Flemish Giant

Flemish Giant is a type of rabbit, most famous for its unusually large size compared to other rabbits.

Flemish giants come in seven varieties recognized by the American Rabbit Breed Association(ARBA): black, blue, fawn, light gray, sandy, steel gray, and white. They are shown in six classes (three buck classes and three doe classes): Junior bucks and does under 6 months, Intermediate bucks and does 6-8 months, and Senior bucks and does 8+ months. The show classifications under the ARBA Standard of Perfection declare that Juniors should be 6 pounds and over, Senior bucks a minimum of 13 lbs, and Senior does to be 14 lbs. There is no maximum size, however, and they commonly attain weights in excess of 22 lbs.

No one knows the exact origins of the Flemish Giant breed. Some suggest that the during the 16th and 17th century, Dutch Traders may have brought giant Patagonian rabbits from the Argentine Republic back to Europe with them. The large rabbits of Flanders were well known at the time, and may have been cross bred with the Patagonian. While the name "Flemish" comes from Flanders, the similarities to the Patagonian lead many to speculate that this giant is in fact descended primarily from the wild Argentine rabbits.

Why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk?

Most evidence suggests that the head bobbing serves a visual function.

See video: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NHtrsbw3K0g

This has always been an intriguing phenomenon. Pigeons (or ‘Rock Pigeons’ to be exact) have a peculiar habit of bobbing their heads up and down when they walk. This leads to a common misconception – that the legs of a pigeon are somehow connected to their heads. When they walk, they move their heads up and down; when they stand still, there is no movement!

Birds have eyes on either side of their head, so don't have stereoscopic vision. In order to see depth, they take snapshots with the same eye from two points, and their mind makes the depth calculation.

In order to shed more light on this conundrum, one must first understand the basics of ‘bird vision’. From Ornithology (the science of birds), it can be inferred that as the pigeon’s eyes are on the side of its head – allowing a greater range of vision to stay vigilant against predators from all directions – they also disable the pigeon from its sense of depth. Pigeons cannot establish distances easily. Luckily we humans have eyes on the front of our heads, giving us depth perception.

For the pigeon to compensate this shortcoming, the bird moves its head, deciding on differences in apparent motion from nearby and/or distant objects. Closer objects move faster, distant objects move slower.

Now when rock pigeons stop in one place, there is no requirement for depth perception, hence the cessation of the head bobbing. But once they start foraging for food again, the need for depth kicks in and they start moving their heads up and down – giving the illusion that their heads are somehow connected to their feet!

To illustrate this concept, here is a common example: In the past, you may have tried to shoo away a pigeon in an outdoor picnic area. When a hand is wafted towards the pigeon, it turns sharply head first – in a desperate attempt to ascertain the depth of the attack – before attempting to fly/walk away. It all happens very quickly, but look out for it next time!

Chickens bob their heads while walking. So do cranes, magpies and quails. In fact, head bobbing is a unique feature in birds and occurs in at least 8 of the 27 families of birds.

There are a few theories why some birds bob their heads when they walk:
1. Assists with balance
2. Provides depth perception
3. Sharpens their vision

However, most studies suggest that birds in motion bob their heads to stabilize their visual surroundings. In comparison, we rely more on our eye movements, not our head movements, to catch and hold images while in motion.

Picture a pigeon on a moving treadmill. What do you think would happen as the pigeon walks with the speed of the treadmill and its environment remains relatively the same? Dr. Barrie J Frost (1978) did this experiment and the pigeon’s head did not bob.

Dr. Mark Friedman (1975) also conducted a series of experiments to test the head bobbing actions of birds, using doves. His research demonstrated that the head movement is controlled more by visual stimulation than movement of the body.

Scientists continue to research head bobbing in birds. For example, scientists are currently investigating question such as “Why do some birds exhibit head bobbing, while other do not?” For more information on this topic see the related Web sites section.

Domestic, Feral or Rock Pigeons

Pigeons are actually domesticated rock doves that have returned to wild or semi-wild conditions. Some rock doves were domesticated for food, others as homing pigeons, and some as ‘fancy’ pigeons, bred for their plumage. Feral pigeons, also called city doves, city pigeons or street pigeons, are derived from domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild. The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild Rock Pigeon, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains. All three types readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings a perfect substitute for sea cliffs, and have become adapted to life and are abundant in towns and cities all over the world.

