Information on Weedy Sea Dragon

This sea dragon is the marine emblem of the Australian State of Victoria. Weedy Sea Dragons are protected by the government and are subjected to strict export controls in Australia. Get to know more about it in the Article below:

Weedy Dragon Physical Description

Adults are red in color, with yellow and purple markings. There are appendages which are like leaves. This helps the fish to camouflage. There are short spines too which protects them. Males have narrow and dark bodies in contrast to females. These spiny fishes have quite a long dorsal fin along the back side and small pectoral fins on either side of their necks. This helps in providing them balance. They can reach a size of up to forty five centimeters in length.

This dragon is found in central New South Wales coast around the southern coast of Australia to southwestern part of Western Australia.

The habitat of this type of fish

This camouflaged fish frequently stays in kelp-covered rocky reefs located at a depth of about three meters to fifty meters. They live in areas ranging from deep offshore reefs to shallow estuaries. The places are related to sea grass meadows, rocky reefs, structured colonized sea weeds and sea weed beds.

Weedy Sea Dragon Behavior

They camouflage to defend themselves from their predators in their habitat area. These fishes cannot swim well.

Weedy Sea Dragon Diet

The carnivorous weedy sea dragon feed on sea lice and small crustaceans.

Weedy Sea Dragon Reproduction and Life Cycle

The breeding season is during early summers, with generally 1 brood per season. These sea dragons can have 2 broods per season if the condition is favorable. Before mating, the male prepares for the area in his tail where he will keep eggs. This area becomes slightly swollen, spongy and soft. The female pushes the eggs in the tails of the males. The eggs get fertilized in their tails. The males carry around one hundred and twenty to three hundred eggs in his tail. He carries the eggs for around two months. The eggs get hatched over a period of six days.

The hatchlings are big in size ranging from 2.5cm to 3.5cm in length. There is a yolk sac attached to them, which helps them for about two days while the snout grows. Once the snout is grown they begin to feed. By the end of fourteen weeks, the juveniles can reach about fifteen centimeters.

Get To know more about the Other types of Australian Animals only at http://www.australiananimallearningzone.com

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Goldfish Care Information

ByMike Magnum

The common goldfish has to be one of the most commonly kept species of fish of all time. The goldfish is a very hardy species and can adapt to a wide range of water parameters. All too often though they are kept in bowls or small tanks that are simply inadequate for their long term survival and these small bowls provide for a very poor quality of life.

To provide a better quality of life for your goldfish consider keeping them in a 20 gallon tank or larger and add 10 gallons to that for each additional goldfish. Don't trust your local pet store employee to provide accurate information. Many times these are just local high school kids or college kids working for gas money. Do your own research on any fish, plant, coral or invert before you purchase them.

Give them a filter that is rated for twice your tank volume. In other words, if you have a hang on type power filter and you have a 20 gallon aquarium for your goldfish, get a power filter rated for 40 gallons or larger. Goldfish eat frequently and get kind of messy so an over-rated filter is a must.

Provide frequent partial water changes on a regular basis. Try to change out 20 percent of their water every week or every couple of days. If you dread having to do water changes look into getting a python aquarium vacuum or a lee's aquarium vacuum. These vacuums are just hoses with an attachment that hooks up to your faucet and makes doing water changes a breeze.

Give your goldfish several small feedings every day. A varied diet is optimal and there are even fish foods made specifically for goldfish. Use them.

Learn about the aquarium nitrogen cycle. This cycle is extremely important for new hobbyists to understand if they want to keep their fish alive for any amount of time. Often times new hobbyists will go out and buy a tank and the fish at the same time. All is well for a couple of days but then their fish start to die... this is primarily due to ammonia poisoning in an un-cycled tank. Learn about the aquarium nitrogen cycle before you buy your first fish to prevent any unnecessary fish deaths and heartache.

Consider joining an online fish forum where you can increase your knowledge with keeping goldfish. There are lots of forums online (Fish Lore has one as well) and you can make really good online friends easily since these are folks that you share in interest with already. They can help get you through your trials and errors while on your aquarium keeping journey.

Fish Lore provides aquarium fish information to freshwater and saltwater aquarium keepers. We have an active, fun and family friendly forum.

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Aquaponics Information

ByPhil D Watson

Aquaponics systems are very sustainable and enthusiasts all over the world have had great success producing very tasty organic fruit and/ or vegetables and fresh fish at the same time.

The very common disadvantages of well known fruit and veg patches also known as the vegy garden gets eliminated by aquaponics whilst improving your closed fresh water system, the nutrients that a plant needs will be produced and your fish in this fresh water system will thrive.

Aquaponics for those who adore their fish and get an extra benefit of tasty fruit and veg is the most loved way to produce both fresh and tasty fruit and veg and enjoy a sustainably clean system which in return will give happier and healthier fresh water fish which is why this type of system is becoming more popular all over the world.

