Raising a REPTILE as a Pet

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar 

You may have admired the unusual looking lizards at your local wildlife center, or perhaps a neighbor may have an iguana in their back room.  If you have not raised a reptile before, let me suggest that you start with a leopard gecko.  The leopard gecko has two very big advantages, and one of them is that it does not get very big. The other major advantage of a leopard gecko is that is has been kept and bred in captivity since the 1920s, and is among the healthiest lizards and easiest to keep.

A juvenile gecko is quite active, but as they mature they become rather quiet and tame, and can be held and will take food from your fingers.  The adult gecko does not get larger than nine or ten inches and can be handled by older children.  Even younger children can hold them, but make sure they are supervised to handle the gecko gently and to avoid picking them up by the tail or holding the tail tightly.  As with other lizards in the reptile family, their tails can break off.  Actually, this might be an interesting occurrence for children, as the tail will be regrown, though it never looks exactly the same as the original tail

Leopard geckos are easily kept in an aquarium or other plastic cages, as long as each gecko has at least ten inches square of floor space.  The cage should be a minimum of twelve inches high. Have a shallow bowl of water that doesn't spill as the lizards crawl into or over it.  The food bowl for the gecko can be something about the size and shape of the lid for a gallon jar, a larger flat area.  You will be using crickets or other insects as food, and it is better if the food remains in the food bowl.  The bottom of the cage should have some kind of paper toweling so that it can be changed in order to keep the cage clean.

One really important point about raising reptiles is to keep the area sufficiently warm.  Geckos thrive best when the daytime temperature is in the eighties, up to eighty-eight degrees.  Nighttime temperatures can get to the middle sixties without causing any health problems.  If your house is normally cooler than that, a lamp with a forty-watt bulb over the top of the cage should create enough heat to keep the gecko warm.  There are also hot rocks that you can buy and put in the cage.  Keep the cage out of direct sunlight (because it will get too warm) and have a screen cover for the top if you have small children or cats in your household.

Once you have the environment, go to a reputable pet store and select your geckos.  Leopard geckos come in a variety of colors, and you can keep several in the same cage as long as there is only one male in the group (most geckos that are sold are female).  They eat mealworms and crickets, and correct care and feeding should be discussed at length with the seller.  A well taken care of gecko can live as long as twenty years.

Raising a reptile can be a fascinating hobby whether you are eight or fifty-eight years old.  Leopard geckos are among the easiest to raise, are easily tamed, and are always beautiful and interesting pets.  Consider a gecko for your next pet.

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Transparent Leaves on AMAZON SWORDS

Echinodorus bleheri (Amazon sword plant, although other plants are
also known under this common name). The plant is cultivated for and used
in freshwater aquariums. The species is native to the Amazon Basin.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A common experience with Amazon Sword plants is that you will find them growing well, otherwise completely healthy, but with almost transparent leaves. Over time, the general health of the plant begins to degenerate.

This problem is caused by the chloroplasts in the leaves beginning to die, how badly the plant is affected depends on how advanced this has become. Unfortunately, there are a number of causes of this particular problem so it may be necessary to try a number of different approaches before a remedy can be found. If the plants in your tank are overall generally healthy, then do not worry too much, it is most likely that there will be no serious long-term damage you need to be concerned about. The most likely causes are a lack of soft, slightly acidic water, lighting conditions, and either an iron or potassium deficiency.

One of the most important aspects of plant keeping, outside of maintenance needed to keep water chemistry balanced, is ensuring that plants have the correct level of lighting. It is particularly helpful if lighting used is in the red or blue spectrum, as it is this wavelength that is used for photosynthesis. Amazon Swords will need roughly 2 to 3 watts per gallon of light to grow properly, if you have a tank greater than 18 inches in depth you will need a little more to penetrate to the bottom. If your tap water is hard and alkaline, consider using distilled water for water changes. A decent fertilizer with Iron and Potassium as some of the macronutrients it provides should eliminate any deficiencies.

It is advisable to make sure that everything in your aquarium has very similar needs and the closer this is, the better! It is always important to strike this balance, particularly if things begin to go wrong with one or more aspects of the aquarium. This is the point where you may change lighting intensity, the balance of water chemistry and other factors of the aquarium. Providing that you have done your research beforehand, trying to treat problems with your Amazon Swords should go smoothly, just make sure to be vigilant on how the aquarium fares with changes in water chemistry, lighting, hardness, and acidity.

Keeping Amazon Swords can be very rewarding. If you begin to have this problem with them, once you have worked out what you believe has gone wrong or may be causing the issue, you are well on the way to treating them successfully.