Life span: They average 3-5 years in the wild. Captive pigeons can live for 15 years but some have been known to live for up to 35 years.

Statistics: Length: 29-33cm, Wingspan: 60-68cm.

Physical description: Feral pigeons are a generally grey bird with slightly iridescent feathers on the neck that shine pink and green in the sunlight. Coloration is very variable with some individuals being white, others brownish-red, some grey and many mixtures. The eyes are orange and shine brightly in the sunlight.

Distribution: Feral pigeons are widespread and very common throughout Europe. They are also found in Africa, North America, South America and Asia.

Habitat: They inhabit coastal cliffs or buildings in towns and cities.

Diet: Wild rock doves feed on seeds but the diet of the pigeons has grown to include bread, vegetables, meat and other food discarded by humans. Pigeons are not generally fussy eaters, they have only 37 taste buds (humans have around 10,000).

Behaviour: Pigeons feed on the ground in flocks or individually. They roost together in buildings or on walls or statues. When drinking, most birds take small sips and tilt their heads backwards to swallow the water. Pigeons are able to dip their bills into the water and drink continuously without having to tilt their heads back. When disturbed, a pigeon in a group will take off with a noisy clapping sound. This helps inform the other pigeons that there is danger present. If a pigeon is alone it will respond to danger by keeping very still and trying not to be noticed. Pigeons are excellent fliers and can reach speeds of up to 50mph. They are capable of rapid dives and changes in direction and most of the time will easily out manoeuvre a bird of prey such as a sparrowhawk. They are resident and do not migrate.

Reproduction: During courtship the male will follow a female around bowing his head, fanning his tail and making ‘cooing’ noises. Eventually a short dance begins with the male’s beak being held in the female’s. Mating occurs shortly afterward and is fairly brief. The male sits on the female’s back flapping his wings to keep balance. It may take several clumsy attempts before the male successfully mates with the female. Nests are built by the female using material collected by the male. The female lays clutches of two white eggs. Young pigeons are known as ‘squabs’. They are fed from a special substance produced in the pigeon’s crop known as ‘pigeon milk’. This substance is high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrate.

Conservation status: Feral pigeons are very common and widespread, their wild cousins in Britain, however, are limited to the west coasts of Scotland and Ireland. In Northern Europe they are limited to the coast of Brittany in France. They are more widespread in the Mediterranean.

Pigeons and Doves

Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for "dove" to be used for smaller species and "pigeon" for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the term "dove" and "pigeon." This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. The young doves and pigeons are called "squabs".

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. The species commonly referred to just as the "pigeon" is the feral Rock Pigeon, common in many cities.

Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or two eggs, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 7 to 28 days. Doves feed on seeds, fruit and plants. Unlike most other birds (but see flamingo), the doves and pigeons produce "crop milk," which is secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Both sexes produce this highly nutritious substance to feed to the young.

Diet

Seeds and fruit form the major component of the diet of pigeons and doves. In fact, the family can be divided into the seed eating or granivorous species (subfamily Columbinae) and the fruit eating or frugivorous species (the other four subfamilies). The granivorous typically feed on seed found on the ground, whereas the species that feed on fruit and mast tend to feed in trees. There are morphological adaptations that can be used to distinguish between the two groups, granivorous species tend to have thick walls in the gizzards, whereas the frugivores tend to have thin walls. In addition fruit eating species have short intestines whereas those that eat seeds have longer ones. Frugivores are capable of clinging to branches and even hang upside down in order to reach fruit.

In addition to fruit and seeds a number of other food items are taken by many species. Some species, particularly the ground-doves and quail-doves take a large number of prey items such as insects and worms. One species, the Atoll Fruit-dove is specialised in taking insect and reptile prey. Snails, moths and other insects are taken by White-crowned Pigeons, Orange Doves and Ruddy Ground Doves.

