November 2017 – Page 2

Cichlid Breeding – Right In Your Aquarium

Posted on November 10, 2017 by admin

Aquarists all over the world actively participate in cichlid breeding. Whether they are doing it in order to sell to pet store owners, or whether they wish to keep the fry, any type of cichlid breeding is a process. The following article will briefly discuss the three types of cichlid breeding.

The first type of cichlid breeding is called open breeding. Open breeding means that the fish will spawn out in the open. Objects that are useful for this type of breeding include rocks, plants, and leaves. Open breeders share responsibility over caring for their fertilized eggs. The male will protect the territory, while the female tends to the eggs. Open breeders tend to lay around 1,000 eggs. Examples of open breeders include Freshwater Angelfish and the German Blue Ram.

Another type of cichlid breeding is called cave breeding. Cave breeders seek out hidden areas such as hollowed out logs and caves to lay their eggs. If you wish to breed any of the species known as cave breeders, it is important to provide them with plenty of hiding places in order for them to effectively breed. Examples of cave breeders include Kribensis and Convict cichlid.

Finally, the last type of cichlid breeding is referred to as mouth-brooding. This simply means that the female cichlid will keep her eggs or fry in her mouth. This is done to protect her young from other predatory fish. She will eventually release the fry back into the tank when she feels the time is right.

If you have mouth brooding cichlids you have to make sure that the female does not eat the fry after she releases them. Why would she eat her fry? After mouth-brooding for a few weeks, without eating, the female will be near starvation and she will eat anything she can, including her fry. The best thing to do is separate the fry from the female. Since there are other fish in the aquarium that may eat fry, you may want to move the fry to a separate tank until they are big enough to fend for themselves. At that point, you can re-introduce them to their original tank. The fry will be able to eat brine shrimp and flake foods once they have finished the yolk.

Overall, cichlid breeding can often be encouraged by providing plenty of breeding aids. The breeding aids can range from rocks to hiding places, depending on the specific type of cichlid you are trying to breed.

The Top Three Most Popular Reptile Pets

Posted on November 7, 2017 by admin

Reptiles are now more popular than dogs as pets, a fact that appeared as a result of a survey carried out in early 2008. guess the most popular reptiles reptile pets. Like many things pet related, you need to make the right choice, and just as choosing a badly suited breed of dog can cause problems, the same is true of reptiles.

The easiest to care for tend to be the most popular also, and as such are great first reptiles, so here they are:-

Bearded Dragon
Bearded Dragon is the name used for any agamid lizard in the genus Pogona. They are native to Australia, and are sometimes the first reptile people get as pets.

Bearded Dragons are popular pets, notably the species Inland or Central Bearded Dragon. These animals are also affectionately called “Beardies” by those who breed or raise them. They are a ideally suited to children, because of their friendly and calm nature, along with the low amount of work they need to be cared for.

Beardies have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies, the adults growto approximately 18 to 24 inches from head to tail with males and females being of comparable size, although males usually sport a larger head and a thicker tail base than the females.

Beardies have a distinctive set of spines running horizontally from the head to the base of the tail. They range in colour from light tan to dark brown, depending on their native soil, often with highlights of black, brilliant red, or gold, and can change greatly depending upon their internal condition, mood or temperature darkening when cool. Some spefically hand reared have been selectively bred for more brilliant colorations.

Beardies are omnivorous, capable of subsisting on a wide variety of food sources, including both insects and vegetable food. A typical diet for captive beardies includes leafy greens and vegetables, and regular meals of feeder insects.

All species are from Australia, but they have been exported the world over and bred successfully in captivity. Beardies live about 815 years with proper care in captivity, though some can live up to 20 years old

Corn Snake
The corn snake, or red rat snake, is a North American species of rat snake that subdue their small prey with constriction. The name “corn snake” comes from the fact that they have markings on their underside that looks like corn. They are found throughout the south-eastern and central United States. Their placid nature, reluctance to bite, moderate adult size 1.2 to 1.8 metres, attractive markings, and comparatively simple care make them popular pet snakes. In the wild, they usually live around 10-15 years, but can live as old as 23 years in captivity. Like all rat snakes, corn snakes are non-venomous.