With live aquarium plants, you can overcome all the problems of a non-planted aquarium. You can improve the quality of your aeration, filtration, food and algae control. You can improve the lives of your fish.

By Sean Norman - Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: GOLD BARB (Puntius semifasciolatus)

Photo: Wikipedia

The Gold Barb, Puntius semifasciolatus is an excellent little aquarium fish. It usually grows to about two inches long (5cm) although I have seen ones nearer 4 inches (10cm). The Gold Barb is from Asia although the actual Gold form does not exist in the wild. Their usual lifespan is about five years.

Naming Confusion

This fish has many names. Other Common names are Golden Barb, Schubert's Barb, Green Barb, Half Stripped Barb, China Barb, Chinese Half Stripped Barb and Six Banded Barb. Other Scientific names it has been known by include: Barbus semifasciolatus, Pontius Shubertii, Puntius Shubertii, Barbus Shubertii and Capoeta semifasciolatus.

To add to the naming perplexity, the Gold Barb is often confused with: the Golden Barb (Puntius gelius) or the Gold-finned Barb (Puntius sachsii). The species name Shubertii refers to Tom Shubert of Camden, New Jersey, USA who developed the Gold Barb. He did this by selective breeding, presumably from the wild form of Puntius semifasciolatus, in the 1960's. I remember when I was a teenager keeping fish in the 1960's and later that the Gold Barb was called Barbus Shubertii. It was believed by some people to be a distinct species although there was already a suspicion that it was a form of Puntius semifasciolatus. I do not think that Barbus Shubertiiwas ever a valid scientific name.

Water Conditions

The Gold barb thrives in cooler water than most tropical fish. 18 - 24 degrees C (64 - 75 degrees F) is this fish's preferred range although it will certainly survive several degrees above this and a few degrees below. This means that it is suitable for either a tropical aquarium with the temperature set at 24 degrees C (75 degrees F) or an unheated tank in areas that do not get very cold. It is interesting to note that the color change was not the only change that happened when Mr. Shubert was breeding these fish. The Gold form of the species is a little less cold resistant than the wild type.The wild-type is sometimes sold as the China Barb and is a good aquarium fish although not as attractively colored as the Gold Barb.

The Gold Barb likes fairly soft, slightly acidic water, but does well over a range of pH. I usually aim for neutral (7). It will tolerate a moderate amount of hardness in the water.

Food

The Gold Barb is an easily fed omnivore. Any good quality fish food is an excellent basis for its diet. As with nearly all fish, and most other animals, the Gold Barb benefits from the occasional change in its diet. Live food like mosquito larvae and Daphnia are gobbled up greedily. Frozen bloodworms also make a good treat.

Companions

The Gold Barb is a schooling fish and a minimum of six should be kept. The Gold Barb is not as likely to become a fin nipper as Rosy Barbs and Tiger Barbs but can be kept with these fish as well as with other slightly aggressive fish like Paraguay Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras and Colombian Tetras. Because the Gold Barb is peaceful it can also be kept with fish like Pristella Tetras and Rummy Nose Tetras. I would not recommend them as companions for Siamese Fighting Fish, Guppies, and Endlers Guppies. Small fish like Neon Tetras and Cardinal Tetras can certainly be kept with smaller Gold Barbs. In all cases, avoid too great a size difference between the fish in your aquarium. Do not put large, aggressive or predatory fish with Gold Barbs.

Breeding

Gold Barbs scatter their eggs over plants, preferably fine leaved ones. The males tend to be brighter in color and when ready to breed will get an orange-red belly. The females are duller in color and plumper. An increase in temperature to about 27 degrees C (80 degrees F) as well as a drop in pH to about 6.5 will tend to encourage them to breed. The spawning can be a little violent, so the tank should be reasonably big. I suggest at least two feet (60cm) long.

The actual spawning will usually take place when the tank starts to get light in the morning. I suggest removing the parents immediately after spawning. The average number of eggs per female is about a hundred although I have known of a female that produced over 400 eggs at one spawning.

An alternative way of breeding them is to have them in as big an aquarium as possible, with large numbers of plants and leave the parents in. Of course, you are likely to get fewer babies surviving, but this is a little closer to what could happen in the wild. A variation on this method is to put them into a well-planted pond in the summer months and catch all the fish before it gets too cold in the autumn (fall). The eggs are a yellowish color. They should hatch in 2-3 days. The fry will eat fine dry foods but benefit from suitable sized live foods at all stages.

