Family: Cyprinidae

Species: Osteochilus hasselti

Size: 30cm (12 inch)

Diet: Omnivorous

Tank levels: Middle and lower

Habitat: Streams and rivers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Sunda Islands

Remarks: This fish is very attractive when young, but like the Black Shark it grows large quickly and requires a great deal of space.

Comments: The scales of this juvenile are dotted with reddish brown marks, giving a striped appearance, and a dark spot occurs on the caudal peduncle. Adult fish are plain grey-green. The mouth has lips fringed with pimple-like growths and the lower jaw forms a scraper for algae. All fins carry yellow and red. Quite a large fish to keep at 12 inches.

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This fish comes from the "Tropical Fish" family species of fish. I hope you enjoyed this fish profile that I put together to help people to choose the right fish for the right aquarium tank setup you may own, or be thinking of buying in the future. If you require more information about keeping fish in general and what are the right fish to choose for your tank setups, you can always visit my site called "GB Aquarium" and see what’s posted new there and also join in the discussion taking place.

garybolton.co.uk garybolton.co.uk

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It’s not just horseback riders that cough and wheeze at this time of year. Respiratory problems are common in horses as well. Loss of performance may be the first sign that something is wrong. Mildly affected animals may cough occasionally when eating or when starting work. As the condition gets worse they may cough almost continuously.

Why is coughing such a problem in the winter? We need look no further than the changes in management that accompany the colder weather. Horses spend more time inside, often stabled in close proximity to their companions, giving any infection the opportunity to spread. They are exposed to irritants and allergens in the hay and bedding.

Recurrent airway obstruction (also known as COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the horse equivalent of human asthma . It is an allergic condition, in which the horse reacts to small particles in the air. Chief among the culprits are fungal spores from the hay. This is a problem that seems to be becoming more common - probably due to the lack of good hay for horses.

We seem to have lost the ability to make good hay. Much of the hay fed to horses is dusty, and liberally sprinkled with fungal spores. Under poor storage conditions toxins such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) can accumulate. These can cause inflammation of the respiratory tract.

Dust from the bedding may make the problem worse. It’s important to keep the bed clean and dry. Replacing dusty straw with clean shavings may be a good idea. But if the shavings are allowed to build up into a soggy deep litter bed the ammonia and endotoxins may cause more irritation than the straw ever did, and may make matters worse.

When assessing the air quality in a stable, remember that the horse spends much of his time with his nose close to the ground. The air you breathe in the middle of the stable may be completely different from the air the horse breathes when he’s sniffing around the floor or eating his hay.

It can be difficult to differentiate between infectious or environmental causes of coughing. What can be done to investigate the problem? The vet will observe your horse breathing and listen to the chest with a stethoscope. (This is not the time to talk to him or her!)

Respiratory infections may also be involved - in particular, viruses such as influenza, and equine herpes virus. If an infectious disease is suspected, swabs can be taken from the nose to try to identify the organism responsible. Blood samples may contain antibodies to the offending virus.

In persistent cases it may be necessary to collect a sample of fluid from the airways. This is usually done using a flexible endoscope.

Although medicines can be used to help clear the horse’s chest and reduce the inflammation, the most important factor in treatment is allowing the horse to breathe clean fresh air.

So how can you prevent your winter schedule being disrupted by coughing? First of all, avoid feeding poor quality hay. Soaking it may help. The water damps down the dust and makes the spores swell. But it also washes the water-soluble nutrients out of the hay and so reduces the feeding value. (If there is any doubt about the hygienic quality of the hay, your veterinarian or feed merchant may be able to have a sample tested to see if it is safe to feed.) Consider feeding haylage instead.

Let your horse have as much fresh air as possible. Turn out as much as the weather conditions allow. Make sure there is adequate ventilation in the stable or barn. Avoid the temptation to close the stable up, even in the coldest weather. Keep the bed as dust-free, and as clean, as possible. Do not muck out the stable with your horse in it. Give the bedding time to settle - preferably an hour or more - before bringing the horse back inside.

