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Fish/flower keeps changing color constantly

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Expert: Ron Coleman - 7/8/2009


Question
dear Ron,
i have recently purchased a 6 inch flowerhorn with good hump,but when i put it in my fish tank it keeps changing colors every minute from bright pink to dark black and viceversa.I changed the water but no use,It does not stay in a single color it keeps changing every instant.Its been a week since i bought the flowerhorn,So please kindly help me on this regard as i am new to flowerhorn.And also it has a poor appetite that is it bites and leaves the food most of the time.Thank you

Answer
Hi Alagappan,
 Flowerhorns, like most cichlids, frequently change color. That is the way that they are.  It is a fish, i.e., a living animal, not a decoration. It uses color to express how it is feeling.

-- 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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