Pest Fish

As with all captive fish, do release your Gold Barbs into the wild and do not put them in a situation where they could get out.

By Steve Challis Also see: http://www.bettatrading.com.au/Gold-Barb-Fact-Sheet.php Steve Challis has many articles and stories on a diverse range of subjects at http://www.bettatrading.com.au. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Decorate Your Aquarium With DRIFTWOOD

Driftwood (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

Before you decorate your aquarium with driftwood, there are a couple of things you should know.

When purchasing driftwood, you have to make sure it is safe to use in an aquarium. They sell driftwood for reptiles that may look ideal for aquariums, but it may contain chemicals that can really hurt your fish.

If you happen to find a piece of wood or roots, do not be tempted to use it in your tank. If it has not been properly dried or cured, it can quickly rot.

There is some preparation required before you add driftwood to your aquarium. To make the best of it you need to give it some thought. Using driftwood and other natural objects makes your aquarium look incredible but you have to be careful, since you might cause some stress and might end up having to take the aquarium apart and starting all over if you don't do it right the first time. You can have a beautiful aquascaped fish tank with very little effort if you plan ahead.

To start, draw a rough sketch of the idea you have for your aquarium, think where you want to locate the driftwood, the plants, and any other structures you want to have. Imagine how your aquarium would look with the driftwood positioned vertically, or horizontally. Create many different designs of what your dream aquatic landscape would look like. Of course, if this is a new tank and you don't have any inhabitants yet, you can actually redecorate as much as you want in the dry tank until you are satisfied with the look.

Driftwood needs to be cleaned. Once you've decided where to place the driftwood, use a clean brush to thoroughly scrub the driftwood and remove any dirt or debris it might have. Don't use soap or any other chemicals. Use only water or you risk poisoning the tank. Once you have cleaned the driftwood, you need to cure it and saturate it.

Some driftwood will remain submerged underwater, but some will remain buoyant if it's not fully saturated and "waterlogged." The way to do this is soaking the driftwood in water as long as possible. Make sure you use a bucket large enough for the water to cover the piece completely. You are going to let the driftwood soak from one to two weeks. Be patient. It'll be worth it in the long run. Now, even when you soak your driftwood thoroughly, some large pieces can still retain buoyancy, so secure them to rocks with monofilament (fishing line) to anchor them.

Driftwood contains tannins that can darken and discolor the water, and soak it long enough will draw the excess out and you'll be able to keep your water cleaner. Although the tannins cause some discoloration, it will not harm your aquarium inhabitants, but it will lower the pH slightly over time. You might use this to your advantage if you have very hard water. You might want to know, however, that that stained water is great for many brightly colored Tetras like Neons, Cardinals and Bleeding Hearts. So if you decide to keep this species, you only need to lightly soak and scrub the piece or pieces of driftwood before adding them to your aquarium.

If you want clear water, then keep soaking your driftwood, and when the water starts darkening, empty the water and gently rinse the driftwood. Fill the bucket with clean dechlorinated water and continue soaking the driftwood.

Every time you change the water, you'll notice the water is less and less dark. When there's no more significant discoloration for three or four days in a row, you can finally place your driftwood in the tank. Keep in mind that even after curing and soaking the driftwood, it may still release tannins and discolor the water, but filtering your water with activated carbon will clear it right up.

You can also boil the driftwood. Use a large enough stock pot, and the tannins will leach out faster, and the curing process will be shorter. Moreover, boiling sterilizes the driftwood. It kills any algal or fungal spores that could take hold once you introduce the piece into the aquarium. Boil the driftwood for 1-2 hours to sterilize it.

With your driftwood properly prepared, you can now start the decorating process. If you are redecorating an inhabited tank, the best time to do it is during a water change. You only need to place the driftwood into your aquarium and refill it.

There are plants such as Java Moss or Java Fern that can be attached to driftwood to create an aged look. You can secure the plants with monofilament, which can be removed when the plants have naturally attached and grown into the driftwood.

So, patience and some planning are crucial in your new set up, and this is particularly true if you are going to use driftwood as decoration.

By Rebeca Rambal If you want to find more very useful information about setting up and maintaining your fish tank, please visit me at http://www.thefishtankplace.com Article Source: EzineArticles

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Brazillian Elodea - ELODEA densa

Brazillian Elodea - Elodea densa

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Keeping DISCUS FISH: It’s all about the Water

First of all, you have to keep in mind that discus fish are considered to be one of the most beautiful types of fishes that people love to have in their aquarium. The aesthetic quality of discus fish is really eye-catching and once you are able to see one, you will surely want one as your own.