Give your horse clean air to breathe, and hopefully you will both enjoy a cough-free winter.

Copyright 2005 by Mark Andrews / Equine Science Update. This article may be freely used by newsletters and web sites without permission as long as the copyright notice, links and contact information remain unchanged. Mark Andrews, an experienced equine veterinarian, is author of The Foaling Guide, thefoalingguide.com thefoalingguide.com and publisher of Equine Science Update. For the latest information in equine science, subscribe to the free newsletter from Equine Science Update. ( equinescienceupdate.co.uk equinescienceupdate.co.uk)

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Dog collars are one of the few indulgences for a dog lover. Though dog collars are an absolute necessity, they can also be a fashionable extravagance. Dog collars make the dog stand out in the crowd. A unique dog collar can really draw attention to the dog and the owner.

Today, there are many different kinds of dog collars available. They range from simple and practical leather collars to fancy, personalized collars for that unique look. There are many companies that are designing unique collars for all kinds of dogs. These include nylon collars, cotton collars, metallic collars, leather collars, handmade collars, woven collars, foam collars, gold, silver or platinum collars, beaded collars, stone-studded collars and so on. Based on the purpose, dog collars can be categorized as adjustable collars, washable collars, training collars, no-bark collars, reflective collars, electric collars, waterproof collars, talking collars and others.

Some common designs include plaid, polka dots, python prints, crocodile prints, animal prints, tuxedo style, denim, bandana, mink, bone, bow collar, slide collars, metallic collection, beaded, velvet, and those with unique designs such as MLB, NLF, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Eagles and so on.

Dog collars have to be very comfortable. The right size of the dog’s neck has to be carefully measured using a tape. Placing two fingers between the neck and the tape would show the most comfortable length. The tape should also be kept loosely around the neck. The collar is likely to rest a few inches below the head, but it is better to add a couple of inches to the measurement. If the length is between two sizes, choose the bigger collar.

Go for a bigger collar if the dog is still growing. The different collar sizes available are: toy (8-10″”), small (10-14″”), small plus (14-16″”), medium (16-18″”), large (20-22″”) and extra large (22-24″”). The width of the collar is generally ½”" or 1″”. 10-14″” collars are for beagles, Jack Russells, and shelties, which have smaller necks. Labs, Australian shepherds, Dalmatians, pointers and spaniels have neck sizes ranging from 14 to 20 inches, while rottweilers, Great Danes, and chow chows have neck lengths between 18 and 28 inches.

Dog collars also differ on the basis of the buckle used. Some collars have snap-together buckles, which are very convenient, but they are not ideal for big and powerful dogs, as they are not very strong. Some buckles also have special safety features to prevent collar-related accidents. These days, there are also GPS-enabled dog collars available to make dog tracking easier.

Prices of dog collars start from $5 or $6 and can go up to $100 depending on the kind of collar and the material used. They are also available in wholesale quantities, in sets of 12 or 24 collars or more.

e-dogcollars.com Dog Collars provides detailed information on Dog Collars, Personalized Dog Collars, Small Dog Collars, Fancy Dog Collars and more. Dog Collars is affiliated with e-DogClothes.com Designer Dog Clothes.

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Whooping cranes are an endangered species although the population was never high due to over hunting in the 1800s. In the 1940s, the population decreased even more to less then 20. Due to the Whooping Crane’s low population, bird care organizations do not allow them to go outside a protected area and they are now protected by law. Their habitat is very limited because they need clean wetlands, and there are only a few left. Notably, a small area of Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Canada and in the Southern US states near the coast. Organizations are working to increase the crane population that today is about 377.

Whooping cranes have white feathers, long pointed bills and long necks. Cranes also have long thin black legs. However, they do not use their legs for swimming as when cranes are not standing in the water, they fly around their environment with the neck straight out in front and legs trailing behind. Cranes have noticeable black tips on the ends of each wing that you can see when they are flying with their young. Younger cranes do not have white feathers, although they are almost the same height as older cranes; they have brown feathers that gradually turn white when they grow older.

