Aquarium and Fish Care

2017-07-10

An Introduction To KOI PONDS

Koi ponds have become a popular hobby in the world, and the reasons are clear as to why. Koi are beautiful, vibrant fish that can literally light your day. Koi come in many colors, varieties, and kinds, so it is likely that everyone in the world can find at least one type of Koi that would suit their likes. While Koi may be a welcomed beauty to your pond, they also have an interesting history attached to them.

Koi fish in the pond at the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Chinese culture, Koi ponds are said to being good luck to their owners. Koi ponds are used as an overall plan to fulfill their lives. Other parts of the world consider Koi ponds as a form of relaxation and serenity. In the united states, more and more people seem to find Koi ponds to be fun more then anything else. No matter what the reason you find to have a Koi pond, they are sure to brighten your life.

However, Koi keeping should not be taken lightly. Koi, like any other animal, require time and money to maintain. The majority of first time Koi owners fail because they get the idea that keeping Koi is easy in some way. Do not let this discourage you though, as educating yourself will greatly improve your chances of succeeding.

It is important for you to learn all you can BEFORE you begin obtaining the things you need for Koi keeping. This way, you will not slip up and have to replace anything that you have already done or bought. Planning ahead will not only save your money, but it will potentially save your sanity as well.

It is important to learn the information for yourself rather then relying on other sources. People such as your product dealer and pond builder will have limited knowledge, but should not be trusted for a reliable source, as they are selling products and may be bias. Plus, once you are at home with your Koi, your product dealer or pond builder may not be available to help you in the event of a problem.

Koi Have Personality

You would not believe that Koi actually have personalities similar to other animals. They are social, and can even be trained to eat directly from their owners hands. The more time you spend with your Koi, the more you will notice each Koi has individual characteristics and traits.

Koi have been known to live for up to 200 years at time, but generally the average lifespan of a healthy Koi is about 30 years. So if you are looking for along time pet companion, Koi may be a good choice.

Building Your Koi Habitat

Before ever buying Koi, you must create a proper habitat for them. This is where information from your pond builder and supplier will come in handy. However, you should not rely on the opinions of just one person. It may be a god idea to do research on your own, before you go to purchase the materials needed for you pond. Because of it’s popularity, an unlimited supply of resources can be found on the topic of Koi keeping. Visit your local library, fishery center, or research online. There are quite a few things needed to sustain a habitable pond.

When it comes to pond size, bigger is always better. Koi have a habit of growing rather fast, so you have to consider pond size at the same time you are considering how many Koi you are going to put it in.

Your filtration system is extremely important. There are 2 types of filtration, mechanical and biological. Mechanical filtration relives the pond of solids such as dead algae, insects, and Koi wastes. It is important to have enough filtration to sustain the size of the pond, and the amount and size of your Koi. Biological filtration causes a nitrogen cycle, which is what removes dissolved wastes from your pond. Without biological filtration, built up waste will turn into ammonia and kill your Koi within just a few days.

Besides the technical aspects of your pond, you will also have the ability to create a visually appealing area as well. Waterfalls, fountains, and other water features will not only add a visual show to your pond, but it will also create movement and sound. A variety of plants and flowers are also available for your pond.

The Basics of Keeping KOI

Koi pond’s popularity are on the rise, and the reasons are obvious. Who would not want living creatures as a part of their garden? However, Koi keeping should not be taken lightly. Koi, like any other animal, require time and money to maintain. The majority of first time Koi owners fail because they get the idea that keeping Koi is easy in some way. Do not let this discourage you though, as educating yourself will greatly improve your chances of succeeding.

Koi fish cliche (abstract)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is important to learn the information for yourself rather then relying on other sources. People such as your product dealer and pond builder will have limited knowledge, but should not be trusted for a reliable source, as they are selling products, and may be bias. Plus, once you are at home with your Koi, your product dealer or pond builder may not be available to help you in the event of a problem.

Your Pond

When it comes to pond size, the bigger is always better. Koi have a habit of growing rather fast, so you have to consider pond size at the same time you are considering how many Koi you are going to put it in.