However, the problem with keeping discus fish is that they are quite difficult to take care of. You see, there are several factors that you have to keep in mind when you plan on taking care of discus fish as your pet.

Basically, taking care of discus fish is not that hard. Although first timers will find it difficult to care for discus fish, you will soon get the hang of it and start taking care of discus fish easily.

You have to remember that discus fish need very specific living conditions and diets. Many fish enthusiasts even say that beginners should not attempt to take care of this kind of fish as it will just frustrate them especially if they don’t know what they are doing.

Discus fish are very temperamental but if you do the necessary research and apply it in taking care of the discus fish in your aquarium, you will be able to have a discus fish that will thrive in your aquarium and also grow happy and healthy.

The secret to taking care of discus fish is the water. You need to keep in mind that unlike other fishes that needs no specific water condition to thrive, discus fish will need to live in special tanks with water that is specifically treated to the point that it mimics their natural environment.

By giving them the proper water condition they need to thrive, you can be sure that your discus fish will be able to live for a very long time and they will also be a lot healthier and more active.

The temperature of the water must be kept stable. In their natural home, discus fish usually thrives in water with temperatures between the range of 28 and 31 degrees Celsius. Any higher or lower than these temperatures will be enough to kill the fish or not let them survive for long. This is why you may want to invest in a water thermometer in order for you to constantly monitor the water so it won’t exceed or drop below the required temperature.

The acidity of the water should also be kept at a constant level. The water pH for discus fish to thrive in should be between 5.5 and 7. Any more acidic or alkaline than these numbers is a sure way to kill your discus fish.

Lastly, the water hardness should also be considered. Although discus fish are not that sensitive to water hardness, it will play an important role in keeping them healthy. The optimum hardness of water for discus fish to thrive in should be between 1dH and 8dH. This will be quite soft, which is perfect for discus fish to live in.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to get your discus fish to thrive in your aquarium. This will not only keep your discus fish healthy, but it will also keep them happy and comfortable.

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What Types of HERMIT CRABS Should Be Placed in a Saltwater Aquariums?

Photo  by Sylke Rohrlach 

Hermit crabs have been popular pets for adults and children alike for many years, and there are many who appreciate their unique beauty (and just as many do not-it's a matter of taste). With the increasing popularity of bringing a piece of the sea into the home, it is no wonder that the notion of introducing hermit crabs into a saltwater aquarium has been gaining in popularity.

Just as there are many types of hermit crabs that can be kept as pets, so too are there many different breeds which can be kept in aquariums. Not all have the same chance for survival if kept in captivity, however, and it is important that the aquarium owner make sure that they are familiar with all of the specific needs of their hermit crabs before they are introduced to the aquarium. Below is an introduction to some of the most common breeds of aquarium hermit crabs.

- Red Hermit Crab (Dardanus megistos)- Also known as the White-Spotted Hermit Crab this crab has red legs with black-edged spots. It is not a safe addition to a reef aquarium but is very useful in keeping algae growth to a minimum in a community aquarium. Only one crab per aquarium please; these crabs are very protective of their personal space.

- Red Legged Hermit Crab (Clibanarius digueti)-these Mexican crabs are a hardy addition to any aquarium, eating algae from the tank. They demand a low level of copper in the water, however, as their bodies cannot survive in the presence of this metal.

- Scarlet Hermit Crab or Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)-this hermit crab generally remains small, around two inches across, and has a red body with yellow eyestalks. They are very helpful in keeping the algae growth inside the aquarium under control; however, if insufficient algae are available inside the tank they must be supplementally fed with dried seaweed.

- Common Hermit Crab (Pagurus bernhardus)-These crabs are more common in Europe but can be found in other countries as well. Also known as the soldier crab.

Since these crabs carry their homes around on their backs it is important that they constantly have new shells available to them when they have outgrown their previous shell. A hermit crab in an improperly sized shell cannot grow properly. These shells can be purchased from a pet store or an online retailer or, if the owner is familiar with the requirements of their hermit crabs, these shells can often be found on a beach. If the owner chooses to go out into the wild and collect their own shells it is important that they choose the proper type of shell for their hermit crab to inhabit. As sea anemones are often an important part of the hermit crabs natural environment they make excellent tank mates, eating the leftovers when the hermit crab has finished a meal and cutting back on the amount of tank waste.

Hermit crabs are an intriguing addition to any tank and require very little maintenance once their owners are familiar with their needs and their habits. With the proper care, they can live for quite a while, providing endless hours of joy for their owners and their families.

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