Fish lovers!

[~AlphaWolf~]

Paradise fish,Flying foxes,Cories,Pleco,Mollies,Balloon mollies,Glass catfish,bumblebee gobies,clown loaches,pakistani loaches,gouramis,a tandanus eeltail catfish,a knifefish and i just found a dead balloon molly

is the knife fish a ghost knife? as they have been known to attack smaller fish (mostly at night) or just eating the eyes of bigger fish


how big is your tank?
It could be that one of your fish isnt playing nice with the others

Yeah its a black ghost knifefish,but hes only about 3 inches long so i didnt think he would do anything,plus im certain its a disease becuase the holes are to round and the patches are white

[Dakotak]

@ alpha
There is a sickness that does that to fish I just forgot the name of it. Try looking up "hole in the head" or hole in fishes body. I would for you but I'm away from my computer at the moment and I won't be back to it until tomorrow.

I'm ranting on this part about a friend of mine and her fish. So you don't have to read it I just need to get it out.
/start rant
UGHHH you know, I REALLY hate it when people ask me for advice on fish then go and disregard it beacuse they don't wanna face facts that they are doing somthing wrong with their tank but then they see my fish and say " how do you do to keep them healthy? My fish die in a few days". It makes me even more mad when they do agree with me and even call me an expert with fish but they won't take my advice then they complain that their fish are sick and die, get mad and give up on the hobby. Its like HELLOOO I'm willing to walk you step by step and hold your hand through this but you won't let me help you. Then you complain that nothing is working. Just stop asking me for help if you are not even gonna listen to me. I don't know what to tell her anymore. I don't mind that you don't agree with me on fish keeping but when you keep whining about it, it gets very tiring and
bothersome.
/end rant.

[Day Of Silence]

I caught my betta attacking his tail, which doesn't help as it only wrecks some of his tail regrowth.

so far it looks like all of my balloon mollies are girls, which would be nice so I don't have to worry about breeding.

[Dappled Sapphire]

Its called Hexamita AKA hole in the head disease

Fish infected with Hexamita commonly produce white, stringy feces, and their coloration becomes more subdued than normal. The fish eventually lose their appetite and gradually become emaciated. Often (but not always), lesions appear on the fish’s head. Sometimes, these lesions are also apparent on the fish’s flanks.

Among freshwater fish, hexamitiasis and hole in the head disease most commonly affect perciform fish, particularly cichlid fish. Carps, including koi and goldfish, are also vulnerable. A wide variety of saltwater fish can suffer from head and lateral line erosion, but angelfish and surgeonfish seem to be particularly susceptible.


Causes
From the aquarist’s perspective, overstocking, inadequate filtration, lack of water changes and insufficient oxygen are all critical factors that need consideration when diagnosing or treating Hexamita infections in fish. This is likely why hexamitiasis is so strongly associated with large cichlid fish like oscars and severums: These are precisely the sorts of fish likely to be maintained in aquariums that are too small for them and where water quality will be less than ideal.
One widely held hypothesis is that a diet poor in vitamins weakens the fish’s immune system, allowing the Hexamita parasites to become more problematic than would otherwise be the case.

Treatment
The prime medication used to treat hexamitiasis is metronidazole (often referred to by the trade name Flagyl). The most effective approach is using medicated food, especially when early infections are being dealt with. But seriously affected fish may not be eating, in which case you need to add the medication to the water, typically at a dosage of 250 mg per 10 US gallons, once per day for at least three days. Metronidazole is available to aquarists over the counter in the United States, but elsewhere a veterinarian prescription may be necessary. Alongside the medication, improvements to diet and environment are absolutely critical.

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/ ... amita.aspx

[~AlphaWolf~]

But the hole is under his gill and it says it cant be there?

[Dappled Sapphire]

But the hole is under his gill and it says it cant be there?

its not just the head its head and sides

[~AlphaWolf~]

Ok ill have to try get some treatment for it, Will it spread through my whole tank?

[Dappled Sapphire]

Ok ill have to try get some treatment for it, Will it spread through my whole tank?

it isnt contagious but if you read the site it says:

Hexamitiasis is caused by various species of the protozoan parasite genus Hexamita. These are likely present at low levels in the intestines of many aquarium fish where they do no harm. It is only when the fish is weakened in some way that the parasites can multiply rapidly and spread into the rest of the fish’s body. Once the parasites become established in the other internal organs, the fish soon dies.

things that weaken the fish can be overstocking, inadequate filtration, lack of water changes and insufficient oxygen or a poor diet

[~AlphaWolf~]

Ok ill have to go shopping soon

[Dakotak]

Ok ill have to try get some treatment for it, Will it spread through my whole tank?

it isnt contagious but if you read the site it says:

Hexamitiasis is caused by various species of the protozoan parasite genus Hexamita. These are likely present at low levels in the intestines of many aquarium fish where they do no harm. It is only when the fish is weakened in some way that the parasites can multiply rapidly and spread into the rest of the fish’s body. Once the parasites become established in the other internal organs, the fish soon dies.

things that weaken the fish can be overstocking, inadequate filtration, lack of water changes and insufficient oxygen or a poor diet

After you treat the hole in the head I suggest treating your whole tank for parasites and every new fish you buy. Its not a terrible thing if you don't treat for them but it does lessen the chances of stuff like this happening again. I use salt and prazi pro. The salt is really cheap under 5 bucks where I live and you can get the prazi pro (also called Praziquantel) on amazon for under 12 I *think*.