The waste that is produced from the fresh water fish gives the fruit and/or vegetables plants great benefits as they are cleaned and filtered whilst the nutritious soup in the system from the fish waste also could be used as plant food as it is very good for plants.

Aquaponics is divined as a hybrid of two methods: aquaculture and hydroponics.

Hydroponics uses water alone and does not use soil to produce fresh fruit and/ or vegetables aquaculture is a way of raising more fresh water fish in a closed system. When both of the older systems are combined together you get aquaponics.

Depending on the needs of production aquaponics is very flexible in terms of scale. You can scale up or down any time you want. You can produce up to 50 kilograms of fresh fish with a small system every six months with fish such as tilapia and the 100 kilograms of fruit and/or vegetable harvest.

If you decided that you want to sell your bunch of fruit and/or vegetables you can expand your at any time to a much higher harvest. You would need a more powerful water pump and some more space obviously.

Once you have expanded your aquaponics system you should not have any more problems. All that you need to do now is maintain your system to make sure all of your fish and fruit and/or vegetables grow. A mass harvest means that enough day to day attention has been given and the aquaponics system is clean and healthy.

Aquaponics is for anyone from the amateur who want to make a living from aquaponics systems to diy enthusiasts who love to just watch their fish and enjoy fresh fruit and/or vegetables at the same time. the most important thing is to strike a balance so not only do you have fresh fruit and/or vegetables and clean healthy fish but clean liveable water for the fish to thrive in. age is not a problem whether your young or old, you too can have a sustainable aquaponic system if you use the correct technique from the outset you can become an aquaponic system enthusiast with a sustainable aquaponic system time and time again.

For more in depth information on aquaponic systems visit http://uniqueaquaponicsystems.com.

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Discus Fish Information Breeders Should Be Mindful Of

ByTom D Rollins

The popularity of the discus fish has started early in the 1920s it has been considered as the king and queen of the ocean for so long and is well-loved due to the shape and bright patterns and colors. Aside from that, it is an interactive fish that really connects with the owners if treated properly.

There is a need to know more discus fish information if you are deciding to breed it. Remember that even though they have been domesticated for so long, these are still exotic fishes once and they will require care and attention in order to thrive. Since the discus is sociable you would need to keep them in groups, you cannot possibly choose to just take care of one because this will make them lonely and their healthy could suffer because of that due to stress.

In truth, any kind of fish would be hard to keep if you are not dedicated to providing them with quality care. Pets will demand attention even if they just live in a tank. They would need to be fed the proper amount and type of food and the water conditions has to be tolerable. The water should be clean.

The discus need to live in a large tank. They need to frolic and be able to move to and fro to and cover more distance. The tank should be big and wide enough and must be located where they cannot be disturbed by noises and other possible predators. They also must be kept away from too much sunlight and heat and the tank must have its own filter to rid the tank of bacteria and impurities that might cause diseases.

Provide discus with the right amount of meals. Fishes do not really die due to hunger but they have a higher chance of dying from over feeding. Give them small amount of food and one large meal once a day.

Once you get hooked you can try breeding the discus fish, it could either be for profit or something that could fulfill you, a new hobby you can turn into something profitable. You would need to invest your time, patience and love in order to make them thrive. Learn how to mate the discus fish with another. Since the sex of the discus is hard to detect, you would need to place at least 7 discus fish together and let them find their pair naturally but make sure to pair them with a different stock for better breeding and to avoid genetic disorders.

Once they have mated the discus fish that are involved would start becoming territorial towards other fish in the tank and you would want to provide them with more driftwood, rock or plant where they can hide their young. They are more likely to spawn in vertical surfaces.

Tom Rollins a Discus Fish expert. If you want to learn more about discus fish information, visit http://www.discusfishpro.com/

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Vital Discus Information You Should Know to Be Successful in Discus Care

ByTom D Rollins

There are different species of discus fish: the wild ones that have originally come from Arizona and the ones that have been domesticated since the 1920s. However, due the domestication process, some have become more sensitive to disease and would require more attention because of the inbreeding that has occurred. This is why discus information shows that it would be best to breed discus using different stocks from another pet shop to avoid the genetic disorders.

There are several discus information pointers that have to be considered before taking care of the discus fish like making sure that the aquarium size is large enough to provide movement for the fish. The water temperature must also be blended well and it must contain a water filtration system that contains the 3 stages of purification like the biological, mechanical and chemical stage to make sure that the water inside the tank is f.ree of impurities like algae that can cause diseases to the discus fish. If you ever decide to put another variety of fish in the tank make sure that they are compatible with the discus fish.

Discus Information during the Breeding Stage

It is hard to get to know or check the sex of the discus just by holding them. This is why during the breeding stage, you would want to give them choices of 8 pairs of partners and let them select on their own naturally. Once they get paired up, they will breed and be territorial. You need to make sure that they have driftwood, rocks and plants in which they can hide their eggs.

