My O has HITH. I am familiar with the disease but, until now none of my fish have had it. What are the best meds to treat it with available in the US. Do I need to do anything else to protect my good bacteria?

Your best bet is to keep your water in PERFECT condition.. Nitrates below 20ppm... And give him time... Do we have any idea what caused it?

Not really. I test my water before every water change and it is always 0 amonia 0 nitrites 6.4 ph and 10 ppm nitrates. He is a year old and when I first got him I had water issues for a month or 2. In the last 10 months perfect.

Maybe the water issues in the beginning compromised his immune system??? I would just keep your water good, and make sure it doesn't get any worse... It will take a LONG time to heal!

Bad water quality is the most common cause, as nicksue says maybe the early poor water has caused the problem, or maybe stress. how big is the tank and what tankmates are there

what are you testing with, bottle types or strips (can be unreliable). If you are using bottle types you can check they are giving an accurate result by comparing your test results with a sample given to a LFS

Thanks for the help. I am testing with the API Master kit(test tubes). Tank mates are 2 JDs and 1 jewel in a 120 US gal. FX5 filter. As advised I will keep an eye on him. Thanks again.

shannon wrote:

exposure to bad water earlier can be a factor but should have healed within
that period of good water condition....can you post picture??? perhaps your
o just got injured himself/herself with something sharp inside the tank...

My camera is broken at the moment. The wound is about the diameter of a button on a shirt. It is perfectly round and white in color. About an 1/8 of an inch deep.

did this HITH develop quickly or slowly

it does sound like HITH but we cant say for sure without a pic

It has developed over the last few months. It seems to get better than it comes back. I am working on a pic to better help you guys. Until then I am watching my water closely.

sounds like HITH

Best cure is to keep water quality as good as possible which means extra water changes

Also dont overfeed, only feed what they will eat in 2 or 3 mins (twice a day if under 6 inch, once a day over that)

Thanks,will do.