Ideally you want a home away from home for your dog. Your pet will be much happier if they can sleep on their own bed, cushion or with their own blankets at the kennels. Some kennels discourage or forbid toys and personal bedding in case they get lost or damaged.

Not all dog boarding kennels allow you to but if you can take their toys and familiar food that is best. If possible you want them to have access to an outside play area for most of the day if this is what they are used to. Being able to lie around and play on fresh grass is important to some dogs. If they have access whenever they want these animals will be less stressed when you leave them..

Some dogs crave personal attention and to be played with and cuddled. Some places provide this automatically, others only if you pay extra and often this is by the hour. There is no real way of knowing in advance if they do get this but a place develops a reputation over time. Those who have used the services before are the best source of information so ask around for good dog boarding kennels.

You will need to take a copy of your animal’s vaccination certificates and any other legal requirements so make sure you put this in your bag of toys, bedding and any special treats you might be leaving when you drop off your pet at the dog boarding kennels.

Altenatively, if you don’t do things right from the start you will have a nightmare on your hands – cloudy water, dead fish, straggly plants etc. By making certain that you take note of the items listed below this will not happen to you.

Do Not Buy A So Called ‘Beginners Tank’

Small tanks, generally 12 to 18 inches across, are often sold as so called ‘beginners tanks’ presumably because they are easy to carry out of the shop! However it is important for you to realise that a home freshwater aquarium is basically in unstable equilibrium so you need to keep an eye on it constantly. Small aquariums are well known to be more dificult to maintain because they are not easy to achieve balance in and they go out of balasnce very rapidly. I won’t go into the details here, sufficient to say that your first tank should be somewhere around 36″ x 12″ x 18″.

Do Not Buy Tank And Fish On the Same Day

This is the worst mistake that beginners make. Before any fish enter your aquarium it needs to have been established for at least a few days, preferable a week to achieve some kind of equilibrium. You should set up your tank with everything in it except for the fish. You should leave it alone for a week. Use test strips to check the water condition and monitor its temperature and clarity during that week. Once everything has settled down add a couple of cheap fish and check that their health does not deteriorate over the next few days. Only after they look fine should you go out and buy any more fish.

Select You Fish With Care

It is a mistake to assume that all varieties of fish will live in harmony together in your community tank. You should not just take a chance on this. Unfortunately it is generally true to say that if a fish’s mouth is large enough for another fish to enter it then that will happen i.e. it is going to be a meal! Some species of fish have males that will fight to the death. In some species, males chase females all the time so in this case it is usually a good idea to give each male two or three females to ‘play’ with. Some fish are surface swimmers while others prefer to stay near the gravel. Different fish require different conditions (temperature, water ph etc), although this is not normally a major issue it should be considered. You should not buy any fish that look sickly or have split fins, always go for the lively ones that are difficult to catch. Finding a really helpful fish supplier who is willing to share his knowledge is probably the best way to go.

Do not Overfill your Tank with Fish

There are various ‘rules of thumb’ for calculating the fish capacity of your tank. Here are some of them:

• 3 cm of adult fish length per 4 litres of water (i.e., a 6 cm-long fish would need about 8 litres of water).
• 1 cm of adult fish length per 30 square centimetres of surface area.
• 1 inch of adult fish length per gallon of water.
• 1 inch of adult fish length per 12 square inches of surface area.

Do not apply any of these rules too rigorously. The young fish that you buy now are going to be much bigger in just a few months and will need more room. It is very important to take this into account. Establishing maximum capacity is often a matter of slowly adding fish and monitoring water quality over time, following a trial and error approach.

Monitor the Water and Change it Regularly

As I said before, your aquarium is delicately balanced so it is important to check the water condition regularly. You may have heard of aquarium ‘cycling’. This is what the transistion of fish waste to ammonia then nitrite by bacteria then nitrate by other bacteria is called. In the natural world this cycle generally works faultlessly without any intervention. Every week you need to change at least 25% of the aquarium water to help it along. Your fish will die if high levels of nitrate and nitrite are present in the water so it is particularly important that you check these levels regularly.

So there you have it. By following this advice you will have a troublefree start and enhance your home with a stunningly beautiful aquarium that you can be proud to show your friends.

John Thomson is an aquarium expert. For more great freshwater aquarium information, visit http://www.freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com.

Because pH is a logarithmic scale a small change in pH means a very large change in acidity or alkalinity.

It is changes in pH value that affect your fish much more than the actual pH value.  While a fish may prefer a pH of 7.2 it will most likely be perfectly happy with a pH of 6.7.   However the same fish will be most unhappy if over the course of a day it experiences a change in pH of 0.3.

The best way to deal with pH is to acclimatise your fish to live in the pH that you provide and try to keep this constant as far as possible.   Constant measns that the pH should nt range by any more than 0.2 over 24 hours.

In some cases breeding only takes place at a particular pH value.   If you plan to breed a certain species, research the range of pH it finds acceptable to breed in.    Some varieties are easily pleased while others have a very small range.   This is probably the only good reason why you might want to aim for a particular pH value.

Factors Affecting pH

• Biological filtration As you already know, filtration is essential in a well stocked aquarium.   Biological filters reduce pH because they release carbon dioxide into the water.
• Carbonate Hardness Carbonate hardness or kH is a measurement of the carbonate hardness of your water.   A high kH (i.e. the harder your water) the better is the water able to neutralise added acids without significantly changing the pH.   When you water has a kH of above 4.5 it is said to have a good ‘buffering capacity’.

Adjusting pH

Regular water changes (which you should be doing anyway) is the best way of keeping the pH reasonably level.

Acclimatising your fish to the pH provided is the best way to deal with pH but you can change it as shown below.

How to Lower the pH

• Filtering water over peat
• Add bogwood to the tank
• