wow, very informative, thanks! now i know why when i had my cichlids on started to develop holes in the head, now i know why... they ate feeder fish. =/ too late now, but lesson learned.
HOLE IN THE HEAD + THIAMINASE - What you need to know!!!!!!
- Thread starter Miles
- Start date
Source : http://www.peteducation.com/article....+2160&aid=2586:
Freshwater Hole in the Head Disease Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith
Hole in the head disease is a fairly common disease of freshwater fish that primarily affects cichlids, discus, and oscars. Another common name for this disease is Freshwater Head and Lateral Line Erosion (FHLLE). There are several suspected causes of this disease, and while it can be fatal, if treated early, most fish can survive. This article will describe the symptoms, causes, and treatments of this common problem.
Causes of hole in the head disease
The exact cause of hole in the head disease has yet to be determined. There are, however, several very solid theories that link certain conditions with an increase in the incidence of the disease. The presence of any one of the causative factors may not be responsible for the disease, but a combination of two or more factors is likely to create disease symptoms.
A common contributing cause is the flagellate parasite Hexamita. This parasite primarily infects the intestinal tract, but then spreads to the gall bladder, abdominal cavity, spleen, and kidneys. As the disease progresses, the classical lesions of hole in the head disease appear. These lesions will open up and may discharge small white threads that contain parasitic larvae. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections may then develop in these openings and may lead to a more serious disease, and death.
Another popular theory is that a mineral or a vitamin imbalance may contribute to the development of this disease. Some aquarists have claimed a link between the use of activated carbon and an increase in the disease. Some people feel that the carbon may remove some of the beneficial minerals found in the water leading to an increased incidence in the disease. At the same time, the mineral imbalance may be caused by an increase in Hexamita organisms in the intestine, which may lead to malabsorption and a decrease in the absorption of the needed vitamins and minerals.
Conditions that create stress will also increase the incidence of this disease. Poor water quality, improper nutrition, or overcrowding are all stressors that can cause a problem. Because the disease is often associated with older fish, there may be a link with decreased function of the immune system in these older fish and an increase in the incidence of the disease.
Signs
The signs include pitting-type lesions on the head and lateral line. The condition may be mild at first, but if changes to the environment and treatment are not initiated, the holes will become larger and secondary bacterial and fungal infections will develop. These lesions can eventually create a severe infection and the fish becomes systemically ill with loss of appetite and death.
Treatment
Because there may be multiple causes of this disease, the treatment usually consists of taking a multi-faceted approach. The goal is to rid the fish of Hexamita, improve water quality, and improve vitamin/mineral supplementation and nutrition.
A common treatment for infection with Hexamita includes the addition of the antibiotic metronidazole to the treatment tank housing the infected fish. Water quality must be closely watched, and the water quality adjusted to the exact standards required for the fish. Improving nutrition by adding fresh or frozen meaty foods or vegetables in the form of seaweed strips or lightly steamed broccoli may help. Make sure to target the nutrition to the species you are treating. For example, some cichlids are primarily vegetarians, whereas oscars are carnivores. In cases where secondary bacterial infections are present, additional antibiotics such as Maracyn, Kanacyn, or Furan may be needed. When treating this or any disease, try to use a separate treatment tank and treat as soon as the first symptoms appear.
Prevention
Prevention primarily focuses on reducing any stress affecting the fish. Stress, whether in the form of parasites, poor nutrition, or poor water quality all cause a suppression of the fish's immune system, which makes them more susceptible to this or any other disease.
If you own cichlids, oscars, or discus this is a disease that may occur in your tank. Be able to recognize the disease and take prompt steps to initiate early treatment; provide optimum water conditions; and feed the best possible diet. If managed and maintained properly, your fish should improve and not develop the disease again in the future.
Freshwater Hole in the Head Disease Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith
Hole in the head disease is a fairly common disease of freshwater fish that primarily affects cichlids, discus, and oscars. Another common name for this disease is Freshwater Head and Lateral Line Erosion (FHLLE). There are several suspected causes of this disease, and while it can be fatal, if treated early, most fish can survive. This article will describe the symptoms, causes, and treatments of this common problem.
