My oscars have hole in the head.

Question
Hello, my oscars have "hole in the head." They are in a 55 gallon, i have three of them from 5 to 7 inches. I change their water bi-weekly is that really not enough? How can i treat this problem? I have heard of using Melafix, but I don't know what it is or where to get it. If you could tell me what to do in my situation I would really be grateful, thank yuou and Merry Christmas.

Answer
Good evening Joshua, and thank you for your question. Merry Christmas to you as well!

I am sorry to hear about your oscars. HITH or HLLE (Head and Lateral Line Erosion) is a disease most commonly found in cichlids. The exact causes are not exactly confirmed. The theory used to be that internal parasites were responsible. Now it is believed that the real culprit is a nutritional deficiency similar to scurvy in humans.

This is what I recommend you do. Continue your water change schedule. About 25% twice a week is what I would recommend. If you are treating in a hospital tank, that would be best, but if you are treating in the main tank then remove the carbon from your filters. Watch for ammonia spikes because adding medication to your main tank will harm your biological filter. You might find yourself needing to do water changes daily if levels become unacceptable...

Some aquarists have had success treating with Clout. This medication is commonly available at most fish stores. You can go this route, or you can treat with a combination of Nitrofurazone (1) and Metronidazole (2). This would be my choice. Look for the name Furan (1) and for Hikari's Metro + (2) which is used for this purpose. You can find it at www.drsfosterandsmith.com if your LFS doesn't stock it.

Treat according to the package's recommendations and again, watch that your water remains at safe levels. Add extra aeration as medicines tend to lower the dissolved oxygen in the tank water. Once the disease is arrested, you will want to rethink what you have been feeding your oscar. A diet too high in protein and fat is likely what is at play here.

I must take a moment to say, Joshua, that if you are feeding your oscar feeder goldfish, cease this practice immediately! They are a source of disease, not nutrition, and they make your oscar meaner, too. This website has a recipe for oscar food that can't be beat, it also has a lot of useful information that will help you understand HLLE:

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

Vitamin C is key in the recovery process, so soak all foods from now in either liquid baby vitamins, or a proprietary liquid vitamin such as VitaChem by Boyd Enterprises. Offer fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C and see if your oscar will accept them - dark green veggies are good for fish too, not just people! Read more about oscar feeding from one of my favorite fishy websites, WWM:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarfdgfaqs.htm

Follow these steps as well as your usual good care and your oscar will have a chance to recover. The progression of HLLE is painful to watch. I am very sorry that you did not get the right advice at the pet store. While Melafix may be useful in some situations (I use it myself as an alternative to StressCoat, mostly for transit purposes or wound management), it will absolutely not help here. It might still be handy to have, if you believe in homeopathics and the power of tea tree oil...

Good luck to you! Feel free to write back anytime with more questions. Have a nice holiday weekend.

Nicole