UV Sterilizer and Hexamita

[marlin08]

I have 2 Oranda in QT that I am treating for suspected hexamita/HITH. The wen lesions were very small and I think I've caught it early on. The fish were bottom sitting in the stock tank for a day and I saw it when I examined them. The other 4 ranchu in the tank are fine and have no bumps or lesions.
I am treating with MetroMeds on both tanks but I also have put a 9 watt UV on the 30g QT tank.

My question is, is the UV effective at all on the hexamita? The fish are doing great, the lesions are barely noticable even after just 2 days of treatment, I just want to be sure I do everything I can to get rid of it.

Also, these Oranda have always been super healthy. I've introduced no new fish other than the 4 ranchu, who are all healthy. I keep a very close eye on my water params/conditions, do weekly big changes and never let the nitrates go over 20, can this come in on plants?? That's the only other new thing that's come into my tank. I did QT the bigger plants for a week in a separate tank (Anacharis) and some duckweed but the duckweed I've found to be almost impossible to effectively disinfect due to the size.

[suphi]

9-Watt UV, imo, isn't powerful enough to kill anything but algae. Daily WC when your fish is sick is what I usually do, getting rid of infected water the sure way. Check the fish lateral lines if you suspect hexamita, sometimes it can spread there.

The real cause of HITH is still debatable (infection vs autoimmune), hexamita is not always found in all HITH cases.

Watch out for secondary infections with bacteria (pseudomonas/aeromonas). If the lesion is getting worse that's what you should treat for (oxolinic acid).

Don't know much about plants, but it could harbor disease that's why I don't have em in my tanks.

[bekko]

I think that a lot of what is called hole-in-the-head disease in goldfish is not Hexamita, but the same Aeromonas/Pseudomonas group which cause open sores on other parts of the body. Aeromonas/Pseudomonas are ubiquitous and were probably in the tank even before the water was added. But, it is impossible to know for sure without plating-out the bacteria. Metronidazole should help either way.

-steve

[marlin08]

Thanks much for the input.
With these guys' big knobby oranda heads, and the spots being small and on the sides of their heads, they just weren't visible from the top view of the stock tank. I knew nothing was wrong until I noticed a behavior change and got them out to check them.
If it was just one I wouldn't be quite so concerned, it just seems weird that 2 of them got it at the same time and each have one spot in exactly the same place- right side of head just behind their eye where the wen starts on their cheeks..go figure.
I don't know how I can improve water quality overall in the stock tank, I already do regular, frequent water changes and the tank is fully cycled.
I already did one big change on the stock tank Saturday and am doing daily changes on the 30 g QT.
Thanks again for the input, everybody's on metronizadole and continuing the water changes.
Should I be using something in the water, as well, since the infection has manifested on the outside of the fish? They spots really do look much better even after just a couple of days of QT and treatment.

[marlin08]

The wen spots looked much better even after just a day or two in a QT with salt, a heater, daily wcs, UV sterilizer and medicated food, one week later with all of the above (wcs, heat, salt, etc), the spots are completely gone on one and just a faint trace of lighter colored wen on the other. Nobody has bottom sat since the day I got them out of the 150 g tank and started treatment.
The ranchu in the main, 150 g stock tank that were with these 2 Oranda have never shown any signs of a red spot or bottom sitting or even slowing down.
Thanks for the input. I don't know for sure what bacteria caused the 2 wen ulcers/sores but glad it responded so quickly to treatment and everybody is doing great.