Lacking money, mechanism for controlling exotic animals
09:43' 17/08/2007 (GMT+7)

Flowerhorn, one of the most popular ornamental fish species in Vietnam, is said to be a dangerous exotic species.

Flowerhorn, one of the most popular ornamental fish species in Vietnam, is said to be a dangerous exotic species.
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam doesn’t have any comprehensive research project on exotic animals and plants and their impacts on the ecosystem. Lacking money and a mechanism, related ministries and agencies are fumbling in controlling strange animals and plants.



Exotic tree attacks Tram Chim National Park

Strange animals invade Vietnam’s land and water



The doubts about the strange species of fish in Tri An Reservoir in the southern Dong Nai province being ca hoang de (Peacock Bass or Cichla ocellaris) has cooled down. Owing to many reasons, the working group of the Ministry of Fisheries (now being merged into the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) postponed their field trip to Dong Nai to research this species of fish from July to September 2007.

Previously, some newspaper reported that two carnivorous fish species in the Tri An Reservoir, ca chim trang (Colossoma brachpomum) and ca hoang de (Cichla ocellaris), were threatening the ecology of the Tri An Reservoir. Several local farmers bought the two fish species, which originate in the tropical Amazon River, and bred them in the reservoir area. The fish are reproducing rapidly and eating local fish species in the reservoir.



In Dong Nai province, local authorities don’t know how to deal with those varieties of fish, just asked leaders of Long Khanh commune, Bien Hoa city where the reservoir is located to strictly control the imports of ornamental fish and breeding of imported fish in local lakes and ponds and prevent ca hoang de from escaping from the reservoir into natural water areas.



This is only a temporarily method. The carnivorous fish species has entered the system of Dong Nai River and nobody knows where those fish are at present.



Talking to reporters of VietNamNet, Le Thiet Binh, Deputy Head of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Division under the Agency for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, revealed that in 2005, this agency conducted a research scheme on the invasion of strange aquatic animals into Vietnamese waters and solutions to control them. The funding for this scheme was VND600 million ($37,500). When the funding was spent, the scheme ended. No more money; the research was left unused.



According to Mr. Binh, those strange aquatic animals will destroy the living environment of local species and bring new diseases.



Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries only controls aquatic species that are bred for commercial purposes, not ornamental fish. It is quite easy to import ornamental fish into Vietnam, especially in HCM City.



When strange ornamental fish escape from fishing tanks into nature, they can quickly adapt themselves to the new environment and develop into fish for meat and commercialised fish. They will become very dangerous if they are carnivorous fish species and can lay eggs in nature. It is nearly impossible to control such fish varieties.



The Ministry of Fisheries has not paid attention to controlling imported aquatic plants and alga into Vietnam.



National committee on strange animals: why not?



A Peacock Bass.
A Peacock Bass.
Nguyen Duc Tu, an expert in charge of wetlands of the Birdlife International in Vietnam, last year participated in a research programme called “Basic information about exotic fish species in Vietnam and suggestions for the Law on Biodiversity” of the Environment Protection Agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.



Involved in this programme, he had to seek documents about exotic animals but Vietnam didn’t have any comprehensive researches about this issue.



Vietnam has no systematic statistics about exotic animals and their impacts on biodiversity, except for several specialised reports on some groups of harmful species like beaver, yellow snails or cay mai duong (Mimosa pigra).



The country also doesn’t have any agency taking responsibility for controlling exotic animals and plants. The Law on Biodiversity doesn’t mention any agency of this kind.



“Even when the law names an agency that assumes responsibility for exotic animals, it is still far from certain whether it will become true or not,” Mr. Tu said.



According to Mr. Tu, many related ministries and agencies still don’t realise that exotic animals are a threat that needs to be solved at the roots. He is worried that as the integration process becomes stronger, this will become an even bigger problem. The best measure is having a mechanism to early detect and eliminate the problem.



This expert said that Vietnam needed to have a mechanism to test the harmfulness of imported animals before allowing them to enter Vietnam and an agency to control this task to avoid overloading.



