Archive for the ‘Pets and Animals’ Category

Fish Make Great Pets With Just A Little Research

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Care for tropical fish can be an easy and rewarding job as long as you can be competent and caring. The first thing you should do before your run out and purchase tropical fish is research what fish you think you would want in a tank. You can go to such sites as Petco and match up fish with other fish and tank size.

Once you have decided what fish and how many you should coordinate what tank size you will need. Also make sure that you know at what level the fish swim. They either will swim at high level, mid level, or will stay low to the gravel. You should make sure all your fish are spread out through the tank and won’t crowd each other.

Second thing to do is buy a tank and all the appropriate gear. You can buy a tank starter kit or you can buy it piece by piece. If you go to the local pet store they should be able to get all the right gear. Make sure that when you get home and set up your tank you buy distilled water to put in the tank. Make sure you have all tank set up correctly. Let the water sit for several hours and then turn on the filter and let it run for about 24 hours. Make sure that it all work properly then you can be off to the pet store.

Third, and this is the best part, you get to pick up your fish!!!! At the store make sure that you are ready with your list and make sure you only buy about 5 fish at a time. It doesn’t matter how big your tank is - you don’t want to let fish get over crowded. When you get the fish home place them (while still in their baggy) in the tank. Leave them in there for about an hour so they adjust to the water temperature. At the hour mark cut a hole in the bag and let the fish find their way out. If you want to get more fish, wait 24 hours before doing so.

The fourth step is the easiest - just maintain and enjoy them. If you run into any trouble there are 100s of sites about fish sicknesses. Most pet stores have little kits for you to frequently test pH levels, prevent sicknesses, and clean water. Your fish are amazing little beings and if you treat them right they will be beautiful and peaceful for you for some time to come. ENJOY!

Health benefits of owning fish are well known. Learn to enjoy the power of tropical fish! Check us out for great discounts on aquariums and supplies

3 Steps to a New Healthy Fish Tank

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Lots of people enjoy having a pet and enjoying the benefits of pet ownership. However not everyone has the time or the desire to own a cat or dog or even more exotic pets like snakes or lizards. Some people want pets that are easy to take care of, provide them with enjoyment but don’t need lots of hands on maintenance. These people are generally the fish owners. Owning a tropical fish tank can be a rewarding and fun experience. There are some initial do’s and don’ts before you get started. Lets talk about a few of those steps right now.

First tip: when your aquarium is first purchased do not expect to buy any fish that day. There are many things you need to do to prepare the tank for fish first. This entire process could take from a couple days to a week. Getting the tank completely ready is one of the most important parts of having healthy pet fish! Without getting into a lot of specifics remember that you must get the ph level of your fish tank just right.

PH level is the amount of the acidity. This can be accomplished by purchasing a very inexpensive kit that will do tests and correct any problems. By not doing this first you run great risk in having healthy fish. In my experience this is a very important facet of having an aquarium. Check the PH once a week and make sure you have no problems with ph levels.

Second: another factor of having a healthy fish environment is bacteria. Your tank usually takes 2-6 weeks to build up bacteria that are needed for aquarium fish. You can either borrow some water from someone who has a tank or you can buy bacteria from a pet store. When you purchase accessories for your tank such as stones decorations and filtration systems be sure to clean them all very good before placing them into your tank. You can imagine merchandise laying in stores and being handled by many people. Make sure they are clean and you will have a successful tank.

Thirdly: the next step we’ll briefly discuss is temperature. It must be in the 24C - 28C range. Buy an aquarium heater for your fish tank. Place it in the water and wait 30 minutes before plugging it in. If you don’t, you run the risk of it shattering in the water. When you are ready to purchase your first pet fish make sure the size of your fish also match the size of your tank. Add one or two fish per 20 liters to begin with. Float them in your tank for 15 minutes before letting them loose in the tank. After they are in your tank for a couple hours feed them a small portion to get them used to the tank.

After about a month your new tank should be ready to populate. Aquariums can be a self satisfying hobby. They can be soothing, fun to watch and addictive to shop for. They can also be a beautiful addition to your home. Learn all that you can about tropical fish to have the healthiest fish tank possible.

Health benefits of owning fish are well known. Enjoy the power of tropical fish! Shop our cheap aquarium supplies now

My Favorite First Fish Tank Tips

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

If you’d like to have a pet but don’t have a lot of spare time, consider getting a pet fish as opposed to a dog or cat. Fish are beautiful and interesting, they don’t cost too much, and fish care is much less stressful than training a puppy or teaching a kitten to use a litter box.

The first thing you need to decide is what kind of aquarium to buy. Size and shape are important considerations, because your fish tank requires a good location. It needs a stable flat surface, preferably away from doors and windows to minimize temperature changes. At the same time, you’ll want to pick a place that’s easily seen - an aquarium full of tropical fish is a great conversation piece and almost a work of art. I recommend a ten or twenty gallon tank because that’s large enough to host an interesting community of fish but not so expensive or hard to care for as to be intimidating.

Once you’ve picked their home, you can select your fish. For a first aquarium, select fish that are fairly easy to care for. There are a few fish, like betas and goldfish, that can just live in a bowl full of water, but most tropical fish require at minimum, a pump, a filter and light. You can often buy an aquarium “starter kit” that includes all of these things. With a basic aerated fish tank, you can select from a wide variety of easy to care for tropical fish.

