges a couple times a week until you can atleast get proper filtration sat back up on the tank...that would do more for the fish than anything. Also what does her diet look like?

[jlennon]

I would love to get a 75 and now on the look out. My prems will be off with the resent water changes so I will do that as soon as the water settles down. I now have the bio wheel 350 back in service, two cascade 300 and the hot magnum. Little crowded but not my worry right now. I read some where that vitamin A, C, and D might help If so how do I implement it? PS she broke the cross brace on the 55.

[MCHRKiller]

Ouch...if the brace is broken its only a matter of time before the tank fails...these new tanks just arnt made with thick enough glass to support the water pressure without bowing out in the middle and eventually giving way. Glad you got your filtration back in order. I to have heard of mainly Vitamin C helping with HITH, whether it actually does anything or not I dont know but it cant hurt. Getting a medication specific for hexamita will be your best course of treatment tho...using 1/2 doses of Melafix help to heal the holes and just makes the fish recover more quickly from my experience. Vitamin food soaks are a good idea as well, I would look into some Selcon or something high in Omegal 3s as it will aid in the healing process of HITH.

[jlennon]

Ok I now have my bio wheel 350 up and running, the hot magnum, and two cascade 300's going in my Oscar tank. I did a partial water change yesterday (15 gallons) and I did a 60% water change today. 15 ml of AmQuel+, 15 ml of Melafix, and I saturated 4 Cichlid Staple large pellets in Vitamarin-C. I will do the same tomorrow (unless suggested otherwise) and day three I will lower the Melafix dose down to half.
Oscar did not consume all the pellets so I will also lower that dose until she gets back to regular eating habits. My water parameters tonight were:
Ammonia--> 2
Nitrite ----> 0
pH--------> 7.4
Nitrate----> 20
She is looking a lot better today and definitely more active. Her sores are even looking better then they were. Tomorrow I will test the water before I change it just to be able to compare the results. I also realize my fish has broken other filters in the past and the cascades are probably a bad idea but she has left these things alone before and that is what I have to work with for now. So till she bust them they will do. Thanx for your input.

[MCHRKiller]

Glad your O is doing some better, you now have the issue of your tank going threw a mini-cycle...which indicates the ammonia, probably from the filters being off of the tank. I would personally recommend adding Seachem stability as indicated on its package alot of people have had success using it to help cycle their tank.

[Wetpets]

The best treatment for HITHD is either Dimetridazole or Metronidazole - either your should be able to get from your Vet on prescription. Try subsidising their diet with high vitamin C food like oranges (peeled - even the inner skin) and segmented into bite sized chunks.

[jlennon]

New water parameters:
Ammonia--->0
Nitrite ----->0
pH--------->7.4
Nitrate----->20

Down to three pellets and she is only eating two. from what I can see.

[jlennon]

:goldfish: :fish: The water parameters have stayed the same over the weekend. The fish is doing well for the most part. After the sores from the hole in head healed up I noticed possibly a fungal infection on her head. I have been treating it and it has cleared up pretty well. The tank on the other hand is not doing well at all. I found a crack in my tank on the bottom corner. It is not losing water to fast but it is still a big problem for me. I am now on a hunt for a cheap tank either to hold the fish while I fix the old tank or a new tank to house the fish. So if anyone has a tank for a fare price and you are in the Newark DE local hit me up. For my fish I will not mind a drive either and I have a pick up. :goldfish: :fish: