Monday, January 31, 2011
Ancient Art
Nittoh Guiofu: Gensen Kanda, on Japanese fish
Gyotaku is the art and technique of Japanese fish rubbing. The first Gyotaku prints were created to preserve a true record of the size and species caught by Japanese anglers. The oldest known prints were commissioned in 1862 by Lord Sakai in the Yamagata Prefecture to preserve the memory of a record catch.
Fish prints are so accurate that Nippons' fishing contest winners are determined by Gyotaku prints. A well executed Gyotaku yields an image so accurate and detailed that it can become a useful tool for scientific study.
Fish mural painting from Thai temple in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India
Dragon Betta by Diaz Uwin
Copper Dragon
Silver Dragon
Dragon Betta have 2 colored scales so you can see perfectly where each scale starts and ends, like a thick suit of armor.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Rome Banned Fish Bowls
Did you know?
That the lawmakers in Rome have banned fish bowls? Monica Cirinna, the councillor behind this law, stated, "It's good to do whatever we can for out animals who, in exchange for a little love, fill our existence with their attention."
"You can judge the morality of a nation by the way the society treats itsanimals." ~Mahatma Gandhi
These are the only fish that belong in a bowl
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Ban Betta Vases
Betta (Siamese fighting fish), who are often sold as "decorations" or party favors, are becoming more and more popular. Pet shops, discount superstores, florists, and even online catalogs sell Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) in tiny cups or flower vases to consumers who are often uneducated about proper betta care.
Many people mistakenly believe that betta fish must be kept in "solitary confinement." Female bettas can live together, and while male bettas will fight with other male bettas, they can be placed singly in a "community" aquarium containing other species of fish.
Another common misconception about bettas is that they can survive without being fed in a so-called "complete ecosystem" that consists of nothing more than a vase and a plant. As a result, fish are being sentenced to dull, lonely lives and slow deaths by starvation. These tiny containers are not suitable for any fish.
Plant roots do not provide adequate food for betta fish. Bettas are carnivorous; in nature, they eat mostly insects and insect larvae. A diet consisting of plant roots may keep them alive for a while, but since it lacks the proper nutrients, the fish eventually become sick and die. A plant placed at the top of a vase may also restrict access that the fish needs to obtain oxygen, since betta (known as "labyrinth fishes") take their oxygen from the surface of the water.
Betta fish are native to Asia, where they live in the shallow water of rice paddies, ponds, or slow-moving streams. Since the water is shallow, it is also warm, which is why betta fish in captivity require a sizable amount of water in an aquarium that can be kept heated to at least 75 degrees.
Bettas require a minimum of 10 gallons of water, according to Gaddy Bergmann, formerly of the
Betta are our friends, not prisoners for human amusement. The germans know what's up! :) Tell that to the Betta Vase Lady!
Does this look like a happy Betta to you?
Barely any room to get air
and forget about blowing a bubble nest :(
Click the link below to sign the
How to Train Your Dragon
A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Benefit of Apple snails
Besides the fact that they are really cool and amazing to observe in your tank, they also help boost the delicate aquatic food chain environment that many aquarists need to maintain. Breeders feed infusoria to their tiniest fish fry. Infusoria (a menage of one-celled or equally teeny multi-celled animals) get their name because they originate from vegetable infusions – pulverized vegetation in water. Don't forget spontaneous generation. Lots of tiny critters live in infusoria. Some of the better known ones are paramecia and rotifers. If you intend to rear the smaller egg layers (including bettas), you will need infusoria. Apple snails and Colombian ramshorn snails eat prodigious amounts of plants. Their partially digested waste products will also jump start and feed an infusoria culture.
Apple Snails LOVE algae and will clean your glass in the process. It's hitting a lot of birds with one stone. Did I mention, they are also very cool! :)
The Apple Snail has separated sexes (dioecious) and is NOT a hermaphroditic snail, which is very good! Very very good :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
World’s Largest Cylindrical Aquarium, Berlin
At the Radisson SAS hotel in Berlin Mitte, you can zip up and down the building in an elevator that’s encased inside a giant aquarium. At 25 meters tall, and 11 meters wide, the aquarium is the largest acrylic glass cylinder in the world and contains 900,000 liters of sea water and 56 different species of fish. A pair of divers undertakes daily cleaning and fish feeding activities.
The outside cylinder was manufactured onsite using 4 pieces by Reynolds Polymer technology the same material used in the massive aquariums at Dubai’s Burj al Arab, while the cylinder for the aquarium was delivered in a single piece. Guests can use the elevator to access a sightseeing point under the glass roof.
Many of the suites in the hotel have been designed to provide views of the aquarium – a sort of ocean view with a difference.
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