Le Thiet Binh also said that it was necessary to encourage domesticating local species and strictly managing imported species at breeding farms.



Most experts on preservation hope to have a national committee on strange animal control with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Environmental Protection Agency as the top agency in this field.

Saturday, December 27, 2008
Betta Fish Tank Water

What is the best kind of water to use in your betta fish tank?

Some people do not believe it but the best water to use in your betta fish tank is tap water. Bottled and distilled water has been “purified” and does not have the minerals that your Betta fish needs. If your tap water is so bad that you do not even drink it, than use spring water. To use tap water or spring water, follow the directions below:

1) Find out if your local tap water is treated with chloramines, if it is you will need to buy AmQuel from the pet store.

2) Pre treat the water with a product called “stress coat” according to the directions. (You can buy “stress coat” at your local pet store too)

3) After the water is treated according to package directions, let it sit in an open container for up to a week, which allows all of the chemicals and gasses to evaporate and for the pH in the water to normalize.

Labels: betta fish, betta fish tank, fish tank water, water

posted by Betta Fish @ 1:25 PM 1 comments
Friday, August 22, 2008
Betta Fish History

Some interesting facts about the history of betta fish:

Betta Fish are said to have gotten their name from an ancient clan of Asian warriors called the “Bettah” because of a popular sport that involved the fighting of two of these warrior fish. The sport was so popular 150 years ago that it was regulated and taxed by the King of Siam. Unlike other animal fighting, betta fish fights were not to the death but until one of the betta fish stopped fighting.

According to historical accounts, Dr. Theodore Cantor received a pair of breeding Bettas from the King of Siam in 1840 and was one of the first documented studies of breeding betta fish. Several pairs of Betta fish where sent to Germany in 1896 for breeding and then in 1910, Mr. Frank Locke of San Francisco California imported several Bettas to the U.S.A. One of the fish that Mr. Locke received had unusual red fins and thinking he had discovered a new species, and named it “Betta Cambodia.” In reality, he had one of the first of the Betta splendens that had developed natural new colors and characteristics through breeding. Since than, breeders have been able to develop Bettas with all of the vibrant colors and varied fin shapes that we find today.

Labels: betta fish, betta splendens, breeding, facts, history

posted by Betta Fish @ 2:48 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Betta Fish Can Live With Guppies

I was in the pet section of a large retailer when I heard someone upset that a betta fish was in the same tank as other fish because she thought they could only be keep alone. I told her that betta fish can never be kept with other betta fish because they will fight to the death and that is where the name Siamese fighting fish comes from. Betta fish can be in the same tank as algae eaters, guppies (pictured below) or corydorus catfish safely.

Labels: betta, betta fish, betta fish picture, betta fish tank, guppies

posted by Betta Fish @ 3:27 PM 0 comments
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Betta Fish Entry Picture

This betta fish photo is an entry in the International Ornamental Fish and Accessories Exhibition.

Labels: betta fish picture

posted by Betta Fish @ 7:43 PM 0 comments
Sunday, January 13, 2008
iPond Betta Fish Tank


Check out this betta fish tank that doubles as a iPod speaker, it is so small that the betta fish does not look like he can turn around! Not to mention the speaker is right below the water, the poor betta fish who lives in this thing.

Labels: betta fish, betta fish tank, iPond

posted by Betta Fish @ 5:54 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Science Using Betta Fish To Test Prozac?

Hey Doc, I think my betta fish may need Prozac!!

I was surprised to see a story about betta fish on the “Advances in Physiology Education” website. It seems male betta fish are “an attractive model for the study of aggressive behavior” and the study finds that in the male Betta splendens given Prozac, that the small dose of Prozac was “sufficient to reduce the expression of specific aggressive behaviors”. Here is the webpage----> http://advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/4/358

Labels: aggressive behavior, male betta fish, physiology, prozac

posted by Betta Fish @ 12:41 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Beautiful Betta Fish


A picture of a beautiful betta fish

Labels: betta, fish, photo, picture

posted by Betta Fish @ 5:25 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Betta Fish Terms

Here are some common fish and aqurium terms (for betta fish or other fish too!).

