Natural Discus Or Domestic Discus – Primer On Discus Fish Types

Discus fish attract attention, whether they are spawned naturally or some of the human bred kind.

Any time someone lays eyes on a discus aquarium for the first time, the reaction is usually the same. Eyes widen, mouth drops open, comments such as, “What type of fish are these?” or “Holy Cow, what a gorgeous aquarium!”.

People assume that it is a saltwater tank mainly because of the vivid colors and patterns.

An uninformed observer would not be able to suppose that there are merely four species of natural discus fish. The reason is that there are now so many discus fish types. (Well, the truth is there is possibly another species that is being contemplated now by scientists).

Wild discus fish call the Amazon River home. You know, the world’s longest river. And the Amazon is the ONLY place to find discus fish in the wild. Even then, each species is found separate from the others. They have their own “territory” in the Amazon River. They do not exist in the same environmental space for the most part.

The types of wild discus fish are reasonably elementary. Scientists have their own methods of naming discus, but identifying them as Green, Brown, Blue, and Heckel is much easier. How the Heckel got in there with those simple colors… ?

But it, the Heckel, is also characterized by two colors, either blue or red. You can tell if it’s a Heckel by the prominent darker stripe every fifth stripe along the body.

The demand for discus is huge. They are so pretty that many folks want to have them around all the time. An aquarium with discus fish wandering slowly to and fro has a relaxing, or calming effect on a home.

The result of the demand has itself spawned “discus farms” all over. These domestic breeders have used selective breeding techniques to produce many different varieties of discus that have even more eye-catching colors and patterns.

Sometimes the colors are solid, as in the Golden Discus. This fish is a solid striking yellow color, one that you would definitely not see in the wild.

Then there are patterns called Leopard and Snakeskin and Leopard Snakeskin, each of which has a different color and/or pattern. One thing remains the same, though. It’s the round, thin body style that is characteristic of discus fish.

Which are the more desirable, wild discus fish or man-bred\domestic discus? Consider two things.

First, wild discus fish come from a totally different ecosystem than their domestic cousins. You have the clear, clean water of the breeders vs the muddy, murky water of the Amazon River. So, there may be some things the aquarium hobbyist should remember to do to try to keep the tank suitable for these varieties.

Next, fish from trustworthy breeders are used to the type of environment that you will probably supply for them, and they are more likely to be healthy coming from a controlled tank (remember, the key is getting them from “reputable” breeders – know where your fish are coming from).

Finding the most amazing variety of aquarium fish for you is really a matter of personal preference and personal education. If you are an aquarium hobbyist “wanna-be”, make sure you get the education before you dive into the tank with pricey fish. You might want to check websites that are dedicated to getting you the best start possible.

More Information On Frogspawn Coral – With Special Emphasis On Its Housing And Care

The frogspawn coral is a large polyp stony coral species which is typically characterized by the visibility of its polyps throughout the day and night. This coral species is generally green or brown in color and has a unique appearance – both of which combine to make it one of the most sought after coral species for reef aquariums. If you are one of those people who are contemplating the idea of adding this species to your reef aquarium setup, you will get well versed with all the tips and tricks of frogspawn coral care as you go through this writeup.

Frogspawn Coral Facts

The frogspawn species derives its name from the fact that its polyps resemble a frog or fish eggs to certain extent. Other than the name frogspawn, this species is also referred to as the grape coral or the octopus coral. The habitat of a frogspawn coral spans across the deep waters of Red Sea, Samoa, Indo-Pacific, Solomon Islands and etc. These marine organisms play a crucial role in formation of coral reefs which have an important role to play when it comes to biodiversity of the planet. This is one of the most aggressive species of coral in the world, and thrives best in stable or moderate flow water. In its natural habitat, the frogspawn coral species does not require direct feeding owing to its symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae. The relationship between frogspawn coral and zooxanthellae is the best examples of mutualism; wherein the former gets benefited from photosynthesis carried out by zooxanthellae and the latter gets benefited by nitrogen produced by the coral species. The long tentacles of the frogspawn coral are armed with Nematocysts – a type of venomous cell, which helps it capture food. This food can either be digested on-site itself or brought to the coral’s mouth for feeding.

Frogspawn Coral Care

Experts put the frogspawn coral in the list of species which are moderately difficult to care for, mainly owing to their requirements. The frogspawn coral will only thrive well if the necessary conditions are provided to facilitate its growth. It will grow well in water with pH level ranging between 8.1-8.4 and hardness of 8 to 12 dH. In order to facilitate proper frogspawn coral growth you will have to make sure that the temperature in its habitat ranges between 75F-82F. You will also have to make sure that the aquarium in which you house this species has moderate to high lighting and moderate flow of water.

