Aquarium

How To Choose A Ferret Cage

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How to choose a ferret cage. In your quest to have a happy healthy pet you must start with the right equipment. How to choose a ferret cage is one of the most important issues to be addressed.

Ferrets love to run around the house much like your dogs and cats do. They are also tame and really cute and if you are new to having a pet ferret, you might think it a good idea to leave him the run of the house while you are at work or out.

But make no mistake, if you don’t want your house destroyed they need to be contained when they’re left alone or when they’re having a “time out.” If you choose a suitable ferret cage, your little darlings won’t mind staying in it for a few hours before it’s play time again.

The best cage characteristics.

If you are planning to purchase a cage rather than build one, then buy from a respected pet store online or locally.

Any kind of glass enclosure like an aquarium is not suitable because there is not enough ventilation. Choose a wire cage.

Ferrets need room to run and play, and they are generally not happy in cramped spaces. So make as much space as possible available for your ferret’s cage.

Investigate how easy the cage is to clean. Less complicated setups like easy pull-out trays and solid metal coated bases are good choices.

Ferrets are very clean animals and they like to have separate areas for eliminating, eating and sleeping. Make sure the cage you choose has provisions for this. Ideally it would have at least three divisions.

A cage with several doors is preferable. Ferrets like to run around when inside the cage, having only one door can make it difficult to get them out of their enclosure.

Good quality locks and clips are another feature to look for. Your ferret is clever and will find a way too escape if the lock is inadequate.

Ferrets love to ferret around, especially in dark tunnels and spaces. So a cage with tunnels and tubes and hideaways will help keep him entertained and busy while you are not there to play with him.

Once you’ve chosen and brought home your cage, it’s time to deck it out with all the tings your pet needs.

Early Freshwater Aquarium History

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If archeological records are true, the history of freshwater aquarium can be considered to coincide with the dawning of mankind’s true civilization way back some 2,500 to 3,000 years ago in Sumer, Mesopotamia.

Fish keeping, then, were more for economic reasons (food source) rather than entertainment, although it cannot be discounted that the royals and their children did engage in such activities as keeping fish as pets.

Moreover, the ancient Egyptian paintings (and carvings) depicting fishes among the other animals would imply their admiration for the beauty (in color and shapes) of these finned creatures. Adding credibility to this would be the fact that ancient Romans were also known to have traded live fish as commodities in their marketplaces.

The many ancient drawings, carvings and pictures of aquariums from places in antiquity like Eqypt and Sumeria show us that these past peoples knew the beauty of the tanks and they also desired to maintain that beauty and pass on the secrets of these creatures. The ancient Romans were also known to have traded live fish as commodities in their agoras (markets).

Goldfish and Koifish

In another part of the world, the art of selective breeding began in China around 2,000 years ago. They had been known to produce the now-famous goldfish developed from the regular carp. By the 18th century, goldfish as an ornamental fish was common in Europe and later became popular in America.

Cultured live koi that familiar fish with the red, white and black colorations was already a commercial item in the old trade routes that spanned China, Japan and Europe around the 16th century. Later, its reputation also grew and became very popular. Much later, it was also exported to Europe and America.

Crude Beginnings

In the early 19th century, aquarium-keeping began. England, Germany and France all vied to top themselves in mounting exhibits of public aquariums. It did not get a good reception as many were appaulled by it.

At that time, there was very poor understanding yet on the various roles of water chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, filtration and aeration. The size of the tanks was also limited by the holding power of the construction materials then.

The First Aquarium

In 1850, a Mr. Harrington declared through a paper he wrote for the Chemical Society of London that he had successfully maintained a stable aquarium. Fish-keeping suddenly became a popular hobby.

Three years after, the London Zoological Society had built and opened the first public aquarium, followed by another. Soon, public aquaria were all over the major European cities patronized by eager but intrigued visitors.

Household Items

It was not long after when the aquarium became a fashionable household item in Victorian England. Curiously, there were no tanks for sale then, although there were various books and other how-to manuals already available for constructing aquariums.

