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: 6/5/2008 Subject: help, my red parrot fish are stressed out!
Question i am a new fish aquarium enthusiast and set up my tank properly with hardly any issues months ago and added a algae eater recently and supplimented his feeding with algae wafers and my parrot fish mucked up water as they enjoyed his wafer feedings so i did a 3/4 water chng recommended by petsmart .,and now water is screwed up... but my parrot fish have black on mouth, fins and body and are breathing weird.. i think i am going thru new tank syndrome all over again..i got nitrites ,ph and alkilinity back down , but tank is still cloudy and fish are not right..another fish store told me to wait a week till tank clears... help! it has been 3 days so far...please tell me how to save my fish!!! thanks sherry m
Answer Hi Sherry,
How large is the tank and how many fish do you have in it?
Have you been doing regular weekly partial water changes? You should be changing 25% of the water once a week, every week to keep the tank in good shape. Have you been doing that?
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