Macaw Parrots

Macaw parrots are the colorful and captivating type of birds. Near about 18 species of macaws are recognized. These parrots are well known for having largest numbers of species. Macaw parrots are very playful by nature and counted among the most interesting bird. Macaw parrots are the great combination of intelligence and beauty. Loving characteristics and loyal personality makes them a great selection as the pet bird. It’s a large sized bird and lives mainly for 25 to 80 years.

Due to their critics, many people don’t like to keep a pet macaw parrot because it’s more noisy, demanding and destructive. Many people dislike macaw parrots because they screech loudly. It is also said that these parrots are expensive. It is important to arrange enough information before keeping a macaw parrot as pet. Among all the species of macaw parrots, blue and gold macaw parrots are most popular and available in a large number.

Macaw is an intelligent type of parrot and known as an excellent talker. Macaw has a great capability for speech. If you are willing to have a pet macaw parrot then you should be sure that you can fulfill the demand of the bird and can spend enough time for his care. Macaw parrot have a changing temperament and feels aggressive, if not treated properly. Thus macaw parrots are talking birds that are very moody and highly expensive to afford.

Feeding Macaw

Macaws eat nuts, seeds, fruit, and sometimes insects. Macaws are a very high energy bird and for good health they will need plenty of good foods rich in oils and calories. In the wild the larger Macaws eat a variety of palm nuts while the smaller Macaws eat seeds, nuts and fruit. Foods available for Macaws include formulated diets, either pelleted or extruded, seed only diets, and parrot mixes which offer a mixture of both. There are pros and cons to feeding only a formulated diet as well as feeding only a seed diet. A formulated diet provides a good nutritional base so does not require the addition of vitamins, however it does not contain the phytonutrients (antioxidant pigments) that are found in vegetables, fruits, grains, and seeds. Phytonutrients are believed to boost the immune system, help a body to heal itself, and to prevent some diseases. Also parrots can become bored with it due to the lack of variety. A seed only diet offers much more variety but requires additional vitamin and calcium supplements. Macaws need not only nutritional requirements met but also variety for psychological enrichment.

A Macaw diet consisting of a good parrot mix which includes formulated foods, a variety of seeds, dried fruits, and nuts is generally regarded as a suitable base to provide nutrition and variety. Along with this, provide a daily supplement of fresh fruits and vegetable. Each macaw, depending on its size, will eat about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of parrot mix and about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of fruit and vegetables. All types of fruits such as apples, pears, plums, cherries, grapes, oranges, bananas, mangos, papayas, and even berries such as strawberries and blueberries are enjoyed. Many vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, dark green leafy veggies, many garden vegetables, and even dandelions and chickweed are good. Do not feed avocado as it may be toxic to birds! Offer nuts for treats, such as macadamias, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and filberts. Additional proteins can be offered such as sprouted legumes and cooked chicken or meat. Grit is not considered essential as macaws will shell their seed before eating it.They also gnaw and chew on various objects. They show a large amount of intelligence in their behaviour and require constant intellectual stimulation to satisfy their innate curiosity. They often learn tricks easily.

Taking care

The personal hygiene of your Macaw includes a regular bath or shower for good plumage and skin condition. One way to accomplish this is with either a hand held shower sprayer or a hose with a fine spray head and lukewarm water. The wings should be kept trim if you want to discourage flight and to prevent the loss of your pet through an open window or door. Clip most of the primaries (10 feathers closest to the wing tip) and only enough so the bird can glide to the floor. The beak needs to be trimmed if it becomes overgrown or deformed. There are many mineral blocks, lava blocks, and other beak grooming items available at your pet store to help your bird keep its beak in shape. A variety of concrete type perches are also available to help the keep nails trim, but they should be trimmed if they become overgrown.

About parrots

Parrots make wonderful family pets because they are great companions, they are beautiful birds with colorful feathers and you can teach them to talk. Parrots are very enjoyable pets and are relatively easy to feed and maintain. But you must have a strong level of commitment to your parrot because he will need daily and weekly maintenance, as well as plenty of attention.

The basic things you need to commit for taking care of your bird are quite simple, but they do require some effort on the owner's part. In addition to never leaving his food bowl empty, you will need to provide him with fresh water twice a day. You will need to clean his cage on a weekly basis. You will also need to groom him 2-3 times per week. This can include a full bath given in a sink or washtub or by simply misting the bird and using specialized bird shampoo on him.