In the early days of fish tanks, the first tanks were more for entertainment value that functional value and it was a detriment to the fish and the care takers of the fish. Most early designs featured a glass front and three wooden sides (They were sometimes constructed from slate). They were coated in pitch to make them watertight.

Tank Basics

Soon, these construction problems were overcome little by little. There was a real breakthrough with the development of silicon sealants.

It became possible now to manufacture an all-glass aquarium in all sizes and shapes. Bulky steel frames became obsolete and tanks can now be moved without the danger of breaking the seal.

Understanding Technology

At around this time, better understanding on the needs of the tank’s fish inhabitants led to the invention of the heater and the thermostat, as postulated by a Mr. Humphreys. In maintaining fish, this person would be the one to mention the signifigance of the tanks chemistry toward the safety of the fish.

With a deeper understanding on water chemistry and other related matters, filtration and lighting were soon recognized as additional important elements to the total upkeep of the fish in the aquarium.

The Modern Aquarium

Today’s modern aquariums are made mostly of glass. However, more and more units are being made from acrylic instead of glass. This is because acrylic is pliable and can be used to manufacture unusual shapes. (Acrylic aquariums are mostly used in big showrooms in business and office buildings today.)

Nowadays, aquaria made of acrylics are regarded as the lightweight alternatives to those made of glass. This is especially true now that manufacturers had produced harder and scratch-resistant plastics. Perhaps, they would replace the unwieldy glass in the future.

Improved Technology

Also, there had been such long strides made in the improvement of the accompanying technology related to aquarium keeping: heating, lighting, filtration, and aeration among others.

Apart from the technology, there is now a better understanding of marine life and ecology that pushed the hobby into what it is today. Taking together both marine and freshwater aquarium varieties, the simple hobby of keeping a living fish in a bowl had become the world’s 2nd most popular hobby. (Gardening is number one.)

The Future Of The Aquarium

There is now a growing number of fish varieties available for keeping in aquariums and the size and shape of aquarium tanks have evolved, too.

However, according to experts, the future of the hobby is still focused on the next advances in water purification, nutrition, lighting and other related matters. Fish breeding is still limited to the good old natural selection and mutation. (Genetic manipulation is still frowned upon.)

Whatever direction the hobby is moving into, today’s hobbyists are reminded that they are part of a thousand-year-old freshwater aquarium history as they tinker their aquariums and feed their aquatic pets.

The Archerfish In A Specialized Aquarium, A Community Aquarium, And The Use Of Aquarium Plants

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Maintaining Archerfish in a Specialized Aquarium. Archerfish are fascinating to watch because they use jets of water to wash insects into their home. Some believe that they are difficult to maintain but this is not necessarily true. There are five or six species of archerfish growing in size to up to half a meter. They are usually vertically striped.

The most easily available of the archerfish are the Toxotes jaculator and the T. chatareus. Both come from Asia but do not live in the same waters. The T. jaculator is found only in the brackish regions of the river while the T. chatareus is found in fresh water. The chatareus is most suitable for aquariums and can be easily identified by the small spot between the two front body bars.

These fish DO NOT get along with each other, so you have to choose whether you want a large aquarium with roots that can be easily set up in several different territories or do you want one fish species in a specialized or community tank. If they are in a community tank, it is not wise to use smaller fish as companions. As they feed they grow quite large with huge mouths. While not normally fish eaters, they should not be combined with smaller fish.

Archerfish are constantly on the move and love to swim. So, their aquarium should have a large area that is plant-free near the top of the tank to allow for their need to swim. Archerfish are not very demanding where their food is concerned; but, it must be of adequate size to tempt them.

Once the fish has become established you can feed it many different things. Archerfish like to eat fish, shrimp, raw beef, grasshoppers, and even boiled ham. When their food is placed on the water, they shoot towards it and snap for it and it is fun to watch them feed. DO NOT overfeed, especially when feeding meat! Archerfish can live for several years and will eventually become tame enough to take and eat food straight from your hand.

A Community Aquarium

The most frequently seen tanks are community aquariums. They are beautifully planted and decorated with rocks, roots, plants, and a variety of fish. To maintain water stability, a community aquarium should contain at least 70 liters of water or more, if possible. Remember, a larger aquarium is actually easier to maintain than a smaller one since the water in a smaller aquarium become murky much faster.

