Pet Advice

How To Breed The Flowerhorn fish.
The breeding of Flowerhorns is a rather easy task. There are, though, a few preparations that need to be made prior to breeding. One of the most important things you can do is prepare ar new bare bottom tank to store the tiny fries once they are ready to leave the parents’ nest. Do not install any filter mechanisms as the small fries will get sucked into the filtration system. An air stone is particularly sufficient for aeration purposes.Selection of the breeding pairs is crucial prior to breeding. Desired phenotypic outcomes depend solely on the parents. Most of the time, it is almost possible to predict the external characteristics of the offspring produced by a pair of Flowerhorns. Thus, breeding Flowerhorn has an exciting aspect, as you would know the outcome of the selective breeding. Flowerhorns breed year round. No external stimuli are needed for breeding purposes, but you must place the breeding pair in a clean, big tank. An aquarium heater regulated to 28?C can be placed in the aquarium, but it is not compulsory. The use of a mechanical filtration system is sufficient to remove any feces and debris in order to keep the water quality in check as breeding pairs do not consume much food during this period.The breeding pair need to be well fed at a fixed regime until they are ready to spawn. A balanced diet is crucial to produce fish well laden with eggs and milt. Broodstock can be fed with various types of food including live and pellet feeds.If you intend to breed your Flowerhorn, you will need a few pairs of fish. Some pairs might not be suitable for each other. Normally, a mating pair is put in the same aquarium with a partition in the middle to separate the two. The female will usually develop black stripes all over its body when it is time to mate, and appetite loss is quite common. Observations also show that the female’s genital papilla will start to swell. It is advisable to cover the sides of your tank with newspapers or any other materials. This provides adequate privacy for the mating pair as they are easily frightened or disturbed during the mating period. When they are ready, females will secrete pheromones, and this signals the males to start spawning. Initially, this pair will show aggression toward each other through the partition. When the pair has stopped showing this behavior, the partition can be removed. Once you remove the partition, if they still seem to be ‘fighting’, observe further. If one fish is standing its ground instead of running to another corner, it means that they are actually courting each other instead of attacking. If the pair continues fighting until one of them is visibly injured, it means that this pair is not ready or not compatible for the moment. Separate them and try again after a few days.If they are indeed a mating pair, the male fish will start to search for a breeding spot. In a tank with pebbles and gravels, the male fish will start clearing a chosen spot by removing all the pebbles. However, in a bare tank, none of this activity will take place. If you are using a bare tank, you should place a floor tile in the tank, because Flowerhorns will prefer a rough surface for spawning. Female Flowerhorns normally lay eggs close to the air stone, or where there’s a good flow of water, as this can help aerate the eggs. Moreover, because the water circulates in this area, a fungal attack on the eggs is prevented. Female fish will deposit rows of eggs, then the male will follow behind, fertilizing the eggs with its milt. This will continue until the female has deposited all of its eggs. No disturbances are allowed during the spawning moment as this will result in the parent eating the eggs as a natural protective measure.A female Flowerhorn is able to produce approximately 500-2000 eggs at a time. The parents will usually take turns fanning the eggs with their fins to rid of unwanted debris or to prevent any fungal attack. It is advisable to add methylene blue (Hyperlink) or any anti-fungal treatment at a1mg/l gallon ratio to prevent a possible fungus attack.The eggs will take a few days to hatch. When this happens, remove the parents. Once the parents are removed, be sure to practice proper fry management.Copyright 2000-2007 Flowerfish.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and give the author name credit. FlowerFish.com is the complete Flower Horn Fish Resource center. We are also one of the world's biggest and most recognised Flower Horn breeder, exporter and wholesaler. Please visit us at http://www.FlowerFish.com for more articles and Flower Horn fish picture galleries.