Do parrots make good companion?

Whether or not parrots make good pets is largely a matter of personal opinion, as there are many advantages and disadvantages to keeping parrots as pets. Similarly, some of the advantages to keeping parrots as pets may be considered disadvantages by certain pet owners, and vice versa.

For example, parrots have a long life expectancy. If properly cared for, many species of parrots can live for around fifty years. This is more than twice as long as the life expectancy for dogs and cats, which are the most common household pet. Therefore, someone looking for a nearly lifelong companion may find parrots to be an ideal choice. At the same time, a parent looking to purchase a pet for his or her child or someone who is not prepared to commit to caring for a pet for such a long period of time may find the life expectancy of parrots to be a disadvantage.
Parrots also provide excellent companionship because of their ability to learn how to speak. Although there is little evidence to suggest that parrots understand the words they are using, it is still quite amusing to the owner to hear pet parrots repeat the words they have been taught. In addition, the time spent talking with the bird in order to get it to learn new words is a bonding experience that many owners and their parrots enjoy.

There are many different types of parrots to choose from when shopping for one for a pet. In general, male parrots that have been raised by hand make the best pets, because they tend to interact more and are less likely to experience illnesses related to breeding. Female parrots are also good pets, but they are more likely to have health issues and problems with egg laying. Therefore, female parrots may require a bit more care than their male counterparts.

Cats & Kittens

Formerly it was generally thought that our house cats were simply the progeny of tamed pairs of the European wildcat; but anatomy denied the probability of this, and historical investigation showed that they came from another source. Historical evidence, including innumerable mummies, shows that the cat was domesticated by the Egyptians and North-Africans before the time of the oldest monuments of their civilization.

Moreover, the characteristic specific markings of the caffrc cat (still wild as well as tame in the Nile Valley) reappear unmistakably in our common house cats. This has happened in spite of the fact that interbreeding with other species and various local races has intervened over time. The Mediterranean cat is a well-marked variety of this cat that was found anciently and even now in Syria and eastward. It has been established that many centuries before the Christian era the Egyptians, Cretans, Phoenicians and other men of the Levant were constantly voyaging all over the Mediterranean Sea and founding trading-posts on both its shores. There finally arose and spread the extensive civilizations of Greece and of Rome on the north and of Carthage on the sout.

When these explorers were spreading their colonies over vast areas, undoubtedly with them went their friendly and useful mousers. That they then were crossed somewhat with the native wildcat seems to be shown by the appearance of the peculiar form we call "tabby" cats. Briefly, this is the history of the common European house cat, whence have come, by emigration, those of America and most of the civilized world.

However, in the remote and isolated East, there exist many races of domesticated cats of more local origin. The late Professor G. Martorelli, of Milan, Italy, had made a special study of this whole subject and he had concluded that the ordinary domestic cat of India has descended from the Indian desert cat (Felis ornata). From it, he said, are derived their common spotted breed, while the fulvous breed seen in India has been produced by a cross with the native jungle cat (Felis chaus). Both these have interbred with the imported western cats in recent years.

The Persian or ''Angora" long-haired breeds may probably have come from Pallas' cat of central Asia; and the curious Siamese cat is regarded as derived from the golden cat. The intermingling accidentally, or by the design of breeders, of these various species and races has produced the bewildering variety of forms now seen.

There are so many varieties of cats that they must have originated from many different races and situations. Even today, professional breeders are developing new breeds of cats.

Keeping Cats as pets

The popularity of the cat, especially of pedigreed breeds, has continued to grow. The cat’s independent personality, grace, cleanliness, and subtle displays of affection have wide appeal. Typically, cats are creatures of habit; they are inquisitive, but not adventurous, and are easily upset by sudden changes of routine. The ideal household cat has been separated from its mother between the ages of two and four months, raised in a clean home, kept away from unhealthy animals, and inoculated against common infectious cat diseases. Although cats often enjoy the company of other cats, especially when raised together from kittenhood, introducing a strange cat to other cats in the home can cause stress, aggression, and other behaviour problems. Cats are generally less sociable than dogs, who more readily accept a new pack member.

