Hexamita is an internal protozoan parasite that causes white stringy feces, weight loss, and the classic "hole in the head" disease in cichlids. Treatment: metronidazole.
Hexamita parasite enters via contaminated food or stress. Most common in cichlids (oscars, severums, discus, angelfish).
Always treat in a separate quarantine tank. Most medications are toxic to coral, invertebrates, and live rock biology.
Pristine water, varied vitamin-rich diet, reduce activated carbon (depletes vitamins).
Browse the full disease database for 45 aquarium conditions with treatment protocols, or check the care library for prevention-focused husbandry guides. Use our symptom matcher to rank likely diseases from observed signs, the water parameter checker to diagnose related water-quality issues, or the QT timeline calculator to plan a treatment schedule.