I have 2 oscars in a 55 gallon tank, both have Hole-In-The-Head, and one is apparantly about to die due to the larger of the two picking on her. I am just curious 'cuz of one of two actions I might perform. One: is transfering the weaker of the two into my 20 gallon occupied by another Oscar who is healthy. Or two: After the weaker dies, I might eventually transfer my healthy Oscar into the larger tank. I just don't want my healthy Oscar to catch the fatal disease if it is contagious.
Is HITH contagious?
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try these links
http://208.51.130.220/~mojo/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=AF;action=display ;num=1042431588;start=4
try these links
There are two separate diseases in the hobby referred to as HITH. One is contagious, the other isn't. If you do a search here at AC, you will be able to find numerous threads that discuss this issue.
In the meantime, there are several things you can do. The first is to increase your water changes and possible add a little crushed coral (1 tsp or so) to the tank to increase its buffering capacity. That generally doesn't hurt in these situations. Because both of your tanks are overcrowded, you should be changing 50% of the water per week at a minimum. I would also take the Oscar in the 20 gallon tank back to your favorite LFS, because it will not do well in such a small tank and the ones in the 55 are already overcrowded (even just one oscar in that tank would be pushing it, in fact).
In the 55, since both fish are already affected and are having relationship problems to boot, you should try buying some "egg crate" divider material (available at any hardware store for about $5 per sheet), and make a divider for your tank. The divider will let water pass back and forth easily, and you can hold it in place with suction cup/bracket heater holders that they sell for units like Ebo Jaegers as replacements.
With greater water changes and coral buffering, and reduced stress from separation, your oscars should recover if they have the less serious version of HITH. The scars will then eventually heal over.
Good luck.
In the meantime, there are several things you can do. The first is to increase your water changes and possible add a little crushed coral (1 tsp or so) to the tank to increase its buffering capacity. That generally doesn't hurt in these situations. Because both of your tanks are overcrowded, you should be changing 50% of the water per week at a minimum. I would also take the Oscar in the 20 gallon tank back to your favorite LFS, because it will not do well in such a small tank and the ones in the 55 are already overcrowded (even just one oscar in that tank would be pushing it, in fact).
In the 55, since both fish are already affected and are having relationship problems to boot, you should try buying some "egg crate" divider material (available at any hardware store for about $5 per sheet), and make a divider for your tank. The divider will let water pass back and forth easily, and you can hold it in place with suction cup/bracket heater holders that they sell for units like Ebo Jaegers as replacements.
With greater water changes and coral buffering, and reduced stress from separation, your oscars should recover if they have the less serious version of HITH. The scars will then eventually heal over.
Good luck.
Thank you for the info, I was under the impression HITH was incurable. I don't plan on getting rid of the 20g fish, infact I plan on moving him to the 55g after I nurse my two back to health and either sell or give the smaller one away either as a gift. The two in the 55g are mine, the one in the 20g belongs to my girlfriend. So in order to keep mine as well as hers, I need to give up one of mine.
Is there any particular diet I should follow? At the moment their meals are Hikari Chiclid Gold, meal worms, and any insects flying about that I can catch.
Is there any particular diet I should follow? At the moment their meals are Hikari Chiclid Gold, meal worms, and any insects flying about that I can catch.