Some excellent choices include danios, mollies, platys and tetras of all kinds. These fish all have peaceful temperaments and similar sizes, which means they can coexist without anyone getting eaten. They are easy to care for and they come in a number of attractive colors and patterns. Buy danios and tetras in schools of around five, and platys and mollies in singles or pairs. If you want to buy a male, which are larger, flashier and sometimes have fancy fins, only get one. Platys and mollies are similar enough that the males may fight each other. With tetras and danios sex is less important, which is fortunate because it’s also less obvious.

When you go to the fish store to pick your pet fish, there are a number of temptations you will need to resist. Do not buy more fish than you think you can handle. An often quoted rule is “one inch of fish per gallon of water”, but that represents a maximum. I recommend about seven fish from the list above for a ten gallon fish tank.

Remember, do not buy fish that are too large for your aquarium. The fishes described in this article average 1-2 inches in length, which makes them suitable for small tanks. Avoid any fish that are described as “delicate” (like angelfish) or “aggressive” (like Oscars). And don’t even think about a salt water tank if you’re just starting out. If you select a suitable number of easy care fish and a simple aquarium setup, your first experience with owning fish will be both relaxing and rewarding.

Health benefits of owning fish are well known. Enjoy the power of tropical fish! Shop our cheap aquarium supplies now

My Favorite First Fish Tank Tips

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

If you’d like to have a pet but don’t have a lot of spare time, consider getting a pet fish as opposed to a dog or cat. Fish are beautiful and interesting, they don’t cost too much, and fish care is much less stressful than training a puppy or teaching a kitten to use a litter box.

The first thing you need to decide is what kind of aquarium to buy. Size and shape are important considerations, because your fish tank requires a good location. It needs a stable flat surface, preferably away from doors and windows to minimize temperature changes. At the same time, you’ll want to pick a place that’s easily seen - an aquarium full of tropical fish is a great conversation piece and almost a work of art. I recommend a ten or twenty gallon tank because that’s large enough to host an interesting community of fish but not so expensive or hard to care for as to be intimidating.

Once you’ve picked their home, you can select your fish. For a first aquarium, select fish that are fairly easy to care for. There are a few fish, like betas and goldfish, that can just live in a bowl full of water, but most tropical fish require at minimum, a pump, a filter and light. You can often buy an aquarium “starter kit” that includes all of these things. With a basic aerated fish tank, you can select from a wide variety of easy to care for tropical fish.

Some excellent choices include danios, mollies, platys and tetras of all kinds. These fish all have peaceful temperaments and similar sizes, which means they can coexist without anyone getting eaten. They are easy to care for and they come in a number of attractive colors and patterns. Buy danios and tetras in schools of around five, and platys and mollies in singles or pairs. If you want to buy a male, which are larger, flashier and sometimes have fancy fins, only get one. Platys and mollies are similar enough that the males may fight each other. With tetras and danios sex is less important, which is fortunate because it’s also less obvious.

When you go to the fish store to pick your pet fish, there are a number of temptations you will need to resist. Do not buy more fish than you think you can handle. An often quoted rule is “one inch of fish per gallon of water”, but that represents a maximum. I recommend about seven fish from the list above for a ten gallon fish tank.

Remember, do not buy fish that are too large for your aquarium. The fishes described in this article average 1-2 inches in length, which makes them suitable for small tanks. Avoid any fish that are described as “delicate” (like angelfish) or “aggressive” (like Oscars). And don’t even think about a salt water tank if you’re just starting out. If you select a suitable number of easy care fish and a simple aquarium setup, your first experience with owning fish will be both relaxing and rewarding.

Health benefits of owning fish are well known. Enjoy the power of tropical fish! Shop our cheap aquarium supplies now

Is It More Than Animal Instinct?

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

The oldest bird on record is a Manx shearwater that lived to be approximately 55. These foot-long birds have an average wingspan of 33 inches. They live in colonies of hundreds or thousands; and when they nest, they burrow into sand or dirt to hatch their eggs underground. Shearwaters spend much of their day foraging for food from the ocean - sometimes flying as far as 600 miles from their nesting grounds. More amazingly, shearwaters migrate from the UK to their winter home off Brazil’s coast - 5,000 miles a year. Because of their accuracy, however, these birds of a feather flock together.

Researchers flocked together at a symposium on “Animal Smarts” to discuss the latest discoveries showing that human abilities are expressed in other species. Although the ability to plan ahead was thought to be uniquely human, crows stash food for the next day and protect it from being stolen. Baboons can distinguish which pictures show similar objects, demonstrating the ability to handle concepts. Macaques monkeys can sum up sets of objects without counting them, demonstrating a sense of numbers. Experiments are now being done to see if these monkeys can understand the concept of zero - an important concept for human animals to understand in a down economy.

Bonnie, a 32-year-old orangutan at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., knows how to whistle. Bonnie wasn’t taught to whistle. She learned by imitating zookeepers who whistled when they worked near her compound. When Bonnie hears a short whistle, she can respond with a short whistle. When she hears a long one, she can respond with a long one. Primate researchers believe this is strong evidence apes can re-create sounds of other species. They also believe Bonnie’s musical abilities can lead to a better understanding of how human speech evolved. So while Bonnie whistles, researchers work.

Of course, not everything animals teach themselves to do is considered a scientific breakthrough. A tiny, two-spotted, female octopus at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is known for being curious. She taught herself how to pull out the valve in her tank, flooding the building with hundreds of gallons of sea water. Although no sea life was harmed, the brand-new, ecologically designed floor might have been damaged by the water. If an octopus can teach herself to pull out a valve, why can’t human animals teach themselves to pick aquarium flooring than can’t be damaged by water?

Knight Pierce Hirst takes a second look at what makes life interesting and it takes only second at http://knightwatch.typepad.com