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: 5/7/2008 Subject: fish not swimmin'??
Question QUESTION: i have had a fresh water tank, 10 galo for over 6 months with one fish. a gold fish. I bought 5 other goldfish and a scavenger. i got some drops t o help with the hard water in Chicago and i changed more than half he water before i added our new babies. the last few days however, i've noticed them all just lingering at the bottom of the tank, just hovering. im scared they are dying. one of the new fish dies a few days ago, but the pet store said to expect that as a possibility.ive never noticed behavior of this matter, they aren't dead, just hovering at the bottom. what's going on?
ANSWER: Hi Toya,
6 goldfish in a ten gallon tank is a LOT. What kind of filter do you have in the tank? And what is the water temperature?
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Ron,
the tank is room temperature and yes i do have a filter. i was thinking now, since 2 of the goldfish have perished, that maybe the water had become poisoned due to the feces of 5 goldfish and one scavenger. i changed the filter and im scared to feed them now. i have since changed half of the tank water again, as i did when i first bought some company for my one goldfish.
Answer Hi Toya,
What actually keeps a fish tank healthy are the bacteria that grow on the surfaces of the tank and filter. When you put a bunch of new fish in a tank, it can take awhile (weeks) for the numbers of bacteria to increase to the level to handle all the new fish waste. So, time is
important. Changing water helps this by removing the nitrogen (and ammonia) from the fish feces. I suggest you keep doing a few more water changes over the next week or so and I think that might help.
Feed them lightly. Be absolutely sure that no uneaten food accumulates in the tank -- that will make the problem much worse.
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
