Three Popular Pet TREE FROGS

Looking for a unique pet that won't take your house over and pretend that they own it? Have you ever considered buying a pet tree frog? Sure, it may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think about a pet, but the fact is, tree frogs make great pets! Tree frogs are different from other frogs since they spend most of their time living in tall trees, rather than hanging around at a pond or creek like other frogs. The only time they usually hang around on the ground is during mating season and they can be found in many regions throughout the world. There are several different types of tree frogs that one might want to have as a pet including the White's Tree frog, Red-Eyed Tree Frog, and a Green Tree frog to name just a few.

White's tree frog (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

White's Tree Frog

Originating in the regions of Australia and New Guinea these bright green frogs make great pets. They are not overly active and do not require any special skill to care for them properly. In terms of size, the White's Tree Frog grows to around 4 or 5 inches long and they will live approximately 15 years. Unlike many frogs that hate to be picked up, the White's Tree Frog seems content with being picked up. As for food, if you're wondering what to feed the White's Tree frog, a safe bet would be crickets, meal worms, and even baby mice!

Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas), photographed near Playa Jaco in Costa Rica (retouched version). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Just like their name suggests, the Red-Eyed Treefrog has bright red eyes that are noticeable against the bright green color of the frog, with yellow and blue stripes. If you're looking for a unique tree frog with brilliant colors, the Red-Eyed Tree frog is a great option. Red-Eyed frogs are from the rainforests of Central American countries and Costa Rica, which means that when you have them in your home, they need to be kept warm and the air should be very humid. Feeding a Red-Eyed tree frog is easy; Just feed them crickets and they will be very content. These pet frogs will be most active at night and may sleep quite a bit during the day and are very docile.

Australien Green Treefrog - Photo: Pixabay

Green Tree Frog

The Green Tree frog originates in two different regions; the United States and Australia. The Australi

a Green Tree frog is otherwise known as the White's Tree frog as discussed above.

The American Green Tree frog is found throughout many states in the U.S including Georgia, Florida, Texas, North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The diet of the Green Tree frog consists of crickets, flies, worms, and moths, but they are able to go without food for over 48 hours. At 2.5 inches long, they are quite small, but the males are smaller than the females. If you are looking for an inexpensive pet, the Green Tree Frog is perfect as they are often sold for just $10 to $20.

By Gary Phelps - Article Source: EzineArticles

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GIANT SNAKEHEAD Care - Basic Safety Tips When Cleaning Your Giant Snakehead's Tank

Giant snakehead (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Generally cleaning a fish tank is very mundane and safe work, until you throw a highly aggressive fish into the mix such as the Giant Snakehead. Cleaning your tank with this monster fish in it adds a not-so-standard twist to your regular tank maintenance.

Odds are you're going to be getting your Giant Snakehead as a baby, which gives you the opportunity to introduce a very useful tank mate. The Plecostomus is a bottom-feeding fish that not only makes an interesting addition to your tank but helps keep it free of algae and other waste. If you can I recommend getting a young-adult to adult Plecostomus over the baby, as your Giant Snakehead grows much faster then he will which could turn him into lunch. If introduced at an early age, or even better before you purchase your Giant Snakehead, the odds are they will stay tank mates for years to come. Try introducing a Plecostomous after your Giant Snakehead is an adult and just watch how fast you flushed thirty dollars down the toilet.

As a youth keeping the Giant Snakeheads tank clean is not an overly difficult task. I would recommend changing 10-25% of the water, based on the size of the tank, about once every 10 to 14 days. Small to medium tanks should have about 25% of their water changed, whereas a much larger tank (100 gallons+) should get about 10% of the water replaced. Obviously, proper filtration equipment is needed to help maintain a clean tank. On the upside, the Giant Snakehead is a very stoic fish able to survive most normal PH and Alkalinity levels so maintaining proper chemicals is not critical. The downside is as he begins to get larger and more aggressive you need to start using a great deal of caution when cleaning the tank.

First off get some very long handled brushes for scrubbing the sides clean. It is best practice to never reach your hand into the tank of an adult Giant Snakehead as they generally strike anything new that enters the water immediately. Following that, I always used an electric underwater gravel vacuum from your pet store. This is a very efficient and safe method for both removing water from your tank and cleaning the gravel at the same time. It also has the added benefit of never having to reach into the tank with a bucket to remove water during the bi-weekly changes. Finally, you may want to make sure he was recently fed to keep him a bit more lethargic.

Just remember to exercise extreme caution when cleaning your Giant Snakeheads tank as they are a dangerous fish. It has been said that full grown Giant Snakeheads have killed adult human beings in the wild, and though. The last thing you want to do is cause him unneeded stress and causing yourself some serious bodily harm.

