Is this float?

[Poekin]

I have a question posted over on cyphos, but i am a little worried so i wanted to post it here to see if i would get a quicker response:

I have a 75 gallon with 12 f1 moba's in it. They are all about 6 months old or so, and about 2-3". Don't worry, we just bought a house and their tank will be upgraded very soon. But as of right now there are plenty of hiding places and they don't seem crowded at all.

One of the frontosa may have float. I'm not too sure, as i haven't experienced it before. I came home today to only one frontosa acting very strangely. It doesn't stay near the top, but it does swim in a very odd jerking motion, a motion that i have never noticed before. The stomach isn't bulged, but the mouth definitely is. Aside from this, the frontosa in question and all of the tankmates seem to be in perfect health.

Now i have noticed that recently the frontosa have become more and more aggresive when its time to feed. Not towards each other... towards me! They try to take the NLS pellets right out of my hand and often gulp at/break the water's surface to eat as much as they can. They used to be so shy, but now they have no problem splashing me to get their food.

Could it be that this recent behavior has caused this frontosa to ingest some air? What do you guys think is going on and how do i treat it? Epsom salt? Should i hold off on feeding? They only eat about once per day, and recently i've been so busy with the new house that they have actually skipped a day here and there.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[fischfan13]

First off, Frontosa are a deep water Tang. It is extremely unnatural for them to eat at waters surface. Floating pellets and Fronts are a definite "NO" when keeping them in an aquarium. I would tell you to change over to a sinking pellet, or soak your floating NLS and then squeeze out any excess air and then, by hand, place them towards the bottom of the tank.
As for treating Float...
This might sound a little squeamish but the best method is to insert a needle into the Frontosa abdomen to release the air.

I found this video that might help...
http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p51/Zaire_Blue/?action=view&current=Treating_Float_Problem-1.flv

There are a few websites that can help guide you.
This might help as well..
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/frontosa_floating.php

Hope this helps.

 

[Poekin]

Thanks for the video. I can definitely say that my fish isn't doing that. He is nowhere near the top, he is just swimming in a jerky motion.

As for food, i only feed NLS sinking pellets. I usually pinch them in my fingers and put my hand in the tank so they dont float, but sometimes a few float to the surface anyway, and the frontosa have begun to strike the waters surface to eat them.

 

[danger_chicken]

I've read about that proceedure but never realized it was done underwater. It makes sense though. I hope I never have to do it. Thanks for teh video.

 

[Jumbie]

I have 6WC mobas and I feed them NLS the floating pellets and they eat them from the surface and have had no problem what so ever. I now wonder if I should get the sinking pellets just to be on the safe side. I guess if it’s not broken than I won’t fix it… I hope everything works out for your little guy.

 

[Poekin]

The folks over on cyphos are saying that its probably just holding an air bubble in its mouth. A few people have reported cases of this. Apparently the fish just holds some air in its mouth and will eventually let it go. Most people are saying that they think it is due to stress. Another guy said that his female does it quite often and usually gives the air bubble up for a treat like frozen food.

Hey, at least i don't have to poke my fish with a needle :wacko:

 

[McFluffrichromis]

I had 9 F1s in a similar scenario to you and I can tell you that they are reaching there max in that tank. The fish need more room now. The sooner you get them the extra tank space the less trouble you will have. They also will grow faster with more room. I was experiencing rubbing and other signs of the fish being uncomfortable in the confined space. As soon as I moved them to their 180 there whole attitude changed. You just can not tell how unhappy they are until you move them into a 6 foot tank.