Posts tagged "fish"

When you think of the words "beautiful" and "fish" together, odds are that you're picturing the real showstoppers, the brightly colored tropical fish that catch the eye and the imagination.

But this flying fish -- photographed in the air over the still waters of the Timor Sea -- makes the flashy colors of those other fish seem downright gaudy. Its graceful pose, combined with the remarkable pattern it leaves by dragging its tail fin along the surface of the water, is a perfect example of why nature has always inspired artists.

Flying fish can move their tails 70 times per second, according to the Daily Mail, and use this ability to propel themselves out of the water and out of the way of predators. The longest recorded "flight" was 45 seconds long.

This picture captures one of 30 or 40 flying fish that made haste in getting away from a ship. Fortunately, someone had his camera out looking for dolphins, and was able to capture this spectacular sight.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week!

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  Zebras: Hippo Dentists?

  A Zebra DDS recently used its mouth to give a teeth cleaning to a hippo. Gives a new definition to "open wide." [via Dailymail.co.uk]

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  Iditarod Reunion

  Hearts were warmed in Alaska's icy climate when a sled-dog that had been missing for four days was reunited with his worried owner. [via Dogster]

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  Flying Fish

  It's raining fish! Hallelujah, it's raining fish! In Worcester, England, a live fish fell from the sky and was rescued. [via People Pets]

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  Poop-Scoopers Unite!

  A new Chicago blog is taking on those who don't pick up after their dogs in public places. The next step? Poop-scooping superheros. [via Southloopdogpoop]>

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  Dunking Doggy Debacle

  In this video, The Onion "reports" on the scandal that broke out over recruiting a basketball playing dog into the NCAA. [via The Onion]

Name: Neon Tetra

Personality: Neon Tetras are active schooling fish, and very peaceful, according to Animal-World. Neon tetras are social, doing best in schools of at least six of their own.

Care: This freshwater fish, which is possibly the most popular aquarium fish, requires at least a 10 gallon tank, according to FishLore.com, fully cycled, with a water temperature of 69 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH around 7.0, says the Age of Aquariums. They need open space for swimming, vegetation for hiding, and proper food like small flake foods and brine shrimp, according to bbayaquariums.com.

Common Health Issues: It's not unusual for a neon tetra to live 10 years with proper care, but they don't tolerate changes to their environment, so many live much shorter lives. Neon Tetra Disease, which is considered incurable, is the most common issue these fish face, according to the Age of Aquariums.

Training Tips: The best way to enjoy your neon tetras is to watch them swim back and forth, chasing one another. This isn't a fish you want to try to train.

Name: Betta Fish (aka Siamese Fighting Fish)

Personality: As their alias suggests, Bettas don't always do well with other fish; there are certain fish with whom they cannot get along, according to Aquarium Hobbyist. Male bettas, in particular, can be quite territorial towards other male bettas and other fish, specifically fish with lots of blue and red, fish with long flowing fins, or fish with similar shapes.

Care: Aside from feeding your betta fish daily (or close to it, as they can go a day or two without food) and keeping their tank clean, there's not much involved in caring for them. While some people keep bettas in small vases, the best environment for this fish is a 10 gallon tank where the water stays between 78 and 80 degrees (never dropping below 74 degrees), suggests Betta Care Basics. Because they are a prey animal, it's important to provide plenty of hiding spots in their tank (ideally, real or artificial plants) to make them feel safe.

Common Health Issues: The biggest threats to a betta's health are things you can control: Tank size, water temperature, access to oxygen (surface area), improper heating and poor diet. They can live up to about five years, but the average is closer to three, in large part due to the reasons listed above, according to Associated Content.

Name: Koi

Personality: Koi are gentle, peaceful and mellow. Very large Koi can share a pond with much smaller Koi with no danger.

Care: Koi are hardy fish that can live 30-50 years, according to Koi and Ponds. (The record stands at 233 years!) The most important aspect of care is quality of water. If water quality is poor, the fish can die quickly. The water must be in a pond (300 gallons per mature fish, and at least three feet deep) that remains a proper temperature and has filtration to keep the water clean. Nutrition is also extremely important, Koi and Ponds says. Koi will eat just about anything, but a proper diet will help them stay healthy and grow more quickly.

Common Health Issues: Though generally healthy and long-lived, koi are prone to a number of diseases. Like goldfish, they can develop fin rot and Ich. Other health issues to watch for are anchor worm (parasitic bacterial infection), cotton wool disease (bacterial infection), dropsy (sign of another condition or bacterial infection), fish lice (parasite), gill maggots (parasite), Saprolegnia fungus (fungal infection) and skin and gill flukes (fish equivalent of fleas), according to The Koi Farm.

