white holes on head

[davothegreat]

please help this poor discus its gone black and both its tail and petrol fins are rotting away as well its dot small holes in its head and some of them are white. i have taken it out of the tank and pu it in a rampard tank. the temp is 27 deg and the water came from a breeding seup with surviving fry but i dont know the water bits and pices. his very skiny but he came out of a comunity tank with about 50-75 other discus soi think he couldnt get a feed.

[sharn]

wow, im not sure bout the fins (could be fin rot or couldve been nipped). the head dots look like ich or are they indented like somethings eating away at its head? it will most likely be ich if it looks like hes been sprinkled with salt and normally heat at salt cures that. i would also up your temp to 28-30 the warmer water will make him feel better.

50-75 discus is alot, how big was the tank and was it a raising tank? cause thats alot of discus and these probs could be related to water quality. keep the water clean and warm and someone should be along to help you more soon

[Merrilyn]

Dave, that is one very sick fish. Is that one of Dad's fish? It's easy to overlook a sick fish in such a large group.

He's got an advanced case of Hexemita, or Hole In the Head disease. Recovery is still possible at this stage, but remember, he is a very sick fish, and may not make it.

It can be transmitted to your other fish, possibly thru contaminated droppings, although little scientific work has been done in this area. It is believed that the pathogen responsible for Hole in the Head (also known by a variety of other names such as Hex, head and lateral line erosion and wasting disease) is Spironucleus Vortens.

An infected fish may show one or several of the following symptoms:-

Skin lesions around the head area.
Turning dark.
Refusing to eat.
White jelly like droppings.
Muscle wasting and pinched appearance above the eyes.

The best drug to use is Metronidazole (Flagyl) which you will need to get from your local vet. Ring first to see if he will prescribe it after seeing a photo of the fish, or if he insists on seeing the fish himself.

1. Do a 30% water change.
2. Set the temperature to 30 degrees, no higher.
3. Add 400 mg Metro per 40 Litres of water. Crush tablets to fine powder and mix with water to form a paste before adding to the tank.
4. After 8 hours, do another 30% water change and repeat the dose. This should be done for a total of 10 days.
5. During treatment the tank lights should be left off. Metro is affected by light.
6. A variety of good quality, high protein food with added vitamins and minerals should be fed several times daily. Include prepared dry food, beef heart, brine shrimp, green vegetable matter and blood worms in the diet. Remove any uneaten food and keep the water very clean.

If any of the other fish are showing similar symptoms, they will need to be treated too.

Good luck, and keep me posted.

[axelfaz]

hi mate could u please tell me if the white dots on the head are like a pimple or fungus coming out of the holes.

Cameron

[davothegreat]

the hoes are about 2mm deep and some have white stuff at th bottom and some look like they may have healed but left a hole

[davothegreat]

i just had another close look and its colour as kinda come back that is to say that its not dark any more but considering its a blue fish its gone gray. also one of the holes has not puss but something coming out of it, almost when you get a scab and it gets water loged in the surf

[sharn]

if theyre indented their HITH (hole in the head) need to treat for that pronto cause its fatal if you dont act quick. if its pimple like and they pop it could be lymho but my best on HITH

[Merrilyn]

There's no doubt about the diagnosis Dave. Were you able to get some metro from the vet, or if you have a look through dad's box of supplies, you may find some there. Most fishkeepers keep some on hand.