Category Archives: Guest Post

Breeding fish in a home aquarium

The usual fish tank aquarium is set up for the enjoyment of the observer.  An aquarist will often buy a pair of fish, a male and a female. As with other creatures when a male and a female get together the natural impulse is to breed.  A natural question might be, ”Why doesn’t the aquarium soon over flow with fish?”  One of the answers to such a question is related to the breeding needs of tropical fish.

In some cases, fishes in captivity do not acclimate to aquarium conditions.  Even though they may be kept alive and in good health there is “something” missing.  The missing element could be one thing or a combination of things.  It might be that the water pressure is not right for that breed of fish to spawn.  For some fish there is a need for a lot of surface water and even a large fish tank cannot provide enough surface water. Some fish are rendered sterile under normal shipping conditions. Not all the reasons are known and most are speculation.

For the fish that do breed in a fish tank aquarium, the usual community tank does not give enough protection for many of the fry to survive.  This is especially true for the egg scatterers.

Egg scatterers comprise a large portion of the commonly used tropical fish population.  Included in this group are the Tetras, Pencilfish, most of the Barbs, some of the Minnows, Hatchet, and Catfish as well as many others.  The process is just as the name implies.  The female swims and scatters her eggs; the male follows behind her and fertilizes them. An observer sees this behavior as a chase.  Other fish in the tank see this as a feeding.  Even the parent fish will enjoy the roe once the spawning is completed.

A few of the fertilized eggs may make it to the bottom of the tank and find shelter in the aquarium gravel.  The eggs differ in degrees of stickiness to none at all.  The sticky eggs may adhere to an aquarium ornament or plant; some of the eggs may float.  All of the eggs in this group are abandoned by the parent fish making them susceptible to scavengers.  Even the eggs that make it to the safety of aquarium sand or gravel have only a slight chance of maturing into fry. Bottom feeders and scavenger fish will eat most of them.  If an egg should be able to hatch their chances of survival are next to nothing.  The fry are non-swimmers until the yolk sac is absorbed and a lack of an appropriate food source will also inhibit the small fish’s chances of survival.

Related Posts:

More about egg-laying fish
Live-bearing fish
Aquarium gravel and water
Aquarium stands, options and considerations

Gamboa

Guest Post:

If you ever travel to Panama you want to be sure to visit Gamboa.  Gamboa is right in the middle of the rain forest. I know that may sound like a strange idea – going to the tropics and deliberately going into the rain forest but here’s what’s cool and different about this Panamanian  Rain Forest – It’s only 17 miles from Panama City and the Pacific Ocean. So, if you are staying at one of the Panama Hotels in the city you can drive in and out of this rain forest in less than an hour.

The Gamboa Rain Forest Resort

Now what’s really special about Gamboa is the Gamboa Rain Forest Resort. This Panamanian Resort is located smack dab inside the Soberania National Park where it sits on the banks of the Chagres River. The Chagres is part of the Panama Canal so just one of the bonuses of visiting here is seeing the huge ships, including some beautiful cruise ships, pass right by the front door. Although you can stay at Gamboa for the day and take in it’s long list of eco-tours and activities I recommend staying over at the resort at least a few nights. The Gamboa Resort is one of the most stunningly beautiful luxury hotels and resorts in Panama. Many visitors comment that it’s just like staying at a luxury beach resort only in the jungle rather than on a beach.

Gamboa Eco-Tours

The Gamboa resort does have a huge, beautiful pool but it’s really not the kind of place where you want to lie around. Gamboa is all about adventure, eco-adventure. There are over a dozen different eco-tours you can participate at Gamboa Rain Forest Resort. One of the most popular is a boat trip to Monkey Island. I don’t need to tell you what that is all about and why kids love it so much! For the sportsman there is some of the best fresh water fishing around right on Lake Gatun. You can either rent a boat or take one of the Sport Fishing Tours where you are sure to learn about all of the ‘hot spots’.  Gamboa is also known for it’s Aerial Tram which takes you up into the rain forest canopy to discover numerous birds and wildlife you won’t see on the ground.

More than just the Panama Canal

So, if you thought Panama was just a small country with a big shipping canal think again! Panama has it all from beautiful beaches to historic sites to modern cities to the wonders of the Gamboa Rain Forest. The next time you’re planning a trip may I suggest you try something new, visit Panama!