Whopping cranes eat snails, larval insects, leeches, frogs, minnows, small rodents and berries. When whooping cranes are in Texas, they will eat shellfish and small fish from the ocean.

Previous generations’ migration routes help Whooping Cranes learn to migrate. Smaller cranes will follow their parents from the fall nesting grounds to the winter nesting grounds. Many cranes will have previously used the same migration route for thousands of years and continue to do so today. Researchers also help cranes to migrate by teaching them how to follow a truck on a set migration path they want them to follow so they can memorize it themselves. They also use cranes from the wild and set them free, then they recapture them and release them again. The researchers do this in the hopes that the cranes will connect the dots during migration.

These methods are effective, but the most successful method is the ultra light aircraft method, because it closely replicates the parents leading their children south during migration. Ultra lights are the only aircraft that can fly slowly enough (without stalling) so that the cranes can follow. Normally chicks are attracted to the first creature that nurtures them. To teach the chicks, prior to hatching, a recording of the aircraft is played to them, and then in 7 days the researchers introduce the chicks to ultra lights themselves.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to birds.free-resource-guide.com/ Birds
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It’s often said that cats are clean animals, and so they need to be. I can’t speak for everyone’s pet feline here, but if your tiger is anything like mine, then it spends half it’s life pooping! Therefore we needed a good cat litter box and not just a conventional tray which are actually quite disgusting things to have around the house.

So just how can you determine what a ‘good’ cat litter box is? You might think that the more you spend the better the product, but that’s not always the case as you can actually shell out for cosmetic designs, and I’m darned if I’d pay extra for a pretty cat toilet. No, the ole cat litter box has to be functional, practical, and easy to clean.

It’s true that cat litter boxes have come a long way from what they use to be. Heck, I can remember when they resembled little more than paint trays. They were also quite shallow which meant the cat couldn’t cover its dirty deed over, thus making absorbency and odor control difficult. It’s the latter, the odor, that’s the gut wrenching problem here. Okay, so it’s not pretty to look at, but have you ever woken up in the morning to the stink of feline feces? It doesn’t exactly kick start you stomach into breakfast mode.

With so many folks busy, busy, busy, these days, there seems little time to scoop out the poop on a regular basis which ads to the problem of smell. If this is you, then you need to choose from the new-age range of cat litter boxes that work well on odors. If you’re really pushed for time, or just can’t be bothered, there are also models around now that do the scooping for you automatically. Can you believe that!

For the second worse problem, which is seeing the cat go and then the fruits of its labor, there are cat litter boxes which are like little houses. This means that Tiddles can hide away and discretely do the business out of site. Therefore the best option is a cat litter box with walls and a roof, plus an automated scooping mechanism. All you’re left to do is to pull out the draw periodically and neatly dispose of the waste. What could possibly be easier?

But before you jump online or dash down to the shops to buy one of these marvelous products, there’s one very important thing you need to consider. Make sure the cat litter box is the right size for your pet. Big cat, small box, and you’ll have problems getting Fur Balls to use it. And if he does, he’ll probably come out covered in his own muck! Don’t forget too, that a new litter box is an alien object, and your cuddly cat may not take to it right away. Therefore, put it in the same spot as his old loo, or if you want to relocate or it’s a new family pet, then make sure you find a quiet corner, as cats will not be encouraged by noise and disturbance.

That’s it, there is no more. Check out all the options on lavish loos for cats and you’ll soon have an odor-free, easy maintenance, indoor toilet for the family feline.

Andy Maingam is a proficient writer and webmaster of PickingPets dot com where he has articles on pickingpets.com/ Dogs as Pets and pickingpets.com/great-dane-dogs.htm Great Dane Dogs. He also has other ‘pet’ related to pieces on the site.

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