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Cat Training Is An Adventure
He doesn’t understand Engish (although he certainly acts like he does sometimes). I thought he knew extactly what I was saying. He actually learns by experience. He learned to jump up on the coffee table because “Daddy” rewarded him with what he really craves: love and attention. We all love our cat for who he is. He has his likes, dislikes and personality. He is unique! Most of his behavior we enjoy: he is affectionate, loves to play and adores us. He becomes a part of the family and we couldn’t imagine our lives without him. I have a neurotic kitty. I thought I was the only one until I started doing some research to help him and I live in the same house. I found out alot of cat-owners have the same problems. Cats are independent and aloof. Some are high-strung and most just want to do their own thing, which may include jumping on the kitchen table during dinner, climbing the drapes, and hiding under the furniture when he’s scared. Smokey Joe is my cat’s name. He is a 3yr old siamese (who are famous for their independence and constant meowing for attention). Of course, Smokey does these things, being an tried and true Siamese, he could act no other way. He also wants to play ALL the time and when he plays he turns into a “wild cat”- all teeth and claws! He has been known to attack without warning. This kind of behavior I would like to discourage. Of more importance, I want to make Smokey Joe’s surroundings comfortable for him. I want him to feel safe in his home. Smokey and I have a loving, mutually soothing relationship. He’s learned loving comes from “Mom” and playtime?-that’s “Dad”-time. After all, dads are for rough-housing and he has the scratches to prove it! Smokey is a territorial cat and he is constantly on guard for intruders. He’s and indoor cat who used to be an outdoor cat. He watches mostly for other cats. He’s also a predator, a hunter and I think that sometimes when he’s staring out the window he’s chasing birds in his imagination. What I find works well for us is positive reinforcement. I give him love and pets when he’s doing what is acceptable. I use a loud rough voice when I see him acting bad. It seems to work for us. Of course, it’s not exactly that simple and I needed help. Learning how my cat thinks and reacts to me and others helped alot. I learned about stressors, aggression and numerous other things that can affect my cat’s mood and how to deal with it. Kitty and I now liveLori learned lots about <a href="http://moneymakerldbg.com/cattraining.html/ "title="cat training">training your cat</a>
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Cats - How to Keep Them off Your Garden Safely
You may be the biggest cat lover in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you want them digging in your flower beds. Here are some tips to keep them off your garden safely. It is unfortunate that not only will stray cats come and use your garden for their toilet and raid your rubbish bin for extra snacks, but those of your neighbours will too. In fact, if you’re a cat owner, you will probably have noticed that your own cat rarely soils in YOUR garden - after all, why would they want to mess up their own territory? However, cat lover or not, if you want to keep cats off your garden, please don’t put down poison or any other substance that will actually harm the cat. After all, the point is to keep them away, not kill them off. There are a variety of products available which will repel cats without hurting them at all. Powder You can just sprinkle powder where you don’t want cats to go. Some of these powders are referred to as “cat pepper” which will actually make the cat sneeze and others contain a scent which imitates that of another animal. Either way, they’ll stay away in future. The powder is not harmful to plants. High Frequency Sound Producer Because of the difference between what cats can hear and what humans can hear, the sound that this machine makes will deter cats from coming into your garden while you won’t be able to hear a thing. Liquid Repellent This is not of much use for flower beds, etc. but if you want to keep cats away from garden furniture, it can be effective because the cat will pick it up on its paws and when the cat grooms itself, it will taste awful. Scent Neutraliser The scent neutraliser will do what it says on the tin, which is to neutralise the scent of other cats. The odour that cats leave behind them often attract other cats, so the scent neutraliser should be applied to the normal route that feline visitors take in your garden. Water and Air Sprayers These work in much the same way in that they each have a sensor which detects movement. The air sprayer is a stand-alone alone device which emits a blast of air when it senses movement. Cats find this frightening and will hastily remove themselves. The water sprayer needs to be attached to a hose pipe but the end result is the same. Electrically Charged Mats These mats are powered by batteries and deliver a small electric shock which a cat will find most uncomfortable. However, this should be reserved for the most persistent of offenders as it doesn’t entirely fit the term “harmless”. All these simple devices should ensure that your garden is free of unwanted cats without harming them at all.Liz Canham is the proud owner (or maybe servant) of three cats and is webmistress of <a href="http://www.lizebiz.com/trk.php?c=13226&u=place" target="_blank">The Cat Lover</a>.
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