AquaticSuppliers.com     Golden State Discus

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 29 of 29

Thread: White stuff on the head

  1. #16
    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Halifax,Canada
    Posts
    2,498
    Real Name
    Mervin

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Here is a good read and interesting post about Hex. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...bout-Hexamita)

  2. #17
    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Halifax,Canada
    Posts
    2,498
    Real Name
    Mervin

    Default Re: White stuff on the head


  3. #18
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    14
    Real Name
    Ratin Rahman

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Sorry about late response, the problem is I dont have a QT setup already cycled, I have one, its not cycled so I was hesitant to move it there but if I will be changing 75% water daily then I think I can just set one up now, what do you guys think?

    Thanks for all of your suggestions. I have been already changing water and re-dosing metro + salt daily (metro both thru ingestion of food and mixing with water). I put in a high capacity air bubbler to mitigate from O2 loss due to temperature as I am keeping the tank at 90 degree F. Today I saw her trying to eat but then spitting out. Thats an improvement because all the while she was just hiding in the corner. But too early to tell.

    As I mentioned earlier, I previously had one fish with HINT disease (visible holes) and I cured him with 90 degree water/ Metro / Salt / Melafix combination. At that time this same fish also showed symptoms of not eating and hiding and I placed both of them in a QT and treated them, both got cured. Luckily I already had the QT cycled at that time.

    But this time the symptom this time doesnt match up. Its a bump, not a hole. I saw a youtube video of someone's fish having the same stringy stuff coming out, and he was treating the fish with something called fagolla if I remember it right - so that seems to be an bacterial treatment.

    I got some great advices, ph swing is a possibility since KH is low. I have been adding Seachem Equilibrium to my RO water, but I think I might up the dose. Time to invest into a good water test kit. We will see what happens next after I move her to a QT.

    Thanks
    Ratin

  4. #19
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Moselle, MS
    Posts
    13,067

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    What the other person used was called Flagyl. It's metro in dog/cat form. How big is your QT tank? If it's a 20 or 29 you should be fine with 75% daily, but keep an eye on the fish and it shows signs of stress go to 90% for a few days. I'm not sure about the Equilibrium. I'll look it up later. Remind me of what your kH is again.
    Mama Bear

  5. #20
    Silver Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    399
    Real Name
    Don Speers

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Equilibrium uses 100% sulfate as the anion in the salts to increase gH (primarily Mg and Ca and a little Fe and I forget the 4th) does not impact kH at all. Need carbonate or bicarbonate salts to influence kH and provide buffer. Can use baking soda, crushed coral, Alk Buffer from Seachem, etc. go slow, always raises pH.

    As long as you change enough water to keep your API ammonia reading between 0-0.25 you do not need to worry about the tank being seasoned. 75%/day WC should do it but test to confirm.

    Given the bulge and white exudate, that looks to me like a small abscess complicating the underlying HITH, still think you should consider adding an antibiotic covering gm+, also suggested even trying drainage as treating abscesses (at least in mammals) is extraordinarily difficult with antibiotics alone. If trying drainage seems out there then plan b would be to add a PP bath daily to the regimen to try and hit whatever bacteria is causing this both externally and internally. Good luck.

  6. #21
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Moselle, MS
    Posts
    13,067

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Thanks Don. I never got around to looking it up. I've raised fish from eggs to adult size using RO only. I never tested the water back then but if I had a pH spike or crash the fish never showed any sign of stress. As far as I'm concerned, if you change enough water with stable aged water you get no crashes or spikes. I could be wrong, but that's my experience.
    Mama Bear

  7. #22
    Registered Member Coffee1stLife2nd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Isanti,Minnesota
    Posts
    328
    Real Name
    Tina

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    so Liz do you use RO water (what percentage) and age it or do you use tap or well water and age it??? ive read alot of different opinions on using RO water... is there a good read on using RO water somewhere?
    ** I use to dream of Unicorns ** NOW I dream of Discus with the colors of the Rainbow **

  8. #23
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Moselle, MS
    Posts
    13,067

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    These days I only use aged RO mixed with tap for breeding. I use as much RO as it takes to get the TDS down to around 30. All the rest of the fish get aged tap.
    Mama Bear

  9. #24
    Silver Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    399
    Real Name
    Don Speers

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Is that specific to discus or your rams as well?

  10. #25
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    14
    Real Name
    Ratin Rahman

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Thanks everybody that gave me valuable advice. It was indeed hole in the head disease. My fish went thru a bump on the head followed by a big hole in the head. And now recovered completely with just a disappearing scur. I used sort of non traditional methods of curing it, with human metronidazole (Flgyl tablet) medicine that I had lying around, grinding and directly applying on and around that fish (she wasn't eating at all for at least 3 weeks). Earlier I used Metroplex but came to know its not really metro (or may be very low dose, plus its super expensive if you have a big tank). The usual seachem paraguard or melafix, added UV light for killing pathogens, kept water temp at 90 degrees and doing 5 gallon water changes everyday. Added the usual mineral replacement, salt as usual after each water change along with the meds. And no I didnt move my fish to a separate tank, I figured all of my fish probably would develop hexamita so might as well prevent them from getting it as well. Also I think discus fish are social animals, she saw her peers eating food and she started nibbling on food but throwing them out, but as time progressed she started eating (by this time I started adding vitamix in the food). Now she is eating aggressively, and other fishes are healthy and active. its been very hectic 3 weeks for me but I am glad that I didnt give up on her. Thanks again for valuable advices.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ratin3; 10-03-2021 at 03:13 PM.

  11. #26
    Silver Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    399
    Real Name
    Don Speers

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Unique approach, regardless, very glad the fish recovered. Thanks for the update. You mentioned salt, just curious, did you use NaCl or Epsom salt

  12. #27
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    14
    Real Name
    Ratin Rahman

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Quote Originally Posted by dspeers View Post
    Unique approach, regardless, very glad the fish recovered. Thanks for the update. You mentioned salt, just curious, did you use NaCl or Epsom salt
    Its the API aquarium salt I bought from Amazon. Best description I have is one of the answers to a question about its ingrediuents:

    API Aquarium Salt is made from Evaporated Sea Salt. API Aquarium Salt provides essential electrolytes that freshwater fish need. All freshwater aquarium do better with API Aquarium Salt. So while it is made from evaporated sea salt it is not the appropriate formulation for synthetic seawater for saltwater aquariums. Synthetic Seawater Salts contain pH & KH buffers, saltwater trace elements and minerals at higher levels than what is appropriate for freshwater aquariums . API Aquarium Salt is great to grow brine shrimp but is not the best selection for saltwater aquariums.

  13. #28
    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Halifax,Canada
    Posts
    2,498
    Real Name
    Mervin

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Sodium chloride is sodium chloride no matter if it's in table salt, sea salt, road salt, pickling salt or the more expensive API aquarium salt, which is just sodium chloride. But you're correct about the salt used in SW tanks. Most have table salt on hand even tho it has anti caking agents in it. You should never use salt long term for South American fish from the Amazon River. Only for short term treatments.

  14. #29
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2021
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    14
    Real Name
    Ratin Rahman

    Default Re: White stuff on the head

    Yes, Its also not good for plants and loaches. I used small quantity though, only one table spoon for 90 gallon.

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Cafepress