The Difference an Inflatable Mattress Can Make

Guest Post:

If you are planning a camping trip this summer, you are probably looking forward to it. The one thing that you may not be looking forward to, however, is sleeping on the cold, hard ground on the inside of a tent. No matter how thick the sleeping bag is that you are sleeping in, it seems that it is never enough to keep you from waking up with a stiff neck and a sore back. This can be enough to ruin anyone’s outdoor adventure. For some the idea of sleeping on the ground is enough to plan on a much shorter trip. Simply because you will have to be without a good, comfortable place to sleep seems to make the trip a bit less enjoyable. For this reason, investing in an inflatable mattress can be a very good way to enhance your camping experience.

Inflatable mattresses are mattresses that are made of a thick vinyl or plastic material that you fill with air. Some of these mattresses are covered with a very nice pad on the top. These can be so comfortable, that you would never know that it wasn’t a real mattress you have just slept on. It is almost like sleeping on a huge pillow of air. They come in a wide variety of styles and sizes. They can be found in everything from a twin size mattress to a king size. A lot of these mattresses even come with a portable, battery operated, pump for ease of inflating when outdoors. They can usually be deflated very quickly because they are equipped with an air release nozzle that will allow the air out for easy deflation. These take up very little space when deflated and are easily packed away when they are not in use.

While planning your family’s next camping trip or vacation, you should definitely consider the purchase of one or more inflatable mattresses. It will give you a better night of sleep and will ultimately make camping outdoors a much more enjoyable experience.

How To Install Truck Bed Mattress

Guest Post:

Truck mattresses are not very different than your traditional spring King Koil mattress. And they are also not much different from the natural latex Englander mattress you have in your bed. Truck mattresses comprise of better more durable materials. They need to be designed to suit different sizes and shapes of different trucks. Truck mattresses can also be custom made to suit specific size. Though primarily designed for being used in trucks, they prove to be very good for camping tents or even for being used at home.

Depending on its size, shape and specific features the price can vary from $50 to $100. Usually truck mattresses are made from double boat valves that are sturdier than the pinch valves often employed in air mattresses. Often, a hand or battery operated pump is provided to facilitate its use. Be sure to measure the size of your truck to get natural latex mattress that fits perfectly.

Having received the truck mattress, follow these tips for its installation. First, you let it expand to its full natural shape for at least two hours before you start sleeping on it. Align the mattress with its bottom facing down and its slots sitting properly on either end. Ensure that your body doesn’t get in touch with the sides of the vehicle after you have fixed the mattress in your sleeping position.

Irrespective of its being a latex mattress or an air mattress, a good mattress in your vehicle allows you to sleep comfortably at night and you get up feeling fresh the next morning. It is good to have a break on a long highway, and with a mattress around you can afford to have a nap in the afternoon. Mattresses can be made to size and you can have one tailored to suit your size and taste. So make sure you take good measurements and you will have a perfect bed in no time.

How to pick the perfect goose call

Guest Post:

Goose hunting is a sport that has soared in popularity in the hunting community of late.  The reasons for this are somewhat obvious given the burgeoning population of both the Canada goose and the Snow goose.  Heck, when you look at the snow goose population they even have special seasons in the spring to try and curb the overall amount of birds due to them ruining the breeding grounds in Canada.  Another key thing that I think a lot of people miss when they assess the reason that goose hunting is so popular is the ability to use a goose call to bring the birds in close and personal.

A good duck caller can help bring birds close, but a good goose caller will assuredly put more meat on the table.  No doubt that the most important thing is to be in the right spot (as it is with all hunting), a person in the right spot with a poor call is going to struggle mightily.

So when it comes to picking the perfect goose call it is important to note your level of expertise.  If you are a new and beginning goose hunter you should try and go with the easiest call possible to blow well.  Invariably this will be a wood call and more specifically I would recommend the goose flute.  This call has a pretty good range and is relatively easy to call well with.

If you are graduating into a more deeper understanding of what a goose call can do, a short reed goose call is right up your alley.  This call is much harder for a beginner to use well, but the range and sheer number of calls possible is night and day compared to a standard goose call.

If you want to learn more about goose hunting and goose calling please visit www.shortreedgoosecall.com.