Plan Your Own Aquarium

 

                      To most people on the brink of purchasing their first fish tank, anything larger than an aquarium seems like something on which they could install a full size diving board, leap in, and do the backstroke. When optical illusions are listed, an empty aquarium should go some where near the top of the list as appearing overwhelmingly larger than it actually is.

                  However, with no sleight of hand or juggling involved it also seems to shrink as you find more and more to put in later on. Therefore the cardinal rule on your first sally into learning a fishy life should be – BY AT LEAST A TEN GALLON TANK. Buy the largest aquarium you can afford it will pay off with extra dividends of happiness for you, your children and the fish. Buy all of your equipments at one time. You will certainly need Air Pump, Air-stone Valve, plastic tubing pump, gravel and plants. Plants are must because plant utilizes the carbon dioxide and given off oxygen in a process called photosynthesis, but this is possible only when a source of good light is available. It is true that natural lifts can be used for this purpose but if it is strong cannot be controlled. Since it does not come with a handy little switch for snapping it on and off.

                          Too much of natural light (direct sunlight) will bring too much of algae develop on the side of your tank temporarily, it can be removed with a blade or small piece of newspaper or cloth without emptying the tank. Make sure that this cloth is completely free of soap, detergent dye or dirt. Aeration (air pump) of your Aquarium can be accomplished by the use of an Aerator or air-stone. Contrary to popular belief, this device does not put oxygen into the tank, but it does effectively remove the unwanted carbon dioxide. Fill the ground with gravel that is neither too fine nor too coarse. If it is too fine the roots of plant will have difficulty probing through it as it becomes packed. If it’s too coarse, minute food particles will get down in the crevices out of reach of even the busiest little scavengers. Most of the gravel available in pet shops is pre-washed but it does no harm to wash it once again. This can best be done placing it in a large container, such as a bucket and running a strong stream of water down through it, agitating the gravel with your hand until the water run clear. A container selected for use with your fish should never be used for any other purpose.

Setting up the tank

                   First of all, your tank must be placed on a firm, unyielding surface. Pour the gravel or sand into place. Slope the gravel gently from the back of the tank down to two or three inches at the front. It is now time to call upon your artistic talents and place your rocks where you wish. When everything meets with your approval, place a piece of newspaper, wrapping paper, or plastic over the top of your arrangement. Carefully pour water on this surface. This will keep the gravel from washing out of place. Fill the tank with water to approximately three inches from the top. This will allow you to put your hands inside the tank to arrange your plants without spilling any water over the sides. When the planting has been completed to your satisfaction, the tank can be filled the rest of the way ideally the water should be allowed to age over. This allows the dust particles to settle and if any chlorine which is added to the tap water will be released from the water. The next day you can put the fish into the tank.

A fishy community

The ideal members which grows together.

                  Any of the many colour varieties of guppies, platies, swordtails and mollies make fine community fish as a rule. The remainder of tropical fish falls into the general category of egg layers. A random selection of fish that the “ideal community tank citizen” label are dwarf gouramis, kissing gouramis, tetras, neon tetras, serapes, bleeding heart tetras, black tetras, cardinal tetras.

         There are many tropical fish from which to make a selection, but a few taken from this cross section will do well. At least two of each kind with exception of the better, should be purchased because of natural tendency in tropical fish to “School” they feel more secure with at least on other of their kind in the tank.

          At the bottom of this list, only because they are found on the bottom of most tanks, are the little catfish. At least two of the little corydoras species should be included. Corydoras are the most common catfish and least expensive. These are the little clean up crews. Another scavenger, the snail, also can be included but he often presents a mixed blessing. Snails sometimes get confused and eat the plants right along with the discarded food and algae.

DISAESES

                         The most common disease jaw-snapping in name of ichtyopthirius. This disease can be seen by naked eye - some white crystals types of parasite “ICK”. A number of preparations are on the market to eradicate it. Like yellow solution, green solution etc. If ick is allowed to grow untreated your fish will develop a fungus which looks like puffs of cotton attached to it. It is due to a microscopic plant. Both are parasitic in nature. Often fungus will come from an injury when the natural slimy protective coating of your fish is disturbed, if for example, it leaps out of the tank, it is important to pick up your fish with wet hand or a wet net.

Baby lovebirds

First Round

                       Baby lovebirds are born without feathers. Their first covering begins to grow on about the 12^th day soon followed by the first feather growth. The newly hatched chick is able to survive for the first 12 hours or so without food. It draws nourishment from the yolk sac extending from the abdomen, which will later shrink back into the body.

