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About Ron Coleman
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I am an expert on cichlid fishes, particularly New World cichlids. My broader expertise includes the behavior, ecology and reproduction of fishes in general. (I am NOT an expert on Goldfish). Please do not use abbreviations, such as "my GT has a swollen eye" because I don't know what a "GT" is. The more clearly you can explain your question, the better chance I have of understanding what it is that you seek. I keep fishes both as a scientist and as a hobbyist and I currently maintain about 140 aquariums.

Experience
I am an Assistant Professor at the California State University, Sacramento in the Department of Biological Sciences, and I run a website, called the Cichlid Research Home Page . I also write for many popular aquarist magazines, and I am editor of Cichlid News magazine. I am a scientist and I spend my time teaching fish biology, ecology, behavior and evolution and doing research on the reproductive biology of fishes, particularly cichlids. I do research in the laboratory and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. My main interest is understanding the evolution of parental care in fishes. I am interested in encouraging greater public awareness, understanding and participation in science.

Publications
Cichlid News, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, Science, Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Copeia, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, AUK, Environmental Biology of Fishes

Education/Credentials
PhD (Toronto, 1993) MSc (Simon Fraser, 1986) BSc (British Columbia, 1983)

   

You are here:  Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Fish > Fish

SubjectDate AskedExpert

Black Moor Goldfish Sick!11/23/2009Lauren
  Q: I have had my black moor goldfish 'Lou' for about 4 months now and until Sunday he has been living ...
  A: ooo that looks bad... does he have these symptoms?? Loss of appetite White spots on mouth, scales, ...
Malawi cichlid Advice needed !11/23/2009Lauren
  Q: i Have 2 Yellow lab malawi cichlids that are holding eggs , i was wondering what the next steps ...
  A: Well as soon as the pair has cleaned off a section of the glass, a piece of wood, or a large leaf to ...
cleaning out the tank after ick problem11/22/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: they have all died i just caught them at the stage that was to late. Its a right kick in the teeth. ...
  A: In that situation, here is what I do. Anything which is glass or plastic (including the tank ...
Oscar's11/22/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: Helly i was wondering if my oscar is about to lay eggs 2 like hang out together and they have been ...
  A: It does sound like they are making a nest to spawn in. They will lay their eggs on the tank bottom ...
prob in breeding my flowerhorns11/22/2009Lauren
  Q: i have a pair of flowerhorn which i bred once and second time it ate all its eggs. why is this? and ...
  A: Use a divider screen if your cichlids are particularly aggressive. Ensure further that your ...
prob in breeding my flowerhorns11/21/2009Lauren
  Q: i have a pair of flowerhorn which i bred once and second time it ate all its eggs. why is this? and ...
  A: Flowerhorn cichlids lay their eggs on a flat surface and guards their eggs and fry. They are usually ...
Petting Oscar11/21/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I was just wondering how can I pet my oscar? He is now around 5". Everytime I put my hand in the ...
  A: It just takes time and patience. Also, be sure that your hand is wet. You never want to touch a fish ...
chubby fishie11/21/2009Lauren
  Q: I have a male fighting fish, he's almost a year old. I noticed that his kind of fat now. Is that a ...
  A: hmmm, depends, he could be bloated or constipated, fast him for 24hours then feed him 1 maybe 2 ...
My betta has SBD and is floating on his side :(11/20/2009Lauren
  Q: Here are the basics: *1 gallon tank (yes, I know they're better in 2.5gal!) *mini heater that is ...
  A: do you have a filter?? SWIM BLADDER DISEASE Symptoms: Erratic Swimming Position Loss of ...
Breeding11/20/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have two fish tanks both containing cichlids, I do love these fish, but due to their ...
  A: Actually, if the tank contains ONLY males, the aggression will likely be much less. However, if ...
green terror lying on the bottom11/20/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: she always comes to the tank to great me but yesterday she started acting alittle weird and now she ...
  A: Is she "lying on the bottom", i.e., on her side, or is she "sitting on the bottom", i.e., upright? ...
sick firemouth fish11/20/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: i had this firemouth fish for 7 years, healthy the whole time but about two weeks ago it started ...
  A: We call that condition "bloat". The trouble with bloat is that it is just a description of the ...
breeding swordtails11/20/2009Lauren
  Q: I have a pair of swordtails in a 10 gal tank that recently began breeding regularly. I am not doing ...
  A: how old are they? usually they look female and then as they get older they look male, and then you ...
Blue gourami11/19/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have had this gourami for almost 3 years now. He is in a 30 gallon tank with a red blood parrot ...
  A: It could be a swim bladder problem but that doesn't fit the symptoms. The swim bladder really only ...
Velvet11/19/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have a 65 gallon hex tank with African Cichlids. I believe they have contracted Velvet. Once I ...
  A: It sounds like a disease called ick. Ick can appear slightly different on different fishes but in ...
Spots on my goldfish11/19/2009Lauren
  Q: We have a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium for about 4 weeks now. There are 2 1-1.5" bottom feeding ...
  A: ahhh i know what it is!! goldfish are born black, then they usually go orange (i breed them)and the ...
Spots on my goldfish11/19/2009Lauren
  Q: We have a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium for about 4 weeks now. There are 2 1-1.5" bottom feeding ...