You filtration system is extremely important. There are 2 types of filtration, mechanical and biological. mechanical filtration relives the pond of solids such as dead algae, insects, and Koi wastes. It is important to have enough filtration to sustain the size of the pond, and the amount and size of your Koi. Biological filtration causes a nitrogen cycle, which is what removes dissolved wastes from your pond. Without biological filtration, built up waste will turn into ammonia and kill your Koi within just a few days.

Another consideration is the water quality. It is sometimes said that having Koi is literally just a side effect of having the proper water quality. To keep your Koi alive, you must have the proper knowledge on how to maintain your water quality.

Buying Koi

There are potentially thousands of different types of Koi, with about 20 different popular versions. Koi are popular because of their beautiful colors and patterns.

Your pond should be complete before you even look into buying your Koi. The size and amount of Koi you buy should be highly based on your pond. Be careful, overstocking will cause problems right away with you pond, potentially killing many of the Koi you purchase, causing you to loose time and money.

Most fish owners understand that most fish will only grow to the size of their enclosure. Koi, unlike other fish, will grow until they are the size of their specific type. You must be able to accommodate the amount of fish you purchase in the future.

2017-07-09

Searching for Small REPTILES

Lizards are one of an interesting group of animals that you might not think about too much - the reptiles. The biggest of the reptiles, the alligator, is hard to miss, but they live only in the southeastern United States. Smaller reptiles, like lizards and snakes, can be found in your neighborhood. If you want to go exploring to see these colorful and fascinating animals, here are some of the more common ones that you might find.

Collage of four U.S. state reptiles showing a turtle (box turtle), snake (garter snake), lizard (collared lizard), and crododilian (American alligator) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let's begin with lizards. Most common lizards are between four and twelve inches long, which is about the length of one or two of your hands. If they see you looking for them, they will probably scurry away quickly, so approach them quietly. Some lizards can go as fast as fifteen miles per hour, about as fast as you ride your bicycle, and very fast for a reptile! One really interesting thing about lizards is that if another animal grabs their tail, the tail breaks off, and later the lizard grows a new one! All lizards have smooth dry skin, so do not worry about them being slimy. One of the more common lizards all across the U.S. is the skink, which has a nice round body, short stubby legs, and is very shiny. Look for skinks during the warm part of the day in areas that no one goes near, like groups of rocks in a vacant lot. Many skinks have long stripes along their bodies, and a solid color pink or blue tail!

Another wonderful group of reptiles is the snake family. When you see a snake, think about how it uses its muscles to move so differently than any other animal. Snakes can move very fast, so don't be surprised if it slithers off quickly as soon as it realizes you are there. Be very quiet! Two of the snakes that are found throughout nearly all of the United States are the garter snake and the hognosed snake. Garter snakes are very thin snakes, about the size of two or three pencils, and about as long as your arm. They have long stripes on their bodies, the stripes are yellow and dark green in the eastern US, red-orange in the western US. Look for them in grassy fields or in grasses near the edge of woods, especially in sunny spots where they can get warm.

Hognose snakes have funny turned up noses that they can use for digging, and that is how they get their name. They are big brownish or greyish snakes with darker colored blotches on their bodies. They like open sandy areas, and areas with a lot of fallen leaves on it. Hognose snakes have unusual behaviors when they feel threatened. If you get too close to a hognose, it may try to scare you by hissing at you and puffing out its head. If it feels really scared, it can flop over and play dead.

Go exploring to see what reptiles you can find in your area. Look on the Internet or in a book to see a few pictures of snakes and lizards in your area, so that you will know what to look for. Enjoy!

2017-07-08

Constant AQUARIUM FISH DEATHS: causes and solutions

Shown is the head of Broadbarred firefish (Antennata Lionfish)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fish death aquarium tank is one of common challenges faced by aquarists. There are number of factors that could be responsible for the deaths experienced. These are outlined briefly bellow.

· The aquarist selection of fish.