                 There after for the first 10 days of its life, the baby bird is fed with “crop milk” a cheesy substance regulated by the mother bird. In order to help the “mums” produce plenty of crop milk most breeders supplement normal bird’s diet with soaked oats or cubes of whole meal bread moistened with milk. When babies of about to five to six weeks of age are seeing to be cracking seed freely and eating enough for their requirements they can be removed from the parent birds. Then chicks of the first rounds must be taken away before the first chick of next round will hatched.

Second Round

                 Most hen birds lay the first egg of the second round when the youngest baby in the previous nest is about three and half weeks old. Some wait still the last baby has left the nest. When the lovebirds are to breed outdoors, they must have weatherproof and enclosure.

Breeding love birds

Lovebirds are probably the easiest of all cage birds for the novice to breed and rear. They can be breed in cages, or in an avary-based colony. Cage breeding will require a cage of a minimum size of 60cm long by 40cm height by 30 cm deep. If the next box or pot is to be placed inside the cage other than on the floor, the cage length should be proportionately greater.

One of the big advantages of cage breeding is that it allows its owner to be selective about breeding partnership. The free ranging colony budgie picks its own mate from the selection available. With cage breeding very little squabbling or fighting takes place, so there is less risk that either parent stock birds or chicks will be damaged and possibly lost in this way. Usually birds kept indoors with warm light, bird room will begin to come into breeding condition earlier than those exposed to all weather in an out door enclosure. The birds themselves will indicate that they are ready to breed by courting behavior. The males & females will pair of to spend the bulk of their time in each other’s company, with the cock feeding the hen at regular intervals.

The ceres (the area immediately above the upper beak) will become intense in colour, those of the cock birds being brighter than usual blue, and those often hens a really rich brown shade. Hens will be chewing at all the woodwork they can find. Even in the natural habitat, lovebirds do not make conventional nests for their young. In captivity they will require to be supplied with nest box or a pot which should be hanged and with side hole, so that the birds can enter. Many breeders are using disposable cardboard boxes that are burned at the end.

The base of the next box should have a concave depression into which the hen will place her eggs. Some coarse sawdust sprinkled on this depression prevents eggs and chicks becoming fould.

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Diseases in Love Birds

                                   Many novice love birds’ owners become alarmed if they see their pets begin to regurgitate food. This is form of behavior perfectly natural to the healthy adult bird. It is the mean be which it first courts its mate and then nourishes its young. Content single caged love birds will frequently attempt to feed their toys or even their owners during the breeding season. Regurgitation is only a source of worry. If it occurs outside this season, and is accompanied by then sign of avian ill health, such as loss of appetite, listlessness, or discoloured, greenish dropping, in these circumstances the act of regurgitation may well be a sign of digestive trouble. Check that the food and water supplies are properly, clean. Move the cage to a place where the temperature is at constant 85 degrees and add a pinch of sodium bicarbonate to the drinking water. If the condition has not cleared itself within a day or two call a Veterinary doctor.

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Love Birds - Housing the Budie

The love birds first appeared in England approximately a century ago. They live to around eight years old there are sixty clearly definable colour varieties in love birds.

Housing the Budie

Most experts regard the draught proof box cage as the best type of love bird residence. Either plywood or hardboard on a wood frame can be used for the sides and front with wire mesh. If the cage is to be painted, remember to use non toxic paints.

Tall cylindrical cage should be avoided. Helicopter fly up and down – birds horizontally and the bass of budgie cage should be ideally horizontally rather than vertically spaced, to help the bird climb about his home.

If the love birds are to be kept in open garden the space they will require, is a maximum of three birds to each square foot of roost flover area.

On this sort of basis it is reasonable to think of an aviary measuring 6 feet by 5 feet by 6 feet tall as providing ample accommodation for three pairs.

Food panicum is the best food. Wheat, oats are also given. When plucking wild – grown green food, it is important to ensure that the area has not previously been sprayed with pesticides. Love birds also like to have tree bark to chew, but here again care must be taken that they are not supplied with poisons species, Carrot, cabbage leaf what, panicum has been. Sprouted in a flower pot can be fed. Put some brick pieces and also cuttlefish bone. This skeleton is an oblong, elliptical or oval flats substances of whitish colour very hard and brittle. It is found in beaches, it contains calcium carbonate to 85 percent. It is a good source of calcium. English Holy Basil or Tulasi plant can be given without root and it has many good properties which the birds get natural cure. This plant the bird loves too.