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Fish/fish behavior issue

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Expert: Ron Coleman - 6/29/2009


Question
QUESTION: My husband's fish is lying on its side frequently.  It is a Montagua (I know I probably spelled that wrong, but I know it is a cichlid).  Anyway, he digs in the tank quite a bit.  He is about 4 years old and about 9-12 inches long.  The digging we have seen before, but we have never seen him lying on his side on the bottom of the tank before.  When you tap on the tank, he swims around for a while.  His eyes are clear, no issues on his body either; we just can't figure out what he is doing.  We cleaned the freshwater tank and checked the PH which is registering normal.  We put antibiotics in the tank after we noticed this as well.  Is he dying?  Can we do anything?

ANSWER: Hi Wendy,
 I strongly suggest that you change 25% of the water immediately and then do the same again tomorrow.  Lying on his side is often a sign of stress and is very bad.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your speedy reply.  We just cleaned his tank when we noticed this happening.  The PH registers normal now (it was a little acidic a couple of days ago before we changed it).  That is why we added anitbiotics to the tank too (got from an aquarium store).  He still doesn't look bad and he still lays on his side in the corner of the tank.  Is there nothing else we can do other than change the water again?

Answer
Hi Wendy,
 Hmmm... I don't see why you added antibiotics when the water was a little acidic. Antibiotics kill bacteria. Was there any indication of a bacterial infection?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>

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Ron 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 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 Associate 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 was editor of Cichlid News magazine for several years. 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)

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