· The removal and packing of the fish from the pet shop

· Transport time and period and the handling of the fish in transit

· Quarantine procedure.

· Adjustment and adaptation into the new community or environment by the new fish.

When buying fish from the pet shop always spend some time at the place to inquire about the life history and habits of the new purchase. You can then make a selection from collection of the same species. Never buy the last specimen in reserve at any shop because if it had been a good specimen, you would not have met it there in the first instance.

Always form the habit of making your fish purchase during the cool periods of the day, preferably before 12 noon or after 4.30pm.

These are the only periods I can guarantee for fish comfort. This restriction is borne out of my observation that most pet shops and aquarists alike do not seem to care about insulation of the fish against temperature fluctuations after gassing them in a polythene.

When making your fish selection from the pet shop be sure the attendant has the expertise to pick fish out from a selection. This you can know through the swiftness with which your choice fish is removed out of the selection.

Reject a fish that has been chased around, gasping for breath... It is week already! Chances are that it gives up with the further stress that accompanies the transportation of the fish.

Make sure that your new purchase is quarantined. That's a single factor that affects fish survival as pets.

2017-07-07

Tips on RAM CICHLIDS - Care and Spawning

The Ram cichlid or Microgeophagus ramirezi belongs to the family Cichlidae more commonly referred to as cichlids. They are endemic to Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Columbia. The aquarium industry markets rams under several trade names including; Ram, Blue ram, German blue ram, Asian ram, butterfly cichlid, dwarf butterfly and Ramirez's dwarf cichlid. The Ramirez's dwarf cichlid is a hybrid originally bred by fish enthusiast Manuel Ramirez.

A female M. ramirezi
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rams are arguably the most peace loving of the entire cichlid family. This makes them very popular with aquarium owners. They make wonderful community tank fish provided they are surrounded by equally docile tank-mates. They mix exceedingly well with tetras. Another aspect of their popularity is their size. They only grow to about 2.5 inches unlike their cousin the angelfish that can grow to up to 6 inches in diameter. This makes them perfect for smaller aquariums such as desktop models. They are most at home in well planted aquariums.

Ram Cichlids thrive in slightly acidic water. A pH of 6.8 with a water temperature range between 72- 78°F is the ideal environment for keeping rams. Under premium conditions you can expect your ram cichlids to live for up to four years.

Rams are omnivorous. They can survive just fine on common variety tropical fish flakes. But supplementing their diet with live food such as brine shrimp, frozen or freeze dried food will help insure their vigor.

Distinguishing males from females isn't difficult. This species is sexually dimorphic, males being larger than females. Males typically possess longer spines on the front of their dorsal fin. Females have rounder abdomens than males. This trait is quite apparent when they are carrying eggs.

Breeding Ram Cichlids

Both the male and the female typically become more colorful when its time to breed. The abdomen of a females' body turns reddish or pinkish when she enters into her spawning cycle. A slightly acid water and warmer water temperatures will help induce spawning.

You will want to place the pair in a breeding tank. Males can become territorial when they enter their breeding cycle.

You will know your rams are about to spawn when the expectant parents begin to clean a flat surface to deposit their eggs on. Cichlids rarely deposit their eggs on barren substrate when a more suitable nursery is available.

Stephen J Broy

Jellyfish Fish Tank Aquariums

Pet Moon Jellyfish

EzineArticles

2017-07-06

The Basic Do’s and Don’ts in DISCUS FISH Breeding

Having a fish tank at your home not only increases the aesthetics and the ambience of your home, it also provides you an avenue to relieve stress. Many homeowners which have aquariums in their houses swear to the fact that aquariums provides them with a sense of calmness, but of course, the fish inside the tank does a lot to make this happen. And one of the most sought after tropical freshwater fish today is the discus fish.

Photo by GIALIAT

A lot of discus fish owners today have seen the great potential in making money of their pets. First off, you have to realize that the discus fish is not just like your ordinary goldfish, they can be quite costly and selling their fry has the possibility of making them money. You too can be able to venture in this, providing you know what you are doing.

