Hey Guys Great Site.
Thanks to your site me Oscar lived another day. I have had him/her for about 2 years. I rescued Oscar when he was just 3 inches long in my sons 10 gallon tank. What a sewer his ten gallon tank was. Well Oscar got an upgrade to a 40 gallon tank which I know is to small. Oscar is now more than 10 inches long and has a feeder fish friend that lived. Oscar lives with a 15cent comet goldfish that was 1 inch long and now is 6 or more inches long. They are buddies that I can;t believe get along very well. My Tank uses bio-wheel penguin filtration along with maxi-jet 900 feeding a coral life 3x 9watt UV sterilizer.
Oscar has the "hole in the head problem' I have just done a 50 percent water change and added Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Metronidazole/Praziquantel Treatment. I'm pretty sure he aquired this problem from my sons 10 gallon tank. The problem got larger as Oscar got larger.I had no idea what "hole in the head disease' until i read the information in your site. Thankyou! Oscar was not eating and both fish for gaspping for air at the top of the tank. I had this pink algae clump up all over everything overnight. plugged up my filtration and UV hoses?
I know i need a larger tank but, my wife won't let me spend the cash just yet. I do my water changes and tests every week. This is a great hobby and a super Oscar site.

Hi and welcome to the site.

As you said the tank you have is way too small for one oscar let alone a 10" O and a 6" goldfish. If there is no way you can get a larger tank then you may want to consider finding a new home for one of them. That would help lighten the bio load on the tank. I would also suggest that you increase the number of water changes you do to at least every other day tho every day would be better. The major cause of HITH is bad water conditions and bad diet.

johnl is right, major cause of HITH is bad water & bad diet while small tank contribute on water quality cycle.

i suggest you separate the two items while on treatment process. frequency of water change helps but pls do not do it drastically. 30% daily is ideal to retain cycled system.

welcome to the site

Hello and welcome to the site

hi and thanks for the welcome. Thanks for the tips. The treatment for Whole in the head is working.I do water changes 2x a week of about 25%. I never expected a 15 cent goldfish to live and eat Hikari Cichlid Gold Large Pellets and grow that big.

I put my Oscar through hell with that whole tank treatment. He or She went sideways a couple of times. Seems to have bounced right back with a couple of water changes and filter media changes. Oscar even turned a few shades of white! hardy fish.

Welcome to the site and also raise the temp on your Oscars water in the tank that will also help somewhat besides the water changes even with hold in the head still raise the temp because sometimes with the treatments may help speed up the process on healing it it will also cure if any ick has shown on the fish too.Either way welcome and good luck with the Oscar and your goldfish