When preparing a community aquarium, you must remember that plants and fish have certain needs. You must plan for and meet those needs. Make sure to use fish and plants that have the same light and temperature requirements. While it is much easier to combine plants by this method, it is a different story altogether with fish. Some fish species have different requirements and cannot be put together!

It is very difficult to put too many plants into an aquarium in the beginning; but, it is quite easy to put in too many fish. Water quality will deteriorate very quickly in you overwhelm the tanks biological and filtering capacity, so add one or two fish a month and let the tank bacteria adjust to handle this new load. You must always avoid the temptation to purchase more fish than your aquarium can sustain.

There are no hard and fast rules about combining fish in a tank; however, there are a few basics that need to be observed. Schooling fish should never be kept alone or with only a few others of their variety. They thrive best when tank conditions replicate their ocean environment.

There are some fish that fight viciously with others of the species, especially males when it is spawning time. These fish should be kept singly or in pairs. Since they are normally quite accepting of other breeds it is suitable to put these fish together.

When stocking your aquarium for the first time, it is advisable to obtain a book from your local pet store that has a section on stocking. These books will not only provide you with information on how many fish can be put into a specific-sized aquarium, they will also give you information on the types of fish that can be safely combined.

Use of Aquarium Plants

Ecosystems like lakes, rivers, and forests are naturally balanced due to self-regulation. Because of natural cycles, they are basically self-sufficient. A predominant position is held by the green plants which capture and store energy from the sun in the form of sugar, fats, and proteins that serve as food for the animal and vegetable life they support.

In your aquarium, plants hold the same valuable importance and should be treated with great care. Only plants can use lighting to transform inorganic elements into nutrients. Plants need small organisms like bacteria and fungi (which break down dead organic substances into their basic elements) in order to continue to produce these nutrients. Between these two there is a natural balance that allows the plants to do the job they were designed to perform.

Looking at our aquarium along these lines we see that without constant interference from us this balance would be in great danger. We must add food, fertilizer, remove dead plants and animals, remove waste products with protein skimmers and partial water changes, and siphon off excess debris from within the aquarium.

Because of the various appliances available to create oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchanges in the tank, plants can be completely eliminated from an aquarium. However, if you wish to maintain a more natural and healthy system to provide fish with oxygen and hold down the nitrogen levels, plants are the simplest and most efficient means.

Plants also help maintain the level of algae growth. A healthy planting is a great preventative measure against algae that can overrun your tank. Planting an aquarium with a large variety of plants can be very expensive, so it is best to start with small bunches of the less expensive plants.

After the aquarium is established, you can replace these with the more decorative and attractive plants that you prefer.

How To Breed The Flowerhorn Fish.

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The breeding of Flowerhorns is a rather easy task. There are, though, a few preparations that need to be made prior to breeding. One of the most important things you can do is prepare ar new bare bottom tank to store the tiny fries once they are ready to leave the parents’ nest. Do not install any filter mechanisms as the small fries will get sucked into the filtration system. An air stone is particularly sufficient for aeration purposes.

Selection of the breeding pairs is crucial prior to breeding. Desired phenotypic outcomes depend solely on the parents. Most of the time, it is almost possible to predict the external characteristics of the offspring produced by a pair of Flowerhorns. Thus, breeding Flowerhorn has an exciting aspect, as you would know the outcome of the selective breeding. Flowerhorns breed year round. No external stimuli are needed for breeding purposes, but you must place the breeding pair in a clean, big tank. An aquarium heater regulated to 28?C can be placed in the aquarium, but it is not compulsory. The use of a mechanical filtration system is sufficient to remove any feces and debris in order to keep the water quality in check as breeding pairs do not consume much food during this period.

The breeding pair need to be well fed at a fixed regime until they are ready to spawn. A balanced diet is crucial to produce fish well laden with eggs and milt. Broodstock can be fed with various types of food including live and pellet feeds.