You need to take note of the fact that the frogspawn species is quite aggressive when it comes to interaction with other coral types. The frogspawn coral species has an amazing ability of extending its lengthy sweeper tentacles as far as six inches beyond its base. In this process, it can also sting other coral species in the reef aquarium which are within its reach. That being said, you have to take special precautions when it comes frogspawn coral placement. Ideally, you should make sure that you leave enough space between the frogspawn and other species of corals in your reef aquarium to make sure that they don’t harm each other.

The diet of frogspawn coral species comprises of small marine animals such as shrimp, krill and etc. If you house a frogspawn in your reef aquarium, you can feed it the same food. Basically, this feeding has a crucial role to play when it comes to frogspawn coral growth and color. Owing to their voracious feeding habit, you will require to give it some calcium and strontium supplements as well. Even though it depends on photosynthesis facilitated by zooxanthellae in the wild, you will have to make sure that you provide it with necessary nutrients in reef aquarium.

That was a significant bit of information on frogspawn coral – with special reference to some facts that you need to know if you intend to add it to your reef aquarium. If you don’t give the frogspawn necessary attention in terms of the basic requirements mentioned above, you will notice that it will start fading – which is a sign of your frogspawn coral dying. A healthy frogspawn has very bright vibrant colors. The simplest way to make sure that it stays healthy is to follow all the measures of frogspawn coral care given above religiously.

Read more related post:
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Jon Stewart The Second Born With An Attitude

American political satirist, television host, and stand up comedian. Known for The Daily Show that puts a satirical slant to news stories

Early Years
Born November 28th 1962, Jon is the younger brother of Lawrence Leibowitz.
Both Jon and Lawrence are the same age during each year so they may be
no more than one year apart. With two different names are they step-brothers from two marriages? The answer is Jon changed his name from Jonathan Stewart Leibowitz to Jon Stewart in 2001. His parents divorced when he was eleven years old and he and his brother were raised by his mother. He has no contact with his father, another possible reason for the name change. The second born does not forgive easily.

Dont Compare Me to My Brother
Larry, his older brother, is presently Chief Operating Officer and member
of the Management Committee, New York Stock Exchange Euronext, Inc.
In fiscal year 2009 Larrys compensation was $1,675,000. As a first born
being part of the establishment and following the rules is usually the case.
A position of power to give orders to others and not money is their personality
trait. A conservative view of life is in keeping with this birth order. Jon, the younger brother, earned 14 million dollars in 2008. As a second born he would use money for the freedom it brings having no one tell him what to do. Money gives the second born independence, he does not use it for power over others. The second born can take a different path than the first born and Jons liberal views show clearly on his show. In college Stewart majored in psychology and played on the soccer team. This is the athletic side of the second born. He has had surgery to repair both a hernia and knee injury attributed to college soccer. The second born can be the bull dog in spirit, they never give up.

Work History
Jon had a series of part-time jobs which included, busboy, puppeteer, bartender and shelf stocker at Woolworths. He was fired at Woolworths after diving into a beanbag chair that crashed into a group of aquariums causing $10,000 damage. Worse yet, it was his older brother that fired him! He got his first television job as a writer for Carolines Comedy Hour. Several other comedy shows followed with some co-hosting roles. When David Letterman left NBC in 1993 Jon was in the running to replace him. It came down to Stewart and Conan OBrian, Stewart lost.

Birth Orders of Talk Show Hosts
The book, Lifes Fingerprint, a study of birth orders and how they affect your path throughout life shows that NBC got it wrong. There have been a number of talk show hosts with the number Two or the Double birth order of a Two/Only. David Letterman a Two/Only, (five years between David and his sister). Jay Leno an Only/Two, (Ten years between Jay and his older brother) and Howard Stern a Two/Only, (Four years between himself and his older sister). We cannot forget Johnny Carson, the most successful talk show host of all time was a second born. Conan OBrian is a third born with a very different personality and we now know how that worked out. In 2002 ABC offered Stewart his own talk show to air after Nightline. He was very interested but ABC gave the show to Jimmy Kimmel, a firstborn. The saying, Always the Bridesmaid never the Bride seems to fit for Jon Stewart.