A good disposition and good health are important criteria for choosing a cat. Disposition varies only slightly between male and female cats. There are, however, distinct differences in disposition among the various pedigreed varieties; the Siamese, for example, is vocal and demanding, while the Persian is quiet and fastidious. The mixed breed, or “alley” cat, is a heterogeneous breed of unknown lineage; therefore, its disposition is difficult to assess. By chance, the mixed breed may prove a happier and healthier pet than a pedigreed one. On the other hand, the behaviour and vigour of the direct ancestors of pedigreed cats are indicative of the characteristics the offspring will possess as adults. But, as with the propagation of purebred dogs, the proliferation of pedigreed cats has resulted in an increase in inherited diseases, a major reason many people prefer mongrels or mixed breeds.

External links:

CatsInfo.com - Origins of the Domestic Cat
CatsInfo - Feline Care
Animal Corner - Cats
National Geographic - Domestic Cat

Pomeranian

My Pomeranian

I like pomeranian's since i have one and its name is Toby. He came to me at the time when he was just 40 days. He is very naughty and fluffy boy.

About Pomeranian

The Pomeranian is a Nordic breed which takes its name from the province of Pomerania, now located in Germany. It is a tiny, fluffy dog with a wedge-shaped head and pointed erect ears. Some have faces that breeders liken to a fox; others have baby-doll or "pansy" faces. The Pomeranian (often known as a Pom) is a breed of dog of the Spitz type, named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe (which today is part of modern eastern Germany and northern Poland) and classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size. As determined by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale the Pomeranian is part of the German Spitz breed, and in many countries, they are known as the Zwergspitz (`Dwarf` Spitz), or Toy German Spitz.

Puppies

Gold fish

About Gold fish

The Goldfish, Carassius auratus, is one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is still one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish and water garden fish. A relatively small member of the carp family, the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/brown carp native to East Asia. It was first domesticated in China and introduced to Europe in the late 17th century.

Goldfish can grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (58.42 cm) and a maximum weight of 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg), although this is rare; few goldfish reach even half this size. The oldest recorded goldfish lived to 49 years, but most household goldfish generally live only six to eight years, due to being kept in bowls. The collective noun for a group of goldfish is a "troubling".

Scale groups

There are three scale groups in goldfish. They are: 1. Metallic 2. Nacreous (calico) 3. Matt
Metallic is the normal goldfish where the scale have a silvery shine due to the presence of guanine in the scale.
Nacreous scales is represented by the shubunkins, where the goldfish have both metallic and transparent scales (where the guanine is absent). Shubunkins was first bred in Japan in 1900 when mutations from telescope-eye (Demekin) goldfish first arose.
Matt denotes where the goldfish has 100% of transparent scales. They have pink gills as the gill plates do not have guanines, so they are transparent and the gills appears through (blushing). They generally have pink bodies. Some have orange or red colours. A recent gorgeous goldfish breed is the lemon yellow "sunburst" variety of common goldfish. It is a matt with intense lemon to deep yellow colours.
Crossing the scale types reveal simple Mendelian genetics:
If both parents are Metallics (AAAA) or Matts (aaaa), they will breed true, ie, 100% metallics (AAAA) or matt (aaaa) frys.
On the other hand, if both parents are nacreous (AAaa), the frys will be 50% nacreous (AAaa), 25% metallics (AAAA) and 25% matts (aaaa).
If Metallic (AAAA) or matt (aaaa) parent is crossed with Nacresous (AAaa): the frys will be 50% metallics (AAAA)/matt (aaaa) and 50% nacreous (AAaa).
If Metallic (AAAA) is crossed with matt (aaaa), the frys will be 100% nacreous (AAaa)(shubunkins).
Of the 3 scale groups, metallics are physically the strongest breed, with matts the weakest. In general, matts do not live long and are weaker.
Metallics should be raised in clear water and high temperature to promote them changing colour from their bronze phase to the gold/white/red colour. Nacreous and matts should be raised in green water instead to avoid them getting sunburnt in outdoor pools, as they lack the reflective scales.

