FONTOSA ACTING FUNNY
- Thread starter swordtail
- Start date
Float is a different condition than bloat. It is a health concern, especially if chronic or severe enough, but it isn't a disease, strictly speaking. Cyphotilapia are actually not very prone to bloat, but they are prone to float, a condition that most experienced front keepers will tell you they nearly always get as a result of stress, not what food they eat. In the dozen or so years I've kept fronts I've never had an issue with floating foods or fronts feeding at the surface-- now what's in the food could be a factor-- and again, probably 99% of the experienced frontkeepers I've come across over the years will tell you that more than 90% of the time it's stress related. The possible causes of stress on fronts are varied.
I have actually seen food related float, but it was a sensitivity in some juvies I had that had nothing to do with floating foods (they got it if they ate sinking pellets more than once every couple of days, and didn't get it from floating flakes, floating freeze dried foods or floating soft pellets) and it was something they outgrew.
The time tested treatment for float involves epsom salt and not feeding for a few days, some people like to leave the lights off for a few days also. I can point you to some more detailed information if you're interested.
I have actually seen food related float, but it was a sensitivity in some juvies I had that had nothing to do with floating foods (they got it if they ate sinking pellets more than once every couple of days, and didn't get it from floating flakes, floating freeze dried foods or floating soft pellets) and it was something they outgrew.
The time tested treatment for float involves epsom salt and not feeding for a few days, some people like to leave the lights off for a few days also. I can point you to some more detailed information if you're interested.
