Possible vitamin deficiency

Question
My boyfriend has an Oscar, and over time it's developed holes in it's face (it's really the best way to describe it). I've read that a vitamin C deficiency could result in ulcerations in the skin...  What do you think?

Answer
Hi Jill,
 That condition is what we call "hole in the head".  It is a complicated thing but the bottom line is this: hole in the head is a symptom, not a disease itself.  There may be multiple causes of this symptom but the most likely one is the presence of too many dissolved organics in the water.  Basically, you need to do more frequent water changes.  The problem is that oscars eat alot and they are messy eaters. That puts a lot of organic matter into the water which tends to be associated with the breakdown of the skin in oscars (particularly on the head, around the sensory pores).  The best thing that you (or he) can do, is to change 25% of the water in the tank once a week, EVERY week.  That will do more than anything.   

 There are medicines out there that claim to treat hole in the head.  What they do is kill certain bacteria that are found in the holes.  However, increasingly we are thinking that the bacteria are a secondary infection that appear after the holes develop and not the actual cause of the holes. So, you can buy and use the medicines, but my suggestion is to do the water changes and that will be your best move.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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