Goldfish Family Tree

This chart displays the link of the various goldfish varieties and their lineage to their common goldfish ancestor. See: http://www.geocities.jp/dneumaier90/gtree.html

Feeding Gold fish

Like most fish, goldfish are opportunistic feeders. When an excess of food is offered, they will produce more waste and feces, partly due to incomplete digestion of protein. Overfed fish can sometimes be recognized by feces trailing from their cloaca. Goldfish need only be fed as much food as they can consume in one to two minutes, and no more than three times a day. Extreme overfeeding can be fatal, typically by bursting of the intestines. This happens most often with selectively bred goldfish, which have a convoluted intestinal tract as opposed to a straight one in common goldfish. Novice fishkeepers who have newly purchased ryukin, fantail, oranda, lionhead or other fancy goldfish will need to watch their fish carefully for a few days, as it is important to know how much the goldfish will eat in a couple minutes of time. They also die without eating in 4–8 days.
Special goldfish food has a lower protein and higher carbohydrate content. It is sold in two consistencies - flakes that float at the top of the aquarium, and pellets that sink slowly to the bottom.
Goldfish enthusiasts will supplement this diet with shelled peas (with outer skins removed), blanched green leafy vegetables, and bloodworms. Young goldfish also benefit from the addition of brine shrimp to their diet. As with all animals, individual goldfish will display varied food preferences. In any case, it is better to feed them a variety of foods listed above.

Koi Carp

Etymology & Origin

The word "koi" comes from Japanese, simply meaning "carp." It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homophone of koi means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan: a good example is the short story Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.

Varieties

Koi have many different colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned koi, with a red pattern.
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned koi with a red and black pattern, named after the Taisho Emperor.
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned koi with a red and white pattern, named after the Showa Emperor.
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki.
Asagi - a koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom.
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi.
Bekko - a white-, red-, or yellow-skinned koi with a black pattern.
Utsurimono - a black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern.
Goshiki - a mostly black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents.
Ogon - a koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors are red, orange, platinum, yellow, and cream.
Kin Gin Rin - a koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - miscellaneous types of koi.
Doitsu-goi - German carp that has no scales or a few large scales on its top.
Koromo - koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly.
Hikari-Moyomono - koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours.
Ghost koi - "hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.

Keeping

The common carp is a hardy fish, and koi retain that durability. Koi are cold-water fish, but benefit from being kept in the 15-25 degrees C (59-77 degrees F) range and do not react well to long cold winter temperatures, their immune system 'turning off' below 10 degrees C. Koi ponds have a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. In areas that have harsh winters, ponds that are a minimum of 1.5 meters (4 1/2 feet) are most common.

Koi's bright colors put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku is a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, foxes, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish. A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passers-by. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. A pond usually includes a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear.

Koi are an omnivorous fish and will often eat a wide variety of foods, including peas, lettuce, and watermelons. Koi food is designed not only to be nutritionally balanced, but also to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, it is possible to check koi for parasites and ulcers. Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around him or her at feeding times. They can be trained to take food from one's hand. In the winter, their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom. Their appetite will not come back until the water becomes warm in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C), feeding, particularly with protein, is halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach, causing sickness.

Koi can live for decades. One famous scarlet koi, named "Hanako" (c. 1751 – July 7, 1977) was owned by several individuals, the last of which was Dr. Komei Koshihara. Hanako was reportedly 226 years old upon her death. Her age was determined by removing one of her scales and examining it extensively in 1966. She is (to date) the longest-lived koi fish ever recorded.

Flower Horn Fish

Origin of Flower horn fish

As Flowerhorn's ancestry originated from the Central and South American cichlids, it is essential to set up your tank to a closely simulated natural habitat for the fish, which at the same time, pleasing to the eye. The Flowerhorn fish is also known with the Chinese common name Hua Luo Han; this fish does not exist in nature but it is a hybrid result of various cross-breeding of South America cichlids, in fact it can be listed under the Cichlasoma genus, even if the starting breeders are unknown, the most of people think about Cichlasoma Trimaculatus, C. Festae, Red Parrot, Jingang and other fish.


