hole in the head?????????

bjon_22 · 03/24/2008, 11:50 PM

Hello, I have been out of the loop for quite some time now (School), but now that I have gotten back into this hobbie, I have gotten futher into it faster that what I have imagained.

I started with fresh water and the inhabitants of the Amizon River (Pecock Bass, Redtail Cats). They were fun, however I thought that I would grow up a bit.
Now that I am all grown up...kind of.... I have always liked salt water. Knowing that this would be a new challange I decited to start easy... that is what I thought of it..., now I beg to differ.

I curantly have a 65 gal. w/ dead coral and 7 fish. I have been doing my water changes, adding salt when needed (properly) , watching nitrate and phosphate levels, but I am seeming to see all the fish slowly over time getting this so called desease. I am starting to thing that .......

Is it me or could I be inheriting this from the guy I have been buying these fish from????

As well... I now Have a 180 gallon tank that I am going to start out as a fish only w/ live rock till I know it is ready to lean into a reef/fish... I have with that a 50 gallon sump and an octopus skimmer. I think that these should do fine, however my pump is a turbo sea 1740..... hooked all up to check leaks and flow... could it be that this is too much pump for this sump? I am having a hard time balancing the flow into the sump..... the pump wants more water.. although... I have 1 and a half inch overflows and the returns are one inch.

ANY HELP????
PLEASE???

Tim the Stick · 03/25/2008, 01:40 AM

You could be getting diseased fish and they could be passing it from and to each other. Also, it could be in the tank and litteraly in the rocks.

Another thing to check out would be PH ballance. Sometimes just the stress alone of big PH swings can make the fish stressed out enough to not be able to fight off these infections.

As for the flow issue, I suggest getting a ball valve and choking her off. If it's simply overpumping the returns, then you can choke off the flow rate with a ball valve, or restrict the tubing size to build some more had pressure. Another trick would be to drop the sump lower or raise the tank up. More height will help gravity flow and increase head pressure.

Aquarist007 · 03/25/2008, 07:40 AM

have a read on this thread :

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1352604

kware · 03/25/2008, 07:41 AM

I've heard that too much protien can cause that disease. Try changing their diet.

Aquarist007 · 03/25/2008, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bjon_22
.

I curantly have a 65 gal. w/ dead coral and 7 fish. I have been doing my water changes, adding salt when needed (properly) , watching nitrate and phosphate levels, but I am seeming to see all the fish slowly over time getting this so called desease. I am starting to thing that .......

can you be a little more specific--"so called disease"
what were the symptoms

adding salt when needed---this is also a little confusing--when you do your water changes this replaces the salt or the salinity level
It seems like you were topping up evaporation with salt water---if that was the case you salt level would have gone really high?

Wizzard~Of~Ozz · 03/25/2008, 08:16 AM

Hole in the head disease. I believe it's called Heximita. there are some meds specifically for it. I'm not sure on how it's transmitted, but like most things, I'm sure it is.

a quick google shows "Usually the main cause stems from either bad water quality or malnutrition, both of which compromise the animal's immune system and allow this protozoa and bacteria to infect the fish."

basically, healthy environment, no problem. I think it was already suggested, check your water quality. You may want to use Garlic with your food, perhaps some vitamins as well. (Zoe I think is one)

memorisa · 03/25/2008, 08:27 AM

The hole in the head thing as far as I know, and those other than what Tim mentioned, is acquired by the fish early on. But some time later in their lives they cant seem to put up w this and/or their immune system can no longer hold em in check and the disease takes a hold of them.

it is also very likely that it spreads out quicker once there's an outbreak.

do you have a QT tank as well, maybe in ur situation it might be a good addition to your system

oh altho i'm no expert in this topic i dont think the flow causes the disease part eventhough it may cause some other issues.

hope it helps.

kevin2000 · 03/25/2008, 08:32 AM

Here's a link to a good SW Library ... about 1/3'rd way down you will see a three part article discussing HLLE.

http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/library.html

cdbias2 · 03/25/2008, 08:36 AM

I think I've read where a grounding probe has shown improvement to help fight this disease.
It's a cheap and noninvasive try anyway.

kevin2000 · 03/25/2008, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cdbias2
I think I've read where a grounding probe has shown improvement to help fight this disease.
It's a cheap and noninvasive try anyway.

