Stuffed Animals

Betta fish care includes its housing, food, breeding, treatment of diseases, etc. You must have a basic understanding about the fish, so as to provide the optimum care. Betta fish are natives to some countries of Asia, like, Thailand, China, Malaysia, etc. They are usually found in shallow waters. As they are accustomed to tropical weather, temperature control of the water is of utmost importance. As they are aggressive, keeping betta fish with other varieties can be risky. Likewise, there are many other factors regarding how to take care of a betta fish in the correct way. Scroll down for more information about betta fish and betta fish care instructions.

Tank Size for Betta Fish
While, keeping betta fish in small fish bowls is still a much debated topic, it has been suggested that it is not a good idea to take care of a betta fish in a bowl. If you plan to keep this fish singly, then, the minimum size of the tank must be two gallon. But, it is always better to get a tank with a size of five gallons and more. You may also keep bettas in a large tank with other fish, but, make sure that the temperature of the water is ideal for this fish. In such cases, the tank must have a size of ten gallons or more.

Another important factor with regard to caring for betta fish is the selection of other fish that are to be kept in the same tank with a betta. You must make sure that other tropical fish in the tank are having regular fin size. Those with large fins, like, guppies, goldfish, etc. should be avoided. Even fin nippers, like, barbs, should not be raised with betta fish. You may also use plastic boxes that are kept inside the fish tanks, for keeping bettas. Now, you know about one of the important aspects about how to take care of a betta fish. The following paragraphs deal with some betta fish care instructions.

Tank Décor & Water Requirements
While, decorating a fish tank for a betta fish, make sure to keep some plants (live, soft plastic or silk). Use a filter, heater and a light. Provide them with some hiding place, like, an overturned pot. You can use florite gravel for decoration. You have to avoid materials with sharp edges and rough surfaces, so as to prevent damage to the fins of betta fish. Aeration is not necessary, but, can be beneficial for maintaining helpful bacteria. Keep the tank covered.

Once you search for the right methods about how to take care of a betta fish, water parameters will be one of the important aspects. One of the most important parameter is temperature that should be maintained between 70° F – 85° F. You must also make sure that the water has a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Even strong water movements must be minimized. So, avoid power filters and power heads. The levels of ammonia in the water must be minimum and the hardness must be between 5° to 20° dH. Read the rest of this entry »

You should be sure about what kind of fish you are going buy. Just going to the local pet shop and buying attractive looking fish can be a very big mistake. Another point of consideration is – will these fish get adequate space. Once you are confident about the answers to these questions, you can turn to the next question.

The next thing will be how much space you can allot to these new family members in your home. You cannot count only on the walls but you should also look at the depth of the room in which you are going to setup the aquarium. Besides the size of the aquarium, you need to provide some space at the back for the filtration systems to work. You should also provide some space for keeping the accessories.

You can get recommendations from many e-books which are available on the Internet.

You should also ask yourself about the extent of commitment you are prepared to offer for this hobby. Is it going to be a long term affair or you are going to get away with it in a short time? The answer to this question will be useful for deciding a budget for this hobby. The range of expenditure for this hobby is very wide. There are numerous options available in the market on the types of fish and the sizes and styles of the aquarium as well as the accessories. Once you get in this hobby, you may be forced to spend much beyond your limits. So prepare a realistic budget before you start.

Just purchasing pet fish and buying an aquarium are not the only expenses. You need to buy a number of accessories for maintaining your aquarium. Take the advice of a good salesperson that will be able to select the right type of aquarium for you. He can also guide you about the species suitable to your budget. One more important item of the whole setup is the stand to mount your aquarium. There are a number of options available with many types of materials used.

If you go for mounting your aquarium on a wall to avoid the expenditure on the stand, you may not be able to save much. The structure required for fixing the aquarium on a wall is equally expensive.

Take some time in setting up the aquarium so that it gets ready for welcoming your fish. The fish may not be comfortable in a brand new tank. You need to keep the tank filled with water for at least a couple of weeks and treat the water regularly to make it compatible for the fish community. You will require some patience in working this out but it is worth the reward which you will get later for all these efforts.

     The black neon tetra, belonging to the family of Characidae has its origin in Brazil and can grow up to 4 cm in length, an ideal length for small aquariums. They are peaceful by nature and the usual lifespan is around 5 years. They sport a silvery-white stripe with contrasting black stripe underneath. Due to its peaceful nature, they can be an excellent addition to your aquarium with other varieties of fishes.

     Similar to other neon tetras, these fishes favor soft acidic water. However, they can also adapt and tolerate hard neutral water. The ideal surrounding conditions for black neon tetras include dark substrate, open swimming space, live plants, subdued lighting and water current in the upper surface of the water in the aquarium where the fish would prefer swimming. Since, they love to live in groups, make sure that you keep at least 6 fishes together. As far as the diet goes, these fish are undemanding and eats any fish food offered. However, for a good health a varied diet of brine shrimp, small live worms, freeze-dried foods and flake are necessary.

     If you observe the body type, the sexes are easy to find out. Males are slim compared to the females which are stocky and full bodied. While breeding, it is recommended that you provide a separate fish tank with dark substrate, water plants, dim light along with soft acidic water. In case the room is too bright, you can dim the light by placing a cardboard on the sides. While selecting breeding pairs ensure that they are healthy and are at least one year old. Even though the fish younger than a year may lay eggs but the best outcomes are attained by mature fishes. Usually, the female fish lays eggs early in the morning and the sticky eggs are spread out on the substrate or on the surface of the plants. You may like to know more on aquarium fish.

     Neon Tetra Disease Read the rest of this entry »

     Just like humans, one of the most lacking nutrition in cats is fatty acids. The prime reason is that cats, like humans, are not equipped to produce fatty acids on their own, rather they are needed to get enough amount of fatty acids from the cat food and supplements. This thing leads to different problems related to cat’s health that can be solved by using fish oil for cats.

     Inflammation in cats can be cured by using fish oil for cats. If not treated inflammation can lead to many serious health conditions like strokes, heart attacks, premature death, arthritis, high LDL cholesterol levels, protecting the whole vascular system, controlling skin allergies, yeast infections in cats and preventing cancer as well. Read more on cat illnesses.

     Usage of fish oils for cats has also benefited in reducing the cartilage degrading enzymes that can cause joint damage, regulation of the blood circulation, improvement of the brain function, etc. Hence, use of omega 3 fish oil for cats is found very effective for treating their various health conditions and also increasing their survival rate.

     Amount of Fish Oil for Cats Read the rest of this entry »