CRI; Color Rendering Index
A rating used for light bulbs on a scale up to 100, where 100 is equal to sunlight.

Detritus
The organic waste matter that collects on the bottom of your fish tanks.

Fry
A fully formed baby fish.

Pectoral fins
Paired fins, one on each side of the body located behind the gill covers.

Labels: betta, betta splendens, fish, glossary, terms

posted by Betta Fish @ 12:58 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Why Breed Your Betta Fish?

Most people first start breeding betta fish to see the breeding process themselves and see if they can do it. There are some people who breed betta fish solely to sell them but most got addicted after successfully breed their first batch of betta fry and sell their betta fish to support their habit! You see, a bettas color depends on its parents, so it becomes very addicting trying to match a male betta and a female betta with just the right coloring to complement each other.

If you are looking for an all in one betta fish breeding and care guide that will show you how to have stunning aquariums full of Betta fish that will successful breed, check out "Taking the Mystery Out of Betta Breeding" written by Tho Le. Tho Le has been passionate about Betta fish for over 10 years and has uncovered hundreds of tips, techniques and secrets about Betta fish care and breading that no one else seems to know.

Labels: betta, breed, breeding, fish, fry

posted by Betta Fish @ 2:46 AM 2 comments
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Betta Fish Diet

In the wild Betta fish subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae, they even have an upturned mouth that is well suited to snatching any unsuspecting insect that might fall into the water. Internally a bettas digestive system is geared for meat, and for this reason, live foods are the ideal diet for the betta, however they will adapt to eating flake foods and frozen and freeze dried foods. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, tubifex, glassworms and plankton are all excellent options that may be found frozen or freeze dried. If flake food is fed, it should be supplemented with frozen and freeze-dried foods, and when possible live foods.

Labels: betta, betta splendens, diet, fighting, fish, food

Aquaculture Nutrition


Zagro's range of aquaculture nutrition products aims to improve the defense systems of fish and shrimp against stressful conditions thereby enhancing their growth, rate of development and survival. This goal is achieved by 2 ways, promoting optimal growth of natural food supply in the fish and shrimp hatchery and supplementing the diet of the aquacultures.


Natural food supply for fish and shrimp comprises natural feed organisms and phytoplankton in the pond. Our aquaculture nutrition products promotes their growth by providing necessary elements such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Amino Acids and Vitamins. The ultimate purpose is to support the nutritional needs of fish and shrimp in the larvae stage.

To supplement the diet of aquacultures, our specially formulated products provide an optimal blend of essential sources of Vitamins and Minerals, Highly Unsaturated Fatty
Acids (HUFA) and Amino Acids. These help promote faster and higher growth rate of
fish and shrimp. We also design products that contain digestive enzymes which are well-known for helping in assimilation thereby optimizing growth of fish and shrimp cultures. Our formulae are unique and well-proven.


Ornamental Nutrition


Zagro's ornamental fish products cater to all needs of aquarium fish, ranging from nutritional feed to products that help improve digestion and nutrient absorption. We also have color enhancement products for ornamental fish.

Our whole range of feed supplements is designed to
meet both specific and general nutritional requirements

of ornamental fish. They help improve ornamental fish's immune system, thereby increasing their ability to fight stress, resulting in enhanced growth and well-being.

Zagro's products are specially formulated and subjected to stringent quality control.
We always offer the best solutions to our customers.

my ornamental fish

DECORATIVE FISH PEMBENIHAN CORYDORAS


1. Introduction

Corydoras is one type of freshwater fish which attracted many lovers of ornamental fish and has a chance to export. Besides being used as a freshwater fish, can also be used as a cosmetic raw material production in developed countries.

Although this fish comes from South America, but since long been successfully cultivated in Indonesia. This fish is known pembudidayaannya easy.