Lots of debate concerning the pro's and con's of grounding probes .. from my perspective they have no positive impact on the fish but used with a GFI can definitely help save an aquarist.

03/24/2008, 11:50 PM	#1
bjon_22 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: central IL Posts: 3	hole in the head????????? Hello, I have been out of the loop for quite some time now (School), but now that I have gotten back into this hobbie, I have gotten futher into it faster that what I have imagained. I started with fresh water and the inhabitants of the Amizon River (Pecock Bass, Redtail Cats). They were fun, however I thought that I would grow up a bit. Now that I am all grown up...kind of.... I have always liked salt water. Knowing that this would be a new challange I decited to start easy... that is what I thought of it..., now I beg to differ. I curantly have a 65 gal. w/ dead coral and 7 fish. I have been doing my water changes, adding salt when needed (properly) , watching nitrate and phosphate levels, but I am seeming to see all the fish slowly over time getting this so called desease. I am starting to thing that ....... Is it me or could I be inheriting this from the guy I have been buying these fish from???? As well... I now Have a 180 gallon tank that I am going to start out as a fish only w/ live rock till I know it is ready to lean into a reef/fish... I have with that a 50 gallon sump and an octopus skimmer. I think that these should do fine, however my pump is a turbo sea 1740..... hooked all up to check leaks and flow... could it be that this is too much pump for this sump? I am having a hard time balancing the flow into the sump..... the pump wants more water.. although... I have 1 and a half inch overflows and the returns are one inch. ANY HELP???? PLEASE??? __________________ Mr. Brad Current Tank Info: 180 w/ 50 sump

03/25/2008, 01:40 AM	#2
Tim the Stick Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Taylor, MI Posts: 36	You could be getting diseased fish and they could be passing it from and to each other. Also, it could be in the tank and litteraly in the rocks. Another thing to check out would be PH ballance. Sometimes just the stress alone of big PH swings can make the fish stressed out enough to not be able to fight off these infections. As for the flow issue, I suggest getting a ball valve and choking her off. If it's simply overpumping the returns, then you can choke off the flow rate with a ball valve, or restrict the tubing size to build some more had pressure. Another trick would be to drop the sump lower or raise the tank up. More height will help gravity flow and increase head pressure. __________________ Stick Current Tank Info: 75 gallon reef, 2200 gallon (18x20) Koi pond

03/25/2008, 07:40 AM	#3
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	have a read on this thread : http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1352604 __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

03/25/2008, 08:16 AM	#6
Wizzard~Of~Ozz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 187	Hole in the head disease. I believe it's called Heximita. there are some meds specifically for it. I'm not sure on how it's transmitted, but like most things, I'm sure it is. a quick google shows "Usually the main cause stems from either bad water quality or malnutrition, both of which compromise the animal's immune system and allow this protozoa and bacteria to infect the fish." basically, healthy environment, no problem. I think it was already suggested, check your water quality. You may want to use Garlic with your food, perhaps some vitamins as well. (Zoe I think is one) Last edited by Wizzard~Of~Ozz; 03/25/2008 at 08:22 AM.

03/25/2008, 08:27 AM	#7
memorisa protoZOA Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Turkey Posts: 465	The hole in the head thing as far as I know, and those other than what Tim mentioned, is acquired by the fish early on. But some time later in their lives they cant seem to put up w this and/or their immune system can no longer hold em in check and the disease takes a hold of them. it is also very likely that it spreads out quicker once there's an outbreak. do you have a QT tank as well, maybe in ur situation it might be a good addition to your system oh altho i'm no expert in this topic i dont think the flow causes the disease part eventhough it may cause some other issues. hope it helps. __________________ Memo - ----------- I <3 Zoas! Current Tank Info: 1000 lt. (265 gal) zoa dominated mixed reef - 2+ year old

03/25/2008, 07:41 AM	#4
kware Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: upstate ny Posts: 645	I've heard that too much protien can cause that disease. Try changing their diet.

03/25/2008, 08:32 AM	#8
kevin2000 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,805	Here's a link to a good SW Library ... about 1/3'rd way down you will see a three part article discussing HLLE. http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/library.html

03/25/2008, 08:36 AM	#9
cdbias2 Appalachian Reef Society Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alum Creek, WV (No more) Posts: 1,433	I think I've read where a grounding probe has shown improvement to help fight this disease. It's a cheap and noninvasive try anyway.