By Brad Betts - Article Source: EzineArticles

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TENNESSEE AQUARIUM - Helpful Reviews

Tennessee Aquarium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tennessee Aquarium is a landmark found in Chattanooga Tennessee. Well, this is an amazing spot visited by people who are aquariums enthusiast enjoying the exploration of marine species.

People who visited the Tennessee Aquarium provided their reviews so that other people can learn about what to expect, see or explore.

• Tennessee Aquarium has incorporated artistic exhibits to encourage people of any age. It gives appeal to everyone and ignites curiosity to explore the entire place.

• Freshwater exhibits are awesome. Newly added saltwater exhibits are spectacular displaying all creatures living in salt water including all sharks’ varieties.

• RiverWalk is a concrete walkway located on the top of the Tennessee River shore waters without railings giving an ultimate walking experience to visitors.

• Tennessee Aquarium is adjacent to the Bijou Movie Theater and IMAX Theater giving another entertainment option to visitors and travelers.

• Tennessee Aquarium has knowledgeable and excellent staff ready to answer all the questions given by travelers and visitors. The staff includes children and adults in their learning activities which they enjoy doing. The staff professionalism is observed giving the same warm welcome to visitors even during the last minute before closing time.

• Tennessee Aquarium is a very neat place to visit however the booth for buying tickets are not covered and the Aquarium gets easily crowded so sometimes time is wasted waiting to see the exhibits.

• Tennessee Aquarium’s one of the visitor’s favorite is the seahorse's exhibit. You need to have at least two hours to spend watching all the exhibits including divers cleaning the aquarium windows and swimming together with sharks and stingrays.

• Tennessee Aquariums have natural habitats for different animals with two living forests seen under glass that the children and adults love to enjoy watching.

• Tennessee Aquariums has incorporated many varieties of interesting fishes, which are fun to observe.

• Tennessee Aquarium is an amazing place to visit having beautiful views, good presentations, nice buildings, and knowledgeable employees however the only disaster experienced by visitors are their bathrooms.

• Tennessee Aquariums has incorporated an amazing architectural aesthetics having a beautiful landscaping of underwater sea environment, river, lake, and pond natural habitats, which they rank as one of the best aquariums in the world to visit.

Having a real-life marine adventure is an interesting activity that anybody could experience. Tennessee Aquarium surely offers the best scenery and adventure.

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AQUARIUM PLANTS: Importance of natural plants Part 2

This image shows a Parrotfeather (Myriophyllum aquaticum). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Follows are other importance of using natural plants in modern aquarium…

·         The first obvious importance lies in the value of DECORATOR for the aquarium. A thickly planted aquarium needs no plastic or paper background (as is common with most aquariums around the country). Since the real stuff is right there in your tank, an aquarium would look rather bare without the addition of plants much like a soccer pitch without grass!

·         Natural Aquarium plants also serve as food (mineral) SUPPLEMENT for fishes that require occasional variety to their monotonous flake meals. They also serve as CONDITIONER AND INDICATOR of water quality. Many plants, especially the Myriophyllum special water milfoils break into pieces when hard water is added into the tank, this could be an indication of the unsuitability of the water for fishes.

·         Many large leafed plants help reduce the need for cleaning the aquarium front glass because of their role as INHIBITORS to the growth of the smaller plants especially the green and brown algae by shading, thus starving them and reducing their proliferation on the front glass. The large leafed plants also provide shelter and hiding places for the smaller and less aggressive fishes.

·         Egg-laying fishes can only spawn when there is a spawning medium in form of a bunch of feathery plants.

·         On the whole, plants provide a SECURITY FACTOR which is one vital attribute of fish looks out for before setting in as pets in your aquarium. They prefer a place that looks more like “home” to them.

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AQUARIUM PLANTS: Importance of natural plants Part 1

A small amateur aquarium – tank for 100 liters. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Use of aquarium plants in a modern-day aquarium is very important but some people don’t really value the importance, thus they are still using plastic plants. Today I will discuss the importance of having natural aquarium plants.

Natural aquarium plants among others help to….

• Aids fish breathing and as a result the aquarium can thrive comfortably without the use of artificial aeration and electric light! 
  
  
• Reduction of the toxic carbon-dioxide level (Co2 level) which happens to be a critical factor causing constant fish deaths. The plants use up the Co2 in the process of food formation. The nature of the carbon dioxide gas is such that, once it is produced inside the water (e.g. by the fish), it stays put in the aquarium no matter the amount of aeration, because the Co2 gas is about three times more miscible with water than oxygen. The resultant effect of this is that there is a gradual build-up of this waste gas leading eventually to suffocating of the fish unless there is a practical or complete removal of the aquarium water which could be rather cumbersome.
  
  
• Natural aquarium plants also serve the most important functions of CONVERTING WASTE into harmless and useful products. In this way, they generate a self-recycling process (the NITROGEN CYCLE) that automatically converts the waste produced by the fish and the excess food into fertilizer which the plants utilize for rapid growth.
• They hidding and spawning areas for fish.
  
