Month: December 2017

Sri Lanka To Develop Pasikuda As Tourist Destination

Aquarium admin

Sri Lanka has become a trendy holiday destination once again, three years after the end of the civil war in 2009 and now the government and tourism officials are looking to develop the areas that were affected by the war into leading tourism zones.

Pasikuda is one of the areas that the government is keen to drive forward as a destination for Sri Lanka holidays. Situated on the east coast of the island, in the Batticaloa district, Pasikuda was a hotspot for travellers until 1983 with its stunning golden sand beaches and shallow turquoise ocean waters.

During the civil war, the area became desolate but it is now emerging as one of the leading spots for the ultimately relaxing holidays in Sri Lanka thanks to government initiatives and an investment of Rs. 650 million towards the development of the 150-acre Pasikuda Tourist Zone.

The region is already proving to be popular among foreign travellers, with tourists coming mainly from Europe after the Economic Development Ministry contributed Rs. 275 million from the above-mentioned investment amount towards the project. Private sector businesses are investing a further Rs. 6.53 billion which will go towards the construction of 14 new Sri Lanka hotels and 930 rooms.

The design of the Pasikuda Tourist Zone has already been finalised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be prepared for the resort.

As well as providing a new resort for international tourists wishing to embark on luxury holidays to Sri Lanka, the development will also create new jobs for hundreds of locals in the Eastern province.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said: “With the upsurge in tourist arrivals to the Zone the people around the area will get economically strengthened.”

Before the civil war broke out, Pasikuda beach had three hotels with 171 rooms. At the time plans were underway to develop a further 500 rooms in the area but the riots in 1983 put a stop to this.

A shopping mall, art gallery, aquarium, open-air theatre, cycle path and golf course are also expected to be built within the new tourism zone being curently created in Pasikuda.

Plans are also underway to develop Nilaweli, and Arugam Bay beaches which are also located along the Eastern coast.

Sri Lanka has seen a significant general increase in the number of foreign travellers arriving to the island and in 2011, 855,975 arrivals were recorded.

The Exciting Thing About The Tinfoil Barb

Aquarium admin

Many different fishes from the Cyprinid family are referred to as barbs, but it is chiefly the species found in the genus Barbus that we consider true barbs. The name Barbus is derived from the fact that barb fishes are equipped with sensatory organs called barbells that they can use to find their way in murky waters where light is scarce. The genus Barbus is also known as Puntius and contains a wide range of popular aquarium fishes, including the silvery Tinfoil barb (Barbus schwanefeldi).

The Tinfoil barb has a silvery body with bright and shiny scales and beautiful black and red-orange fins. The Tinfoil barb is sometimes confused with another species in the aquarium trade, Barbonymus altus, but this fish lacks the black lines that decorates the caudal fin of a true Tinfoil barb.

The Tinfoil barb is an active species that will inhabit the lower part of the aquarium, from the bottom and up to mid-level. Most Tinfoil barbs in the aquarium trade are wild caught, since their size makes them difficult to breed in captivity. Sexing the fish is also hard. Tinfoil barbs are egg-scatters and a female Tinfoil barb can produce several thousands of eggs during one spawning.

Tinfoil barbs should only be kept by aquarists with really large aquariums, since it is one of the largest barbs and can reach a length of 36 centimeters (14 inches). It is also a schooling species, so you must have enough space to house a group of Tinfoil barbs. A school of Tinfoil barbs is non-aggressive and can be combined with fish from other species as long as those fishes are as large as the barbs or bigger.

The Tinfoil barb feeds chiefly on plant material, but will not turn down occasional treats in the form of worms, insects, crustaceans or small fishes. Keeping your Tinfoil barbs with small fishes is therefore not recommended, since they might be perceived as prey. It is not hard to get your Tinfoil barb to eat in captivity. If you have tender plants in the aquarium, or plants that have not yet rooted themselves in the substrate, your Tinfoil barb might eat them.

The Tinfoil barb will also appreciate filamentous algae. Many aquarists choose artificial plants for their Tinfoil barb aquarium, but you can go for real plants if you choose sturdy plant species that will tolerate nibbling. Ideally begin with really inexpensive plant species to test how your particular Tinfoil barbs will treat the live plants.

The Tinfoil barb originates from tropical waters in Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, and the Malayan peninsula, and the water temperature in the aquarium should therefore be 22-25 C (72-77 F). Since it inhabits rapidly moving rivers and streams in the wild, the Tinfoil barb will appreciate strong currents in the aquarium. The preferred pH is in the 6.5-7.0 range and the water hardness should not be higher than 10 dGH. If you care for your Tinfoil barbs and provide them with a suitable environment and appropriate diet they can live for 8-10 years.