Training Tips: Many koi owners have success in training their koi to eat from their hands, according to eHow.com. Keep in mind, however, that once your koi learn to accept food from you without fear, they might come to the surface for other animals, including predators like herons.

Name: Goldfish

Personality: Goldfish are sociable and do well living with other fish. They will often swim to the surface to be fed.

Care: Goldfish are easier to care for than many other pets, according to Good Goldfish Care. However, they are sensitive and changes to their environment can cause stress, which often leads to bad health. Avoid touching your goldfish unless it's absolutely necessary, and feed your fish once a day in the water, not by hand (this can pass dangerous germs on to them). Make sure to only add tank decorations that are designed for aquariums.

Be cautious about what kinds of fish you put together, suggests Good Goldfish Care. Even different types of goldfish can have different needs. And the size of the aquarium will depend on the size and number of goldfish you have. Because they can grow to be six inches long or more, you might need something considerably larger than the traditional fish bowl. In fact, many sources recommend only using a 10-20 gallon tank, as a bowl simply isn't large enough, nor is it filtered. With a filtered tank, you'll still need to clean the gravel about once every two weeks. Without a filtration system, you'll need to clean the tank at least once a week.

Common Health Issues: Goldfish are fairly hardy and can live for 10 years, though the average lifespan is closer to four years. Fin rot, which happens after bacteria attacks an injury, is fairly common, according to About.com. Ich (or white spot disease) shows itself as white spots on your fish's body, says Goldfish Care Information. This is actually a parasite, and will spread quickly if not treated, often causing your fish to swim strangely, have difficulty breathing, and eventually die. Both these issues are far more common in stressed fish with weakened immune systems, making it all the more important that you pay close attention to their environment and water quality.

Roses are red, violets are blue... and our furry, feathered, winged and scaled friends come in every possible color under the sun. From Red Rover to purple finches, the Animal Kingdom puts Crayola to shame with a stunning array of hues.

You won't find a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow -- but you will get a rewarding glimpse at nature's impressive palette. Read on to see the dazzling effect of nature at work.

Missing a gold watch? We know a fish who can help.

Last week, two men at Port Allen beach found a watch in the mouth of a 10-inch reef fish on the coast of Kauai, Hawaii.

Curt Carish and his friend noticed that the nenue fish was swimming extremely close to the shore during their picnic on the beach.

When they poked the fish with a bamboo stick, they saw its unusually large stomach sticking out. They then put the fish into a cooler where it coughed up a gold watch.

Amazingly, the ticking gold watch kept the correct time. We certainly know the jewelry wasn't artiFISHial.

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What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Nate Jaros
Age: 31
Job: Senior Aquarist, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California

What does an aquarist do?
An aquarist is someone who takes care of aquariums, essentially. We're responsible for animal care and feeding -- kind of like an underwater zookeeper for marine organisms. We take care of sharks, rays, invertebrates, fish and corals. The list goes on and on.

What are invertebrates?
Animals without spines: crustaceans, lobster, shrimp, cephalopods, octopus, corals, sea jellies. It's any animal that lives underwater that's not a fish.

Coral is an animal?
A lot of people are surprised about that. But, yeah, they're a very basic animal.

How long have you been working as an aquarist?
Almost 8 years.

What kind of schooling do you need to become an aquarist?
A bachelor's degree in one of the life sciences -- preferably marine biology. Biology and some environmental studies are often accepted, plus experience working with animals or aquariums.

Where did you go to college?
I went to Creighton University near where I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.

Isn't Nebraska landlocked?
Yeah. [Laughing.] I studied biology; they didn't offer marine biology. And I worked at a local zoo in Omaha that has a very large aquarium with over a million gallons of water.

How did you get interested in being an aquarist?
I've always been interested in marine life ever since I was a kid. My brother and I kept a lot of aquariums over the years. It's just what I enjoyed doing. When I found out that you could do it for a career, I was pretty ecstatic.

Do you have a favorite animal or fish?
As a kid, I was fascinated by sharks. Seeing movies like "Jaws" that portray them in a negative fashion made me even more curious. The more I learned, the more I found out that's a myth. They're not dangerous animals -- they are animals that we can learn a lot from and we need to protect.

What's the weirdest fish you've seen?
You should see the bow mouth guitarfish. It looks like a dinosaur that's still alive. It has spikes that come out of the top of its head. It's beautiful -- we have one on display. Right now, it's six feet long, but they can grow to eight feet and reach 300-something pounds.

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