  
• Natural plants in aquarium shelters aquatic insects.

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SUBSTRATE in your Fish tank

Gravel in a freshwater aquarium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What the heck is "Substrate", you ask?  Well, basically your substrate is the material that you have on the bottom of your aquarium.  You can have sand, gravel, small stones, or almost anything really.  Half of the fun of owning fish is doing the interior decoration of your tank.  Let your imagination run wild, but make sure that you use materials that are safe for your fish.

The most common substrate is gravel.  You've seen those bags in your local pet store; they come in every color of the rainbow.  You can also go to any hardware store and buy natural gravel if you are going for a less artificial look.  Just make sure that you rinse whatever you use before you put it into your tank and remove any bits that are unusually sharp.

Gravel gives your tank a nice aesthetic appeal while also anchoring your plants and helping you develop the biological filter within your tank.  It's also the easiest substrate to clean when you are using your gravel vac during your water changes.  Gravel is heavy enough to resist being siphoned out of the tank but light enough to swirl around and release all waste that has become sediment.   It is also fairly cheap, especially if you purchased a large bag from the hardware store.

Many hobbyists, especially cichlid owners, prefer to use sand.  If you are keeping fish that sift sand looking for food, going with something finer than gravel is the ONLY way to go.  Like gravel, you can find it in many different colors, although it is harder to find than gravel; most pet stores carry only white and black, and the black is quite expensive. Here too, you can find a cheaper alternative down at your local hardware store.

Most stores carry bags of sand marketed as "play-sand".  These sands are generally used to fill children's sandboxes and as such, are safe and ready to go.  They'll require a great deal of pre-washing before you put them into your tank though, because of the dust that they contain, but they are attractive to use and quite cheap. Some larger stores may actually carry some colored sands, but they are harder to find and will probably require a special order.  Avoid "silica" sands as they have sharp edges that can cut your fish.

Sand is more difficult to clean, however, because of its lightweight.  You can't plunge your gravel vac into the sand without sucking it up with your wastewater.  You have to be a lot more careful while siphoning, and periodically make time to stir the sand by hand to release trapped pockets of waste and biological matter.  If you want easy to maintain, sand is not for you.

You can also buy bags of crushed shell or limestone.  These are useful if you are putting together a marine tank or an African cichlid tank as they are made up of calcium carbonate and this tends to raise the water hardness and pH, which both of these types of fish will enjoy.  This is obviously a poor choice for fish from the soft water, low pH environments like many river fish from South and Central America.

Whatever substrate you chose, it will require occasional maintenance.  Generally not much more than doing a quick stir and a little redecorating when your fish move it around, but your substrate will last just about forever, so pick one that you can live with.

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ELECTRIC BLUE CICHLID - A Brief Introduction

Photo  by Marcel Sigg 

The Electric Blue cichlid [electric blue hap (Sciaenochromis fryeri)] is a popular fish among hobby aquarists because it is an overall easy breed to care for and an easy species to breed. People also find their vibrant colors pleasing to the eye. In addition, they are not known to be picky eaters. However, they do ask for good water conditions, with suitable aquarium decorations.

Setting up an aquarium for an Electric Blue cichlid is simple, but takes thought and perhaps some research. It is important to try to replicate their natural environments to the best of your ability. Electric Blue cichlids are native to an African Rift Lake named Lake Malawi. In their natural habitat, they depend on their own instincts for their survival by hiding in rocks and logs, searching for smaller fish to eat.

In an aquarium, an Electric Blue cichlid totally relies on his owner for his survival and well-being. By providing for your fish, a home that closely resembles his native home, you will increase his lifespan, as well as cut down on aggressive behavior. You can also train your cichlid to eat prepared food rather than smaller fish in your aquarium. The other option is to keep your Electric Blue only with fish are as large, or larger, than they are. They will be safe from your cichlid's bite.

An Electric Blue cichlid can grow to be 6 inches in length, therefore should be put in a larger tank. A 55-gallon tank is the smallest tank you would want to house your Electric Blue cichlid in. They can live in murky water, but most hobby aquarists prefer to have their tanks clear. The fish do not mind clear water, either.

The water should be kept at temperature ranges of 72 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. This is very important because having the incorrect water temperature is one reason why cichlids become aggressive. They are hardy fish, but any drastic change in water temperature could have detrimental effects. Keep the aquarium out of direct sunlight, and away from all heat sources to prevent sudden a rise or fall of water temperature.

Finally, an Electric Blue cichlid likes to have plenty of places he can hide, yet also have plenty of swimming space. Rocks and wood can be stacked strategically along the bottom of your tank to accomplish this. You will also want to replicate the substrate from Lake Malawi because these cichlids like to play in the substrate sometimes. Having the incorrect bottom layer in your aquarium can harm them unnecessarily.

By Preston Mane - Article Source: EzineArticles

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