During breeding, provide ample food and make sure that there would be less competition inside the aquarium tank. Be careful in changing the water condition. Make sure that the water is soft and has the right temperature. Check for recommended temperature in your local pet shop and make sure to use water that is safe from contaminants and chemicals.

Discus information shows that these pets are well-loved by owners because they are an interesting variety. You can teach them to feed in your hands and they are highly observant and interactive species that is sure to bring color and life into any space. Aside from providing many hours of fun, it also helps the owner reduce stress levels by simply viewing them. They have a magnetic personality to them and can boost the aesthetic capacity of a place where they are located.

Tom Rollins a Discus Fish expert. If you want to learn more about discus care, visit http://www.discusfishpro.com/

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Some Freshwater Aquarium Information You Need to Know

ByColin Barton

A lot of individuals enjoy keeping aquariums, and you can buy them at many places along with learning the freshwater aquarium information to care for them.

The term aquarium originates with the Latin word "aqua" which means water and the Latin word "rium" which has the meaning building or place. So the term basically means water building!

There are actually thousands of various styles for aquariums you will find to buy today, and trying to explain them all would not just be lengthy it would be downright ridiculous.

For some freshwater aquarium information on the styles, you can find the plain little fish bowls that we all had as kids up to the highly advanced systems with a filtration for the water, large number of fish, living plants growing up special-made plastic.

History of an Aquarium

Today's types of aquariums started evolving during the 1850s; these do echo the history behind them. When the Sumerians kept wild fish they did so in ponds until it was time to cook them for meals.

Koi and goldfish both have been in existence since the 1st century at least with the Chinese breeding them, and in the Song dynasty the goldfish lived in ceramic bowls even. This is a lengthy history with many details.

Even the Egyptian art from ancient times depicted an early aquarium; the fish of that time lived in temple pools of rectangular shape, this is very interesting freshwater aquarium information to learn that most do not even imagine about aquariums.

Having fish for a hobby started big after World War 1 was over which was in the mid to late 1800s. While the aquariums could be viewed at the museums and other special places, the modern filtration and lighting setups allowed people to have fish at home.

As keeping fish became to be more popular in the modern age, companies rapidly came up with new unique and fascinating items for people to add to their tanks, along with coming up with the best way to keep the water clean and the fish healthier.

This is why today that we have such a large number of choices available for people who own aquariums. You can select from the lost of numerous items and total into the thousands to complete your setup and make it fun, interesting and even unique.

Real Big Aquarium

One of the largest and most fascinating aquariums is not located in the USA, it is in Japan. This Osaka aquarium has a volume of 5,400 cubic meters and holds more than 580 different species! How's that for freshwater aquarium information?

Colin Barton has been a lifelong lover of freshwater aquarium information. He have already set up tons of fresh water aquariums and been caring for fish for over 10 years now. To learn more about the proper caring of fresh water aquarium please visit his website at http://www.freshwateraquariumscare.com/

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Basic Information on Cichlids

ByKevin Jacobs

General Information on Cichlids

Chichlids are fishes belonging to the Cichlidae family and to the order Perciformers. To date, approximately 1300 species have been described. However, because of both peculiar anatomical and behavioral traits, new species are identified every year, which has suggested that over 3000 distinct cichlid species exist.

Body description

The cichilds exhibit a wide range of body size and color, with cichlid species as small as 1 inch in length to species over 3ft long!

The most diverse body shapes can also be found in cichlids. Highly compressed to cylindrical, disc-shaped and triangular shapes are some of the most common. Generally speaking however, cichlids come in a medium sized, oval shaped, slightly compressed body.

Anatomy and appearance of cichlids

Typically, all cichlid species have their pharyngeal bones fused into a single structure bearing a single tooth. Strong muscles control the lower and upper pharyngeal bones, which can be used as an auxiliary set of jaws to process food.

Other characteristic features of cichlids include:

One nostril opening on each side of the forehead No bony plate at the bottom of the eye Lateral line organ divided into two sections: one on the upper portion of the flank and the other running along the midline of the flank, from about halfway along the body to the base of the tail. A uniquely shaped otolith Differently to the other members of Labroidei, in cichlid fish, the small intestine's exit from the stomach is located on the left side instead of the right side.

Habitat of Cichlids

Cichlids are freshwater fish living in lakes and ponds, although many species tolerate brackish water for extended periods. The most famous species live in Africa (e.g., Malawi cichlid and Tanganyika cichlid), Central America and South America.

Although, most cichlids live in shallow depths, cichlid species such as Alticorpus macrocleithrum and Pallidochromis tokolosh have been found at 500 ft below the surface in Lake Malawi, and the Lamprologus lethops is thought to live at even 520 ft below the water surface in the Congo.

Cichlid Diet

Most cichlids are herbivores. Their diet includes primarily algae (e.g. Petrochromis) and aquatic plants (e.g. Etroplus suratensis). Other species (e.g., Corematodus) eat scales and fins of other fishes, a behavior known as lepidophagy.

Other cichlid species are "detritivores" (