  A: 10 gallons will be too small when the goldies get bigger, but for now they should be ok... never ...
Dead Fish11/19/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I've been very busy lately and haven't taken my dead fish out of my tank. They have been there for ...
  A: They shouldn't make you sick unless you eat them. Use a net and you should be fine. Wash the net ...
gold fish11/19/2009Lauren
  Q: all of my old gold fidh died in a same manner that they get at the bootom of the tank swim very ...
  A: i would say you could keep 10 small ones in there, but it will be too small when the get fully grown ...
Aging11/19/2009Lauren
  Q: I have a questions about Beta fish. I have had a tank for quite some time now and I think I should ...
  A: on average they last about 3 years, not a very long life, but i know that they can live longer is ...
sick clown loach11/19/2009Lauren
  Q: I have a sick clown loach, had him for about 2 years and he is about 12cm long. He does not want to ...
  A: if you treat fish wrongly it can also make them ill so i wouldnt treat them anymore until you know ...
green terrors11/19/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: Hey my name is terry I have a 80g and I have 3 green terrors and a jack dempsey and a red tail cat ...
  A: That is hard to say. There are various medications that attempt to treat intestinal infections. And ...
breeding jewel cichlids11/18/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I am lucky enough to have a pair of blood jewel cichlids, they have spawned and laid eggs 3 times ...
  A: Sometimes it just takes a few tries for a pair to get the timing right. The fact that the eggs were ...
Livebearers, which tank?11/18/2009Lauren
  Q: I currently have a 60 litre tank housing 15 Guppies and a 110 litre tank housing 6 platies and 3 ...
  A: sorry i wasnt very clear basically in total you have 39 fish correct??? in the 110 litre put - 20 ...
Worried11/18/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: Right i have 8 baby parrot fish 3 larger parrots a baby red devil and a pleco but the pleco is fine. ...
  A: White spot is also called "ick". It is a tough customer, but it can be treated. Be sure to continue ...
Livebearers, which tank?11/18/2009Lauren
  Q: I currently have a 60 litre tank housing 15 Guppies and a 110 litre tank housing 6 platies and 3 ...
  A: if you dont mind mixing the species then i have an idea.. also are all your guppies males?? always ...
sick fish11/18/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: hey there how r u i have a 3 year old red devil and he swimmin side ways and when he swims his head ...
  A: That is hard for me to say, other than to ask if you have been doing regular weekly partial water ...
Convict Babies11/18/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have a 60 Gal with 1 auratus, 1 jack Dempsey, 1 firemouth, 1 pleco and 2 convicts. My convicts ...
  A: The kids are probably just a few days old. The parents as you have noticed will fiercely protect ...
Oscar wounds11/18/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I noticed that recently our pet Oscar (about 6 in long) keeps getting fresh scratches and wounds, I ...
  A: Biggest doesn't always mean that another fish is fighting with him. I would keep an eye on the ...
My Betta is acting strange11/18/2009Lauren
  Q: My Betta has been acting strange for a while now. He first started by sitting on the bottom and now ...
  A: how long have you had your betta? they live very short lives so he may be suffering through old age ...
green terror lying on the bottom11/17/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: she always comes to the tank to great me but yesterday she started acting alittle weird and now she ...
  A: Are you doing regular weekly partial water changes? The fact that the water "checked" out fine ...
Velvet11/17/2009Lynda
  Q: I have a 65 gallon hex tank with African Cichlids. I believe they have contracted Velvet. Once I ...
  A: Velvet is mostly caused by poor water quality. Check your water for ammonia, nitrites, and ...
Velvet11/17/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have a 65 gallon hex tank with African Cichlids. I believe they have contracted Velvet. Once I ...
  A: Hmm.. velvet is very rare with cichlids (it is much more likely on livebearers and killifishes) and ...
Convict + fire mouth11/17/2009Lynda
  Q: I just got a Fire mouth Cichlid and put him in with my Convict Cichlids (4). I read on a web site ...
  A: Yes, when fish get stressed it brings disease. Convicts have been known to pair off with other ...
Blue gourami11/17/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: I have had this gourami for almost 3 years now. He is in a 30 gallon tank with a red blood parrot ...
  A: Hmmm... there could be a number of reasons, one of which is that he is getting old. The other most ...
Convict + fire mouth11/17/2009Lynda
  Q: I just got a Fire mouth Cichlid and put him in with my Convict Cichlids (4). I read on a web site ...
  A: Convicts can be wicked, especially if they pair up. Maybe it would be best for you to take the ...
oscar/peas11/17/2009Lynda
  Q: looked like rice grains. I was excited because he was passing the waste. but he still has that bend ...
  A: Never do that!! That would kill him. He is very constipated. When waste is white it is because he ...
blacklight11/17/2009Lauren
  Q: i have set up an aquarium with plants and glofish. i would like to add a black light in addition to ...
  A: ooooooooo ok, yeah i use one of them and algea still grows but just at a slower rate, which makes it ...
Fish with red spot/anchor worms11/16/2009Lauren
  Q: Wish it was that easy, but only has the one spot, rest of body appears fine, and can't see any of ...
  A: yeah anchor worms only make one hole..but if you google pics of what anchor worms cause im not sure ...
Worried11/16/2009Ron Coleman
  Q: Right i have 8 baby parrot fish 3 larger parrots a baby red devil and a pleco but the pleco is fine. ...
  A: I strongly suggest you start doing some regular weekly water changes if you haven't already. You ...

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