White spot/indent near A.Cacatuoides head. NEED HELP

[apistonewbie]

View attachment IMG_8475.jpeg
Which animal is affected? Female Apistogramma Cacatuoides, approx 1 year old I believe

What are the symptoms? Any changes in look, behaviour, bearing, buoyancy, fecies?
Doesn’t act any different but white spot near head
How long has the problem been going on? (Timeline?)
Around 3 weeks. At first simply look like she lost a scale but can now see there is somewhat of a hole.
What's the full stocking list?
Just the apisto and one brown pencilfish, other pencilfish passed away ages ago but this one has held on. Had been a male apisto in the tank but they fought too much. 5 baby apistos are in as well, she is the mother.
Any changes in the behaviour of the other fish?
No
What size is the tank? (Preferrably dimensions, not volume!)
20 gal high, not sure of dimensions
How long is the tank running?
4-5 months
Have there been any changes in the past 2 months? New animals, plants, decoration?
Yes, added a few mixed snails and a male of same species for breeding, but he was removed.
What food are the fish fed? How much, how often?
Flakes twice per day and then she eats some of the bay brine shrimp that the babies are fed
What is the temperature?
78 F
Are you using water conditioners or any other additives? (e.g. dechlorinators, humic/blackwater extracts, fertilizers)
Only API stress coat during water changes
What filter are you using? (Canister, sponge, internal, mattenfilter?)
Topfin PF20
What's the maintenance regimen? (Waterchange volume and frequency, thorough cleaning of filters/substrate?)
25% around once to every other week
Have there been any chemicals used around the tank? (Cleaning agents, room sprays, wall paint, adhesives...)
No
Have there been any pesticides, fungicides or herbicides used around the tank?
No
Are there any unknown animals in the tank?
No

 

[MacZ]

Looks like a wound got infected and bacteria have dug in. I can tell you, not much of a chance.

Some things you can improve in hopes of turning it around:

Increase the waterchanges to 50% weekly and clean up the feces. Those have to be removed unless you have a layer of mulm.

Then add humic substances by way of leaf litter and let the stuff decompose to release them over time and build up good mulm.

Switch Stress Coat for a simple dechlorinator without additives.

Do one go with a med like Sera Bactopur (see list in the link below if you need an alternative available in your country) + a treatment with Ectopur. (click link for more information) both following the instructions, then do a 80% waterchange and filter with active carbon for 72 hours. If you can't find Ectopur, leave it, I wouldn't be able to tell you how to dose if you were to use the active ingredient alone. It's not essential, but very helpful.

Keep adding humic substances regularly and keep up the waterchanges.

Hope for the best.

Look here for med-alternatives in your country.

Vendors | BSAVA Library

Appendix III: Proprietary fish medicine vendors Trade name Active ingredients Active against Fresh/marine Manufacturer’s comments API, USA — 0800 014 8173 — www.apifishcare.co.uk Melafix Cajeput oil Bacteria F+M Safe for invertebrates Pond Melafix Cajeput oil Bacteria F Safe for invertebrates...

www.bsavalibrary.com

Unfortunate you were unable to provide water parameters (pH, GH, KH, NO2, NO3). Those would have been helpful to tell a. whether the proposed course of action could have any negative side effects and b. maybe have given hints as to why the bacteria are that aggressive. The parameters themselves can't cause it.