My Flower horn











About Flower horn fish

Flowerhorn is a big fish with compact body, it can reach 30cm in length and sometimes can grow even bigger. Intensive breeding has created a very peculiar fish that is becoming really famous and relatively common in the last few years; moreover breeders keep on trying to improve the fish qualities focusing on bigger hump on the head, new and better colours, wider body and fins, more peculiar black marks on the body, without the employ of chemical and artificial factors. For the importance of appearance, a good Flowerhorn must follow a standard that defines various aspects of its body:

- General body: the fish body must be oval and thick, with full belly and stomach; some new variants have anyway a more rounded shape.
- Hump: the hump on the forehead should be big and well proportioned to the fish size.
- Black marks: it is important that the marks are thick and well defined, this is one of the principal characteristic of Flowerhorn, and anyway some new varieties do not give too much importance to them.
- Overall Colouration: the most common Flowerhorn have a predominant red colouration, anyway every colour should be bright and well defined.
- Scales: the entire body should be covered by light blue or green scales.
- Fins: both tails and fins should be widely spread the most of time.

Aquarium

Various sizes and designs of fish tanks are available at your local fish store. Choose one that will complement your house. Always assume that Flowerhorns will grow to be about 500 mm in length. Therefore, it is advisable to get at least a 3 feet tank to start comfortably. Acrylic aquariums are recommended as these tanks are leak proof, light weight and the wall materials provide exceptional clarity. Always have a tank top or tank cover to prevent your fish from jumping out. This is one common mistake of many hobbyists that lead to their fish "committing suicide".

Various attractive background designs for aquariums are available easily. Choose one that will fit the natural environment of the fish. Pebbles, stones and gravels is a must in your flower horn tank because it be used as substrate for biological filtration. The fish is also a naturally active "digger" and this creates an environment closer to its original habitat.

One advice is to prevent pebbles that have sharp edges. These types of pebbles usually inflict cuts on the mouth of your fishes and if not treated, it will be infected. Many flowerhorn fishes are prone to mouth infection because of minor cuts sustained when they constantly dig at the pebbles.

Other unnatural tank ornaments are discouraged as these do not serve any purpose at all in the tank. Furthermore, these objects may even be hazardous, which might cause accidental cuts and injuries on your Flowerhorns as these fish possess fierce territorial behaviors and is always actively swimming.

Feeding

Flowerhorn like similar sized fish, astronotus ocellatus for example, need a live food integration to be healthy and in shape. Their diet can consist of live food, frozen food, and standard dry fish food. The live food should be of good dimension, or the fish could not notice it, earth worms and big meal worms or wax worm are accepted; moreover you can give small fish, poecilia reticulata could be a good choice since the high number of fry they spare monthly. Remember to feed every live food you choose, and in case of live fish be sure they are healthy.

Frozen food is another good solution, especially when you do not have the live one. Young Flowerhorn usually eat chironomus, brine shrimps and other frozen fish foods, while older ones could not notice them; at their place you can offer frozen fish for human use, you have a great choice, anyway if possible get freshwater fish and avoid the sea ones.

Both live and frozen food can pollute the water, so be sure that Flowerhorn eats all the given food in 5 minutes maximum, in case of rests remove them fast; for this reason it is better to have an aquarium set up that allow you to clean fast without needing to move objects.

Dry standard fish food is a good complementary option, especially if it is of good quality. You can find special food produced for cichlids that usually consist of big pellets that Flowerhornlike.

Flowerhorn should be fed two times a day, everyday, anyway be careful with the quantities and avoid to overfeed it, reducing the food amount specially if it is really rich of nutrients.

Breeding

Sexing Flowerhorn is quite easy, especially when they have reached the length of 10 cm – 12 cm. The anal pore of the fish has a V shape in case of males and a U shape in case of females. Moreover females tend to have a smaller hump when adults.

Being cichlids their reproduction can be similar to the cichlasoma one. The female lays eggs on a flat surface, like a rock or the aquarium glass and take care of them, while the male keeps other fish away. After 3 or 4 days the fry hatch and parents take care of them moving in more secure hiding places. You can feed them with just hatched brine shrimps and other specific food for fry.

Breeding is not so easy because female can be easily stressed or worried and an end up eating her eggs, anyway if the environment is quiet and the parents are healthy reproduction is possible.