They have a diet mainly consisting of rodents, mostly mice and rats, which they kill via crushing. They are accomplished climbers and may climb trees in search of birds and bats. Pet Corn Snakes are usually fed by their keepers on a diet of commercially available rodents, predominantly mice, while younger and smaller snakes may eat live or dead rat or mouse pups of various sizes. Frozen mice are preferable, as live prey can possibly carry disease or injure the snake if it has not been raised on live prey.

The Corn Snake was one of the first snakes to be kept in captivity by people, and remains one of the most popular. Large volumes are bred annually to ensure that there is a constant supply, lowering the need to collect specimens from the wild. keeping more than one together is inadvisable in captivity, as these are naturally solitary animals.

Owners of Corn Snakes have emphasised a cage with no chance of escape. Corn Snakes are excellent escape artists and will often get out of any home that is not properly secured. More first timers lose their snakes to escapes than death. They are good at climbing, squeezing out of tiny holes, and can also use their bodies to push the lid off of a poorly-fitted aquarium.

Royal or Ball Python
The Royal Python or Python Regius is a non-venomous python species found in Africa. This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular as a pet snake. Adults generally do not grow to more than 90-120 cm in length, although some examples have reached 152 cm and even 182 cm, around 6ft, but this is very rare. The build is stocky while the head is relatively small and the scales are smooth.

The colour marking is typically black with light brown-green side and dorsal blotches. The underside is a white or cream that sometimes can include scattered black markings. However, owners and breeders have, through selective breeding, developed many mutations with different colours and patterns.

The name ball python comes from the snakes tendency to curl into a ball when worried or scared. The name royal python is rumoured to have come from the story that Cleopatra allegedly wore the snake around her wrist.

Ordinarily when wild, the diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African soft-furred rats, shrews and striped mice. Younger snakes have also been known to feed on birds. Captive pets usually do well on domestic rats and mice, either live, pre-killed, or frozen-thawed

There are obviously many more reptile types kept as pets, and no doubt the favourites will change, but any of the three named above will make great pets, and a great introduction to keeping reptiles.

Make Your Aquarium Beautiful With Artificial Plants

Posted on November 2, 2017 by admin

Fake aquarium plants are most likely more common than live plants, especially for those who are looking for fish tank plants to provide protection for their fish and add some adornment to their fishbowl or aquarium tank. There are many people that prefer artificial plants as they are easier to maintain and they don’t offer the risks of parasites that live specimens do. Because there are a selection of attractive choices you’re your exclusive aquarium tank artwork, there are various kinds you might like to select.

Eatable Alternatives:

There are a few man-made plants that really serve as weekend feeders or snacks for your fish, which is beneficial whenever you will be away for a couple of days. This is one reason that some people like to use real plants, rather than fake, but now this issue may be resolved. Produced from dehydrated seaweed, edible plants are perfectly safe for the fish to eat as a result of processing, which removes unwanted organisms. They can adorn your fish bowl or aquarium tank as artwork, without the risks that are associated with living plants.

You’ll discover most of these fake plants commonly called deco feather plants, and even though one can choose from eco-friendly colors like green, there are plenty of them in violet, making your aquarium tank more colorful. Most of these may also be used in garden fish ponds, should you be raising tadpoles and also frogs, but even Koi ponds can benefit from most of these colorful plant-like ornaments that you can get for your fish tank.

Man Made Plants:

Acquiring useful details to help make the best choice ahead of acquiring man made plants for your fish tank might seem challenging, having said that there are a few facts to consider. You need to guarantee the types you end up picking will not discharge virtually any toxic compounds, which might kill the fish. Because of this, you may want to take into account fancy sea gardens as well as aqua plants which are particularly sold by aquarium tank supply resources.

These artificial plants will come in colorful themes and have a natural look, when submerged. While they can be used to hide your air stones and other tank equipment, you want to be sure the aquarium plants you select don’t introduce toxins that can be released from some of the cheaply made plants you might find in the craft store. For this reason, you want to buy those that are specifically made for aquarium use.

Pretty Decoration Bases:

When you are searching for decorative artificial plants for your aquarium, don’t forget to consider some of the ornamental bases that are available, such as those that look like coral or driftwood. In fact, there are some aquarium plants that are offered as systems that include non-toxic, durable plastic plants, along with bases that enhance the grace and movement of your plants. Finding air stones that provide oxygen can also include those that contain bases for your artificial plants. When you are decorating the landscape for your fish, don’t forget to think about the “terrain” because this can give your aquarium a natural look and provide a fun underwater sanctuary for your fish.