The following is a re-post from a sticky on bloat, I think that some people don't truly understand what bloat is, perhaps this will help.
I think that it's important to understand that "bloat" is a symptom of a disease, not a disease on its own. Intestinal flagellates are common in most freshwater species, and typically these intestinal parasites will not have any serious affect on their host. But, place that same fish under enough stress, enough to weaken its immune system, and within the blink of an eye those same parasites can multiply to numbers that the fish simply can't cope with. If/when those numbers reach epidemic proportions, they can & often will cause damage to the intestinal tract of a fish, and in severe/advanced cases their organs, eventually creating what is commonly referred to as "bloat".
In a healthy fish S. vortens is commonly found in the flagellated stage in the lumen of the upper intestine where it is controlled by the immune system of the fish. In a stressed fish, the immune system becomes compromised, and these flagellates multiply unchecked causing serious localized damage. Once the damage is severe enough the intestinal lining is penetrated and the flagellates enter the blood stream causing systemic and organ infections, failure, and ultimately death of the fish.
There are many other stress factors that can take place in a glass tank, and it is typically those stress factors that trigger an outbreak of internal pathogens, usually Spironucleus vortens, that ultimately result in bloat conditions.
Hexamita Intestinalis is another catch all term to describe the various protozoa that trigger bloat conditions in tropical fish. In the vast majority of cases, those where clinical studies have identified the actual flagellates involved (specifically in cichlids), it has been Spironucleus vortens, not Hexamita or Octomitus species as previously believed.
Keeping all that in mind it only makes sense that the odds of a fish carrying such pathogens would be far greater coming from a LFS, than from an established home breeder. Ditto to all of the more common pathogens, parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc that one can come across in this hobby.
IMO the vast majority of bloat cases involving cichlids has nothing to do with the diet (which for many years was always blamed), but with other stressful factors, such as aggression from tank mates, lack of shelter, water quality such as dissolved organic compound levels, 02 levels, etc-etc., which in turn can cause a 'normal' amount of intestinal pathogens to proliferate to harmful numbers.
I think that it's important to understand that "bloat" is a symptom of a disease, not a disease on its own. Intestinal flagellates are common in most freshwater species, and typically these intestinal parasites will not have any serious affect on their host. But, place that same fish under enough stress, enough to weaken its immune system, and within the blink of an eye those same parasites can multiply to numbers that the fish simply can't cope with. If/when those numbers reach epidemic proportions, they can & often will cause damage to the intestinal tract of a fish, and in severe/advanced cases their organs, eventually creating what is commonly referred to as "bloat".
In a healthy fish S. vortens is commonly found in the flagellated stage in the lumen of the upper intestine where it is controlled by the immune system of the fish. In a stressed fish, the immune system becomes compromised, and these flagellates multiply unchecked causing serious localized damage. Once the damage is severe enough the intestinal lining is penetrated and the flagellates enter the blood stream causing systemic and organ infections, failure, and ultimately death of the fish.
There are many other stress factors that can take place in a glass tank, and it is typically those stress factors that trigger an outbreak of internal pathogens, usually Spironucleus vortens, that ultimately result in bloat conditions.
Hexamita Intestinalis is another catch all term to describe the various protozoa that trigger bloat conditions in tropical fish. In the vast majority of cases, those where clinical studies have identified the actual flagellates involved (specifically in cichlids), it has been Spironucleus vortens, not Hexamita or Octomitus species as previously believed.
Keeping all that in mind it only makes sense that the odds of a fish carrying such pathogens would be far greater coming from a LFS, than from an established home breeder. Ditto to all of the more common pathogens, parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc that one can come across in this hobby.
IMO the vast majority of bloat cases involving cichlids has nothing to do with the diet (which for many years was always blamed), but with other stressful factors, such as aggression from tank mates, lack of shelter, water quality such as dissolved organic compound levels, 02 levels, etc-etc., which in turn can cause a 'normal' amount of intestinal pathogens to proliferate to harmful numbers.
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