If you intend to breed your Flowerhorn, you will need a few pairs of fish. Some pairs might not be suitable for each other. Normally, a mating pair is put in the same aquarium with a partition in the middle to separate the two. The female will usually develop black stripes all over its body when it is time to mate, and appetite loss is quite common. Observations also show that the female’s genital papilla will start to swell. It is advisable to cover the sides of your tank with newspapers or any other materials. This provides adequate privacy for the mating pair as they are easily frightened or disturbed during the mating period. When they are ready, females will secrete pheromones, and this signals the males to start spawning. Initially, this pair will show aggression toward each other through the partition. When the pair has stopped showing this behavior, the partition can be removed. Once you remove the partition, if they still seem to be ‘fighting’, observe further. If one fish is standing its ground instead of running to another corner, it means that they are actually courting each other instead of attacking. If the pair continues fighting until one of them is visibly injured, it means that this pair is not ready or not compatible for the moment. Separate them and try again after a few days.

If they are indeed a mating pair, the male fish will start to search for a breeding spot. In a tank with pebbles and gravels, the male fish will start clearing a chosen spot by removing all the pebbles. However, in a bare tank, none of this activity will take place. If you are using a bare tank, you should place a floor tile in the tank, because Flowerhorns will prefer a rough surface for spawning. Female Flowerhorns normally lay eggs close to the air stone, or where there’s a good flow of water, as this can help aerate the eggs. Moreover, because the water circulates in this area, a fungal attack on the eggs is prevented. Female fish will deposit rows of eggs, then the male will follow behind, fertilizing the eggs with its milt. This will continue until the female has deposited all of its eggs. No disturbances are allowed during the spawning moment as this will result in the parent eating the eggs as a natural protective measure.

A female Flowerhorn is able to produce approximately 500-2000 eggs at a time. The parents will usually take turns fanning the eggs with their fins to rid of unwanted debris or to prevent any fungal attack. It is advisable to add methylene blue (Hyperlink) or any anti-fungal treatment at a1mg/l gallon ratio to prevent a possible fungus attack.

The eggs will take a few days to hatch. When this happens, remove the parents. Once the parents are removed, be sure to practice proper fry management.

About The Author:

FlowerFish.com is the complete Flower Horn Fish Resource center. We are also one of the world’s biggest and most recognised Flower Horn breeder, exporter and wholesaler. Please visit us at http://www.FlowerFish.com for more articles and Flower Horn fish picture galleries.

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Buy Butterfly Koi – They’re Worth It

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The Butterfly Koi is a beautiful fish with long flowing fins that look a lot like the wings of a butterfly. Although this fish has only been around for about 30 years, the Koi fish has been in existence since the 19th century. The Butterfly Koi is a hybrid fish so many breeders do not consider it to be a Koi.

The Dragon carp, Longfin Koi and Butterfly Koi started to be sold in the 1980s when they were sold in pet shops as aquarium fish. The appearance of the new types of Koi differed from the traditional Koi by the types of scales, the color, and the patterns. Their biggest difference was the extremely long, flowing fins.

Originating in Japan, Koi is sometimes called a goldfish. This is because the Koi and the goldfish are both descendants of the wild carp. However the origin of the goldfish was China. In Japan, Koi means carp and Nishikigoi is the proper name for the Koi as we know it.

People have different stories of where the Butterfly Koi came from. The breeders say that it is a hybrid that came from mixing a typical Koi with a kind of Asian carp, such as the Indonesian long fin carp. There has also been the suggestion that Butterfly Koi came from breeding goldfish and Koi but this is untrue.

Butterfly Koi are patterned just like the regular Koi and come in many different colors. Breeders are constantly working on trying to come up with different color combinations for Butterfly Koi.

The smaller versions of the Butterfly Koi are great for keeping in aquariums however, they are far better suited for a pond. They can grow to about 3 feet long. These fish are easy to take care of and are not aggressive. If you put plants in your aquarium, make sure they are the type that will hold up to being nibbled on by the Koi. If you put larger gravel or stones around the bottom of the plants this should protect it from getting eaten by the Koi that reside in your pond.

As well as looking different to ordinary Koi fish, Butterfly Koi are much tolerant and more resistant to disease. This has made this beautiful fish a very popular choice in the US Market. Buy Butterfly Koi and stand out from the ordinary.