CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Evening All

Just having a quite weekend, doing the usual stuff, and I got to wondering about my severums.

Basically, I moved house about a month back, and both fish developed hole in the head (I blame it on tank cycle, plus they started to kill each other when I put them back together…cichlids eh? Can never remember neon tetras doing that lol)

So here’s my question. I know the cause for the illness (combination of stress, poor water quality, poor diet etc, all of which I can account for in the last few months… but have since resolved) but what is the cure?

Water quality has returned to normal, their both eating again, they’ve stopped fighting, I’ve removed carbon from the filter…just to be sure, and they’ve just started spawning again, but the holes refuse to heal over.

Any hints, tips etc would be greatly appreciated as always.

Water params:
Ammonia – 0
Nitrates – 0
Ph - 8.4 – (Apparently my council have been putting concrete in my water)

Cheers
Craig

I've had to deal with Hith only once, but what worked for me was a commercial med called Clout. For a description of how it worked, go to the "Oscar Disease References" sticky in the Oscar forum and go to the home.elp.rr.com address listed there and maneuver to the Hith section. 

Cheers Mark - Knew there was a disease forum around somewhere.

Looks like im doing the right things at any rate.

Also, set about the delightful task of getting my Ph down to about 7.

Anyone tried filtering through peat moss to create softer water? any problems i might be introducing etc?

Weirdly, put the moss in a sock, in my filter last night, PH has come down to 7.2 and the severums laid their first clutch of eggs in about 2 years.

Go figure eh?

Cheers again
Craig

Craig, might try some salt in the water, not sure how the fry would be with that, but it seems to help with clearing up HiTH .

Fry Fuzzy? that would imply that my severums where even remotely decent parents.

Nah, back to old habits i'm afraid, they started fighting, then ate the eggs (probably for the best, didn't fancy trying to sell a shed load of fry, haven't done that since my cory days)

Will pop by the LFs on the ride home and get some salts.

The hith isn't getting any "worse" now they have stopped fighting and started eating, but the holes aren't healing as i'd have expected.

Cheers for the help
Craig

Craig OK so I jumped the gun, on the fry. As for HiTH, it does take time, can be a few months. Depends on how bad, and deep the pits get. In some real bad case's they heal, but its like in ppl with sever acne. the scars remain.

Ah no worries on the Fry fuzzy.

Ive been going through why the eggs get fungus, heres the short list.

Both female = Nope
Bad water = Nope
Pleco eats eggs = Nope
Bad parents / Sterile male = maybe
Pain the arse = Definitely.

Can keep trying eh?

looks like the hith is starting to go into recession at any rate.

Cheers for the help.