Some would say that breeding discus fish can be very difficult, well, if you make the most common, and sometimes most obvious mistakes, then you may just end up spending more and just plainly waste your time. To help you get started, here are a few do’s and don’ts in discus fish breeding.

The Do’s

Do buy a big tank if your existing aquarium is small. For a pair of discus fish, a 27 gallon tank will suffice, but if you have more pairs, then you should get a bigger one, 75 gallons will do the trick for 3 to 4 pairs of discus fish.

Do give your discus fish an area in the tank for them to spawn. Discus fish lay their eggs in a flat vertical surface area at the bottom of the tank. Some use certain plants while some say that an overturned pot will do.

Do vary the diet of your discus fish. When your fish are breeding, a varied diet is important to boost their reproductive system upping their chances of spawning. Aside from the pellets and granules, you can also feed the breeders bloodworms and brine, fresh or frozen as discus fish are carnivorous fishes.

Do keep their habitat livable. This means maintaining the temperature and the pH level of their water. Discus fish tend to get stressed when the water experiences an abrupt change or if its dirty.

The Don’ts

Don’t allow your tank water to get dirty and filled with food debris at the bottom. Any debris left can cause bacteria to develop and make your fish ill. This then will hamper the breeding process.

Don’t overfeed your discus fish. Just give them the recommended amount of food. Adult discus fish should only be fed twice a day.

Don’t be in a rush. Be patient. Breeding fishes doesn’t happen overnight, just keep on trying.

And lastly, don’t forget the obvious; you will need a female and a male discus fish. Try to learn how to spot the gender of your discus fish, this way, if you want to start if with just a pair, you will be able to see if they are indeed of the opposite sex.

Proper Housing Arrangements for Red-Footed Tortoises

The Red-Footed Tortoise is not a large turtle. It is not small either, being in the middle of the size range for turtles. This said, the Red-Footed Tortoise needs a very large area to live in a healthy manner. A minimum size for a habitat for these creatures should be roughly 2.5 metres by 2.5 metres. The best place to house these turtles is outside. There are several things that need attention though. The humidity should always be between 60% and 85%, and the temperature should never be below 50 degrees F. If any or all of these conditions can not be met, you must house them inside, and simulate the conditions.

Red-footed Tortoise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When keeping them outdoors, make sure you offer them plenty of protection from the sun. They will also want plenty of tall grass, plant life and a shallow but heavy dish of water. Red-Footed Tortoises are land based turtles, and do not need deep water.

When keeping the tortoises indoors, there is a set of guidelines you must follow. You can use whatever material you see fit, but wood is the most common. Make sure the floor of the enclosure is waterproof, in case any water is knocked over. A wooden floor may cause problems, as the water will seep into the wood, and over time could cause mould problems. If on concrete, never leave the floor bare. This has been noted as a cause of health problems in turtles, the most common being penis prolapse.

This said, the bottom, whatever material it is, needs to be covered with a more natural substrate. Mulch type substrate works well. Peat moss, sphagnum moss and play sand are recommended. A mixture of peat moss and sand is the best substrate. Make sure the sides of the enclosure are tall enough to prevent the turtles from getting out. Like most reptiles, Red-Footed Tortoises require hiding places. They will also need an area that has increased humidity. A large container, on its side, with dampened substrate works well. When needed, the tortoise will crawl inside to get to the humid area.

You must also provide your tortoises with a heat gradient. This can be achieved by placing a basking lamp on one end of the enclosure. The cool side should be kept around 73 degrees F, and the hot end should be kept around 87 degrees F. If you have multiple tortoises you will need to provide multiple basking spots. Drop the temperature at night to be 57 degrees F to 60 degrees F, and like outdoors, never let this temperature drop to or below 50 degrees F.

Aside from the heating lights, full-spectrum fluorescent lighting is necessary for proper synthesis of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is needed to properly use calcium in the tortoise’s body. You should always bring your turtles outside on warm days, as the natural sunlight provides the best vitamins you can get from light.

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