holes under the chin of my ypung oscar

Question
I HAVE NOTICED THAT MY 3" LONG OSCAR HAS DEVELOPED HOLES UNDER HIS CHIN- IS THIS HOLE-IN-THE-HEAD DISEASE? IF SO , HOW DO i treat it?

Answer
Hey Ben,

Your Oscar could very well be suffering Hole-in-the-head. There is not any one sure reason for this condition, so treatment is vague, at best. I've had other fish with similar symptoms, and to treat them took quite a bit of work!

First, make sure the tank is at least 78*, for Oscars, preferably more. If it's low, gradually raise it over a few hours. If you're going up more then 5* break it down to a day or two. Too much change, too quickly will aggravate the problem. Second, test the salinity of the water. Oscars especially require a certain amount of salt. However, all freshwater fish benefit from it. Be sure to balance pH, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, hardness, phosphates, and other water quality factors. After you have your water to a perfect quality level, you should probably see improvement within a day or so, without any further work. However, keeping the water at this level is key. If you fix it now, and let it slack again in a few days, the problem wont improve. So, to ensure your fish heals up check at your local petco, petsmart, or live fish supplier for a general cure medication. Read the labels and find one for hole-in-the-head. Maradel offers one, and I trust their products. Along with good water, aquarium salt, and around 80*F water, your fish should be in prime shape to fight off whatever ales it. Medication, and a very vitamin rich diet will only make it easier. Flake, bloodworms, fresh broccoli (just the dark green tops that the fish can eat) and other good, healthy food will boost the immune system of the fish, and help in healing.

Hole-in-the-head is most often said to be caused by poor water, poor food, and other easily cured quality control issues. It's not impossible to cure, but once a fish gets it, it will become more likely to get it again in the future. So, a lifestyle change is in order for your fish, and it's aquarium. This means weekly water control tests, and strict diet, temperature, and water control will ensure a healthy fish for life.

After you notice the holes seem to stop growing, and new ones stop appearing, you can return the tank temperature to a nice 78 to 80. During treatment, 82 is ideal. Because cichlids (Oscars) are warm, brackish water fish, any other tropicals (if you have any) really need a separate tank.

Hope all this helps, and hope your Oscar heals up! The tissue growth will be slow, like a recovery from tail rot or other serious decay. But when treatment takes effect, it will stop getting worse immediately. Best of luck, and best wishes.