2. Morphological characteristics

Body shape is short and stout, the back is more curved than the abdomen, both sides are equipped with fish such as bone plates arranged in two rows, with two pairs of whiskers located in the upper jaw and lower jaw and body size can reach 12 cm.

Corydoras Fish can be cultivated in ponds of oxygen content in water is low. Environmental conditions suitable for these fish species are: pH 6-8, temperature of 21.5-28 o C.

3. Infrastructure and Facilities

Corydoras fish in the maintenance of facilities necessary materials and equipment, namely:

a. Parent fish Corydoras females and males

b. Container maintenance of:

~ Tub maintenance of male and female parent mass, as well as a place of spawning, or the aquarium measuring 60x40x40 cm.

~ Tub maintenance larvae and seed mass

c. Feed

~ Feed the parent form or tubifex worms and mosquito larvae Chironomous.

~ Feed the larvae of Artemia nauplii

~ Feed for rearing fish Corydoras until ready for the market is tubifex worms

4. Operational Activities

4.1 Maintenance Master

Corydoras Fish can dipijahkan minimum starting at age eight months. The best feed given to the maintenance of the parent is a lot of feed containing chitin as a good mosquito larvae for egg development. Also because Corydoras are 'bottom feeders' then the fish is more responsive to the kinds of foods such as tubifex worms or Chironomus.

The easiest way to distinguish the sexes is to look at body shape. Male fish have a body shape like terpedo, part of the back of the gills to tail tapering. Body more slender and smaller in size than females, and male fish dorsal fins look more pointy. Female fish's body is bigger than the male fish, and that was rounded belly with eggs.

4.2. Spawning

Spawning is done in existing mass of cement, fiber tub or aquarium with the female parent ratio: male l: 2 or 1:1. Replacement of water daily, to maintain the water quality of spawning media.

Corydoras has type egg-laying by attaching to a substrate that is: plate glass, cut paralon (PVC), ceramic tiles or stone slabs.

Corydoras Fish eggs partially pulled out, so every day can be found in the substrate is attached eggs. Each parent can produce 200-350 eggs. The next set of substrate taken for incubated eggs on the container.

4.3. Hatching eggs

Eggs are attached to the substrate, then incubated in the aquarium. Eggs will hatch in six days. During the hatching eggs, maintenance media were given anti-fungal drugs such as methylene blue 0.1 ppm. Degree of hatching eggs ranged 60-70%. Corydoras fish larvae in the aquarium is maintained until the age of seven days with feeding nauplius of Artemia.

4.4. Phase Maintenance

Maintenance performed on a fiber glass container or a tub of cement to the size S (Small = small) with dense stocking of 20-30 tails / liter. During one month to reach the size M (Medium = being) is a dense stocking 10-15/liter and ready to be marketed.

Next maintenance is more directed to the procurement of the main candidates, because usually the size L (Large = large) declining market demand. Dense stocking in the maintenance of the size M to L size is 5 fish / liter.

The feed is provided for the maintenance of fish until ready to be marketed in the form of tubifex worms.

4.5. Fish Health Management

Several types of parasites that attack the fish Corydoras often are: Trichodina sp, Epistylis, Glossatella sp and Chillodonella sp. While attacking the bacteria that is usually the secondary infections that occur due to injuries due to handling, or parasites that attack resulted in injuries. Types of bacteria found in the Aeromonas hydrophilla.

Treatment for parasitic diseases is to use formalin 25 ppm, 500 ppm of salt. As for bacterial diseases using 10 ppm Oxytetracycline by soaking.

myOrnamental fish

Ornamental Fish International (OFI), founded on 1 June 1980, is the worldwide trade association representing all sectors of the ornamental aquatic industry in some 44 different countries worldwide.

Membership ranges over consultants, manufacturers, publishers, wholesalers, collectors, breeders, retailers, importers, exporters, plant specialists, freight forwarders, airlines and exhibition companies. The over 190 OFI members have all made a commitment to comply with the OFI Code of Ethics. As a result OFI members have obtained a reputation of reliable business partners, and suppliers of quality products.