Causes of hole in the head disease
The exact cause of hole in the head disease has yet to be determined. There are, however, several very solid theories that link certain conditions with an increase in the incidence of the disease. The presence of any one of the causative factors may not be responsible for the disease, but a combination of two or more factors is likely to create disease symptoms.
A common contributing cause is the flagellate parasite Hexamita. This parasite primarily infects the intestinal tract, but then spreads to the gall bladder, abdominal cavity, spleen, and kidneys. As the disease progresses, the classical lesions of hole in the head disease appear. These lesions will open up and may discharge small white threads that contain parasitic larvae. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections may then develop in these openings and may lead to a more serious disease, and death.
Another popular theory is that a mineral or a vitamin imbalance may contribute to the development of this disease. Some aquarists have claimed a link between the use of activated carbon and an increase in the disease. Some people feel that the carbon may remove some of the beneficial minerals found in the water leading to an increased incidence in the disease. At the same time, the mineral imbalance may be caused by an increase in Hexamita organisms in the intestine, which may lead to malabsorption and a decrease in the absorption of the needed vitamins and minerals.
Conditions that create stress will also increase the incidence of this disease. Poor water quality, improper nutrition, or overcrowding are all stressors that can cause a problem. Because the disease is often associated with older fish, there may be a link with decreased function of the immune system in these older fish and an increase in the incidence of the disease.
Signs
The signs include pitting-type lesions on the head and lateral line. The condition may be mild at first, but if changes to the environment and treatment are not initiated, the holes will become larger and secondary bacterial and fungal infections will develop. These lesions can eventually create a severe infection and the fish becomes systemically ill with loss of appetite and death.
Treatment
Because there may be multiple causes of this disease, the treatment usually consists of taking a multi-faceted approach. The goal is to rid the fish of Hexamita, improve water quality, and improve vitamin/mineral supplementation and nutrition.
A common treatment for infection with Hexamita includes the addition of the antibiotic metronidazole to the treatment tank housing the infected fish. Water quality must be closely watched, and the water quality adjusted to the exact standards required for the fish. Improving nutrition by adding fresh or frozen meaty foods or vegetables in the form of seaweed strips or lightly steamed broccoli may help. Make sure to target the nutrition to the species you are treating. For example, some cichlids are primarily vegetarians, whereas oscars are carnivores. In cases where secondary bacterial infections are present, additional antibiotics such as Maracyn, Kanacyn, or Furan may be needed. When treating this or any disease, try to use a separate treatment tank and treat as soon as the first symptoms appear.
Prevention
Prevention primarily focuses on reducing any stress affecting the fish. Stress, whether in the form of parasites, poor nutrition, or poor water quality all cause a suppression of the fish's immune system, which makes them more susceptible to this or any other disease.
If you own cichlids, oscars, or discus this is a disease that may occur in your tank. Be able to recognize the disease and take prompt steps to initiate early treatment; provide optimum water conditions; and feed the best possible diet. If managed and maintained properly, your fish should improve and not develop the disease again in the future.
now i've been feeding my fish flake food for a long time ( not a name brand it's just a special breeder mix i buy) but your saying pellets are better. Whats the best brand i can pick up from my lfs? like i dont wanna hunt around the world, i dont drive.
This is a great thread as my oscar has hole in head. Here is what i have been feeding/waterchange, brime shrimp frozen, mix with tetracichlid flakes, i did one 50% water change and i dont put salt in tank since i have a channel cat and dont think they can handle salt.... So is what i am feeding good, should i add salt or will it hurt cat? how about the water change more frequent, less %any help would be great....
Sounds like its mainly shellfish that tend to carry thiamine destroying enzymes. Fish fillets such as trout, bass, and cod are good, and not sure about SW fillets..
The main idea is not to over-feed or primarily feed products that are carp-like (goldfish) or shellfish (shrimp).. it can have a negative effect long-term.
Worms have a great amount of nutritional variety.. supplementing them with the other foods you mentioned should be a good varied diet. Just keep in mind not to overfeed with these many fatty and high protein food, it can lead to other long-term health issues like fatty liver disease.
Other types of fish display it in different ways.. I recently had a friend inherit some very large Syndontis eupterus and a large parrot fish, all about 8". They all suffered horribly from lateral line erosion, and pitting craters near the head, but not nearly as bad as seen on Oscars. Tank maintenance consisted of breaking down the 29g tank once a year to hose off the undergravel filter.. no water changes.
