AboutRon Coleman 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 ask me questions about why your goldfish are sick -- they are almost always sick due to the way that they are sold). Also, 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. Thanks.
Experience I teach 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.
Organizations belong to American Cichlid Association, Pacific Coast Cichlid Association, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, etc
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
Expert: Ron Coleman Date: 5/12/2008 Subject: feeding
Question QUESTION: hi ron since my local pet shop has misinformed me on so much i was wondering when i get my new tank how long should it sit before i put my oscars in it and would it upset them if i put something like parrot fish in there also my pet shop told me to feed my oscars 3 times a a day is this to much? sorry about all the questions but this so called aquatic shop seems to have told me alot of wrong things.
ANSWER: Hi John,
When you get the tank, set it up and let it sit for a few days. Then put your oscars in it but be prepared that it will take about 6 weeks for the tank to stabilize. During that time, do 25% water changes once a week and feed very lightly. It is okay if the oscars are hungry.
After the six weeks, feed once a day. That's it. Most people I know that raise fish seriously feed once a day and skip one day a week.
Continue with the 25% once a week water changes.
I wouldn't put a parrot fish anywhere and I certainly wouldn't put one in with an oscar -- they will eat it sooner or later.
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
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QUESTION: thanks ron you said you wouldnt put a parrot fish anywhere whys that? and at what size would the oscars be when i have to upgrade from my 3 and a half foot tank at the latest. also is there any other compatible cichlids i could put in with the oscars?
Answer Hi John,
I am not a big fan of parrot cichlids. They are a manmade creation and so I have big reservations about them because of that. There are so many wonderful natural cichlids (over 2000 species) that I think it is a shame that people feel the need to create new ones to suit their fancy.
I would not put one in with oscars because oscars are highly predatory and it will just be a matter of time before someone eats the parrot cichlid.
There really aren't many cichlids (or fish of any kind) that are compatible with oscars. Oscars appear to move slowly in a kind of casual, "I'm not interested" kind of way, but an oscar has an enormous mouth and a correspondingly large appetite. An oscar can eat a fish almost as large as itself and it will try. Probably the safest thing would be a large catfish but even then people have told me of 8 inch oscars eating catfish almost that size (the catfish was literally sticking out of the oscars mouth). Oscars are wonderful, interesting fish, they just don't play well with others. By the way, the oscars of course have no objection to you putting in other fish with them; it is the other fish that will mind the outcome.
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