Dont tell Me What to Do
In college he was briefly a member of a fraternity but left in part because he did not agree with the hazing. Second borns dont like to be told what to do..
In 2005 he appeared on the CNN show Crossfire with the host Tucker Carlson.
The interview did not go well but Stewart would not give ground as he
accused the hosts of being partisan hacks. He said the show failed to inform and educate its viewers. Second borns will stick to their position. In 2005 CNN announced that it was canceling Crossfire.

Who is Your Friend?
People with the same birth order have an uncanny way of finding each other. If you look closely at your friends you will find many times they share your birth order. This was true for Jon while he was going through a series of jobs; he shared an apartment with Anthony Weiner. Anthony, like Stewart, had an older brother giving him the same number Two birth order. Weiner is now a Congressman from New York and the only politician to have received a campaign donation from Stewart.

Birth order is that unconscious unseen force that influences many aspects of our lives. With its understanding we may see that some things dont just happen by chance.

How To Use Autoboss V30 Scanner

Saltwater Aquariums
The intense hues and majestic beauty of saltwater fish is what draws in most of the people to maintaining a saltwater aquarium. Many of these individuals soar in head 1st and do not comprehend precisely what is involved with maintaining a healthy saltwater tank in leading form.Learn around You can Concerning the FishIf the considered of environment up a saltwater aquarium in your home or office has crossed your mind the initial thing you need to do is understand about these systems. Take auto diagnostic some time to understand about what fish,invertebrates and even corals you like because the temperaments and ease of care varies wildly amongst common saltwater fish and inverts.Be Ready To Care For Your Saltwater TankA clear nutritious marine aquarium will need constant ongoing care in order to look its best and have healthful bright fish. There are large things you must do like change water, clean filters and vacuum the gravel. There are also smaller things that are just as import ant like adding water that has evaporated, monitoring your fish and equipment for proper health and function and feeding the fish.Also realize that your marine aquarium will need to be checked on at least every other day so if you travel frequently you will need some one that can check in on it for you and do the small things that are required.Get Ready To Spend MoneyBesides just requiring an investment of time and knowledge a saltwater fish tank will also require you to spend a fair amount of money to get http://www.obd-ii-scanner.net/launch-x431-scanner/launch-x431-diagun-scanner it setup right and full of saltwater fish. A good rule of thumb is to figure spending about $300 per 25 gallons of tank volume. This cost is also on going because you have to buy synthetic salt mix, fish food and other items like filter pads and media.
To create a stunning and easy-to-maintain saltwater aquarium grab a copy of our . This illustrated guide will show you step by step how to properly set up your aquarium. It’s crammed with tips and secrets that the pros use to create stunning displays! Discover more at

Cycling a New Cichlid Fish Aquarium

With a new aquarium, cycling your tank is the first and most important thing you need to do. This is the process in which your aquarium needs to establish good bacteria. When you first setup your aquarium it will be contaminated with bad bacteria. Before putting cichlid fish into the tank it is important that this bad (harmful) bacteria converts into good bacteria. The first stage of bacteria will break down ammonia into nitrites, and the second stage of bacteria will break down the nitrites into nitrates. Both ammonia and nitrites are harmful to your fish, but nitrates are not, as long as they are at a safe level (below 20ppm).

There are two ways to cycle your tank: with or without fish. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but most fish enthusiasts prefer to do a fishless cycle. Doing a fishless cycle (which I recommend) has many more advantages: it’s faster, easier, and avoids permanently harming fish. Plus, the water will be completely ready for fish once the cycle is finished.

Fishless Cycle

One effective way of doing a fishless cycle is to use media, gravel, sand, or decor from another (disease free) aquarium that already has good bacteria established. If you can’t find any of these materials, you can purchase bacteria in a bottle from your local fish store. Also, during this process I suggest raising the temperature in the aquarium to around 85 degrees, this allows for a faster chemical reaction.

Cycling with fish

If you decide to go the other route, then you will need hardy fish that can withstand these harmful water conditions; I suggest using either tetras or guppies. Cycling your tank with fish can take anywhere between 4-6 weeks for the nitrates to become established. You will need to do frequent water changes (20%) 3-4 times a week until the cycle is complete. Of course if you are doing a cichlid fish aquarium you will need to remove the starter fish before adding any cichlids to the tank.

Conclusion

Whichever method you chose, it is important to realize that this can be time-consuming (3-6 weeks), therefore patience is a virtue. It is also important to constantly test your water during this process to ensure that your tank is cycling properly. I recommend using a liquid test kit rather than the basic test strips. Make sure before you add sensitive fish, your nitrates are at, or below 20ppm.

If you’ve enjoyed this article by Tim Carter, you can visit his website at http://www.cichlid-fish.com for more information and tips on Cichlids.