You also see this quite often in many types of saltwater fish due to nutritional deficiencies due to it being nearly impossible to re-create some dietary requirements of saltwater fihs.
Not so much a short mineral boost, but a short boost in electrolytes. The sudden influx of dissolved solids in the water will relieve an osmosis system for a short period, but its only a temporary supplement as fish need a variety of solids (nutrients) to osmoregulate properly. Salt has other side effects that offer short term 'tonic' like effects (slime coat stimulation, increase ion exchange resulting in better gill/oxgyen function, etc).. but a high concentration of salt can put alot of 'pressure' on a fish that doesn't usually deal with alot of solids in the water. It's especially less beneficial if the existing aquarium water is nutrient deprived, as it disallows the fish to absorb a variety of nutrients.
Fish that naturally come from water that are high in solids (rift lake, brackish) will benefit from the use of salt, much more so than fish from soft water (amazon).. However, if you think about the fact that 'aquarium salt' does not effect pH - it's because its much less complex and diverse with nutrients and minerals. Even rift lake salts raise the pH, and are specific to each lake, due to the complexity of the minerals those products contain.
IMO, 'Aquarium Salt' is completely worthless except for using it as a treatment for parasites (Ich) and other health issues. I look at similar to antibiotics - If you take them all the time they will become less effective. Save the salt for when you need it.. if you are worried about adding solids to the water because the fish 'thrive' in those environments, use habitat specific buffers (rift lake, brackish) and water changes to replenish nutrients.
Hope that made better sense?
first off i want to say that this is a great thread and i love it and found it very informative and its a great topic
i must disagree with you on the salt though, first off every body of water has some salt content, and it is very helpful to have salt in the tank that is equivilent to that of the natural fishes habitat, however not necesary for all fish it is helpful and reduces stress, salt also does not become weaker on treatment of ick and other parasites like antibiotics do and that is because salt is a mineral unlike antibiotics. also salt, like distilled water has a nuetral ph of zero, this is true for every type of salt, if there is an increase of ph from salt then there is something else present raising the ph. salt is also imperative for electrolytes, without salt nerves can not communicate properly which is where twitching in fish can come from, most foods have some sodium content and is why there is very little problems with that in aquariums. electrolytes conduct electricity in water, which is how nerves comunicate, if you took distilled water, it would not actually conduct electricity very well, it actually needs some sort of metallic substance, even if very small to conduct electricity, dont try sticking your hand in water to test, there is salt all over you from sweat, lol
this maybe very confusing for some people, i have a hard time explaining things, so if you have questions about it please ask and i apologize,
and i think feeder goldfish are bad because of many different reason, besides thiamine. they are held in small with tons and tons of other fish, so they are constantly under extreme stress which makes them highly vulnerable to parasites and disease, as well as never having adequit filtrations for the volume and bioload. they are also not very nurtitional and very fatty. i beleive that cichlids best thrive on eating what they do in the wild, and for predatory cichlids, thats other cichlids, so i think that breeding convicts for feeding oscars and such are the best way to go. with obvious supplements.
i also just got some frontosas and was wondering if anyone thought if feeding them salmon bellies would be a good staple, along with supplements
and as for your oscar, you can add a small amount of salt without hurting the cat, you just have to make sure you dissolve the salt completely in a bucket before adding the salt, and dump it in by the filter for fast distribution, you could esliy "burn" the cat fish if not added properly, catfish dont have scales so they are more prone to being hurt by high concentrations of salt
I personaly hate feeding gold fish!
they can cause dieseise to. I feed fish (like my oscar) sword tails and platies. for one there alot cheeper than to keep buying golf fish! and they breed like rabits! and if they are born in one tank they usualy dont have harmfull deisies. but thats just my therory.
they can cause dieseise to. I feed fish (like my oscar) sword tails and platies. for one there alot cheeper than to keep buying golf fish! and they breed like rabits! and if they are born in one tank they usualy dont have harmfull deisies. but thats just my therory.A fish I want to add to the list for containing thiaminase is SMELT!!!
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/fisheries/smelt_mystery
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/fisheries/smelt_mystery
