Friday, January 30, 2009

::Woman's Best Friend::

::20 years plus?::
Dogs are great but for me these guys are just as wonderful. They are a breed called cichlids, specifically blood parrots. Sounds evil doesn't it? but they sure are cute as hell. My 100 gallon aquarium consists of six of these guys, among other breeds. They sure aren't any regular type fishes, like your typical starter fish like guppy, beta or gold fish. They come at fifty bucks for a small guy and $70-100 for an extra large guy. They grow extremely large and will gather to follow you when they're hungry. You would not get pellets that sink, rather they come up to the top of the surface to reach for food. If you want them to be a nice color i suggest shrimp, or blood worms, and every so often pellets. People think "fish", whats so great about them? The difference between this and a domestic animal is that they're in water, and you couldn't cuddle with them, but they're smart as hell and look great in the home. You might often see asians with high maintenance arowana fish (aka dragon fish) with cichlids because they appear compatible . I don't mean dating, but rather get along within the tank if you will. Fish that are incompatible will get territorial and they will fight, to a point of killing the other. Hence if your fish dies if not from illness or improper care, it's because they're injured from other fish. In addition they can live for twenty years plus with appropriate care, attention and nutrition.


::sickness: fact or fiction?::
One thing that needs to be clarified, FISH GET SICK TOO! Yes they get stressed and Yes they get diseases like any other animal. You see the little guy on the rock behind the pictures? HE'S UPSIDE DOWN! He's got swim bladders disease, meaning the bladder in the center of the body that controls his bouyancy is permanantly infected. They will never recover, but all i can say that he's still kickin! He will swim upright when he needs to eat, but as for resting..well you can see for yourself. They also get a variety of parasites which requires medication such as metronidazole or tetracyclines. Medications in which humans take for Gastrointestinal ulcers and h.pylori infections. As you an see in the pictures, they appear as though they're posing because they flock to me like birds flock to bread in central park. Instead of diamonds, dogs or shoes, (laugh if you will because i couldn't give two cents), but these guys to me are a woman's best friend. <3