Hi,

Galactus isn't looking his best. He has had what I think is HITH slowly growing on either side of his head. It has been a while now, I have been doing water changes (approx 25%, daily) then a filter clean out last week, left it for a week. Did a 25% change today.

Water readings
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 10ppm
pH - 7.4
Ammonia - 0ppm

He is in a 4foot tank, with heater, airstones, large cannister filter, no tank mates.

One of his eyes are looking glazed and there are holes on one of his bottom fins. Holes forming on either side of his head, still eating.

Mostly fed on frozen cichlid pellets, trying to get him to eat cichlid pellets but he's not digging them and just spits them out.

This evening I have added 15ml of metafix, he does not like it.

I will attach pictures shortly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Will await photos

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Possibly the start of something but what I can see from your photos, it certainly isn't very bad. The water parameters you have posted seem perfectly acceptable and if they are indeed correct, I do not see how your fish to develop hith. It's difficult to know what to suggest, there does not seem much point in us suggesting you carry out extra tank maintenance because the water is very good. Like I said, I can't see anything that is the real cause for concern.

When you say you cleaned your filter, did you wash all of the media, if so, how did you do it?

The main problem is his left side. The hole under his side fin is getting bigger, it's not deep but getting wider. The fin at the bottom has holes in it

I cleaned the media, just with normal water, I have done it like this before. Should I medicate the water? I have already with 15ml cichlid melafix.

Could it be his diet, he is very fussy and seems to eat frozen food mainly. He won't eat veggies. He eats pellets, but they were cheap ones that I bought ages ago and I'm not sure I should feed them to him. I bought expensive 'large cichlid' pellets but he hates them.

I don't think the diet has anything to do with it. Most Oscars would turn their noses up to veggies anyway so I didn't think that they will develop problems just because they won't eat vegetables. What test kits are you using? Are you absolutely positive that the water is good?

i can see what you mean with the fin. rest of him don't look at all bad. melafix should sort the fin but to be honest so will regular maintenance. has the tank and water conditions always been as good or has there been a laps and some poorer conditions a few wks back. any damage should heal but may take a wk or so too even start looking better. If you have melafix in the tank already you may as well continue it. feeding may stop with melafix. they tend to mouth the food but not swallow it.

the dose you have given is for a 120L tank? 5ml per 40L of water. its a daily treatment over 7 days. make sure you follow the instruction.

Melafix will treat wounds and abrasions but it's not really a medication that will treat bacterial or fungal infections so if this keeps getting worse, it may be a case of trying another medication. Have you got any other fish in the tank

Could it be you have a powerleakage from any of your equipment.
That can also be a reason for beginning HITH.

Keep your water good and things should heal up quite quickly

would you happen to have carbon in your filtration system?