Animallover😍
Fishaholic
Disco got hole in the head disease! How do I help him? Should I order metronidazole?
Hole in the head on betta!!
- Thread starter Animallover😍
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Lajos_Detari
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I don't see anything wrong with your fish or probably the picture isn't clear.
If it's hole in the head(HTH), you can use Metronidazole.
Avoid feeding with live or frozen food which may cause the HTH due to the Hexamita parasites.
Ensure that the tank water quality is good. If not, do a large water change.
Also, don't use activated carbon which according to some people may cause HTH.
You can use this Eiho Hexa or API General Cure which contains Metronidazole.
By the way, API General Cure quantity is quite limited.
If it's hole in the head(HTH), you can use Metronidazole.
Avoid feeding with live or frozen food which may cause the HTH due to the Hexamita parasites.
Ensure that the tank water quality is good. If not, do a large water change.
Also, don't use activated carbon which according to some people may cause HTH.
You can use this Eiho Hexa or API General Cure which contains Metronidazole.
By the way, API General Cure quantity is quite limited.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 149562
Guest
Are you sure he has not headbutted something in his aquarium?
Or tried to swim into a hide and caught himself?
Fish can be clumsy or often what feels smooth to us humans can be knife like or rough to a fish, so check your ornaments and anything else in the aquarium for sharp or rough edges....use a finger or a cotton bud...cotton buds are good cos they snag on things that a finger might not notice
Might not be illness or disease...could just be a very clumsy fish injury
Keep the water good and clean, multiple water changes for a week or two...don't go reaching for the medications unless you are absolutely 100% certain of the reason for the problem
Or tried to swim into a hide and caught himself?
Fish can be clumsy or often what feels smooth to us humans can be knife like or rough to a fish, so check your ornaments and anything else in the aquarium for sharp or rough edges....use a finger or a cotton bud...cotton buds are good cos they snag on things that a finger might not notice
Might not be illness or disease...could just be a very clumsy fish injury
Keep the water good and clean, multiple water changes for a week or two...don't go reaching for the medications unless you are absolutely 100% certain of the reason for the problem
OP
OP
Animallover😍
Fishaholic
I have edited it for you to see the holes...
There are not many ornaments in the tank, this is what it looks like.
and so many holes?! I doubt he hit his head.
There are not many ornaments in the tank, this is what it looks like.
and so many holes?! I doubt he hit his head.
OP
OP
Animallover😍
Fishaholic
I have not been feeding any live of frozen food lately.
D
Deleted member 149562
Guest
I am not so sure that it is anything more than his scales showing subtle colour changes...which afterall Betta are frequently doing during their lifespan, some like the marble gene do it in a very noticeable way and others do it in a more subtle way
If you look further back along his body, you can clearly see very similar darker patches on his scales...as per the line along his nose to his mid section is darker and duller than the rest of him
If he has not damaged himself by being spooked or being clumsy, it could well be just his natural ability to change colour...and as Betta get older, it is often a totally natural progression
Try not to automatically assume the worst.....animals of all species change their colours to suit themselves either by age or genetics...just as humans get grey hair as we get older, a Betta will change the colouring of its body throughout its life
If you look further back along his body, you can clearly see very similar darker patches on his scales...as per the line along his nose to his mid section is darker and duller than the rest of him
If he has not damaged himself by being spooked or being clumsy, it could well be just his natural ability to change colour...and as Betta get older, it is often a totally natural progression
Try not to automatically assume the worst.....animals of all species change their colours to suit themselves either by age or genetics...just as humans get grey hair as we get older, a Betta will change the colouring of its body throughout its life
OP
OP
Animallover😍
Fishaholic
Ok thank you.. I will see how it goes. He is also getting some blue on his red fins.
Labyrinth fishes don't normally get hole in the head disease, which is caused by Hexamita (an external protozoa).
The small holes around the head look like the sensory pits that are part of the lateral line. The one on the face could be his nostril, it's a bit hard to tell.
For minor Hexamita infections, you can use salt. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt for every 20 litres of water. Keep salt in tank for 2-4 weeks and that should clear it up. If it doesn't, then you might need Metronidazole but I doubt this is hole in the head disease.
Hole in the head disease usually occurs in cichlids that are kept in dirty tanks with a dirty filter, and not enough water changes get done on the tank. The poor conditions allow the protozoan parasites to build up in numbers and weaken the fish. The fish then develop small white bumps that look like pimples around their head and face. The bumps open up and it resembles small white worms coming off the fish. After a few days the "white worm things" disappear and holes start to appear in the skin.
-----------
Before adding salt or medication to an aquarium, do the following things.
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using salt or medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.
The small holes around the head look like the sensory pits that are part of the lateral line. The one on the face could be his nostril, it's a bit hard to tell.
For minor Hexamita infections, you can use salt. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of rock salt for every 20 litres of water. Keep salt in tank for 2-4 weeks and that should clear it up. If it doesn't, then you might need Metronidazole but I doubt this is hole in the head disease.
Hole in the head disease usually occurs in cichlids that are kept in dirty tanks with a dirty filter, and not enough water changes get done on the tank. The poor conditions allow the protozoan parasites to build up in numbers and weaken the fish. The fish then develop small white bumps that look like pimples around their head and face. The bumps open up and it resembles small white worms coming off the fish. After a few days the "white worm things" disappear and holes start to appear in the skin.
-----------
Before adding salt or medication to an aquarium, do the following things.
Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.
Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use them. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens.
Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using salt or medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.
D
Deleted member 149562
Guest
Betta are notorious for changing their colours...I spose it could be their way of attracting a mate or seeing off a perceived intruder on their territory
The fact that you have noticed the colour change on his fins just confirms the probability that he is changing elsewhere on his body too
He is probably just being many other male animals like the peacock bird with their massive showy tail in that he is getting his best "Look at me" colours to attract a mate.....of all fish, the Betta is one of the more flamboyant in that respect
I certainly would not be worried about his health unless he becomes lethagic or stops eating or behaves strangely
OP
OP
Animallover😍
Fishaholic
Ok I will do what you say. I usually use a magnetic scrub to clean the glass. What do you mean by fish sponge?
OP
OP
Animallover😍
Fishaholic
The 'holes in the head' are turning red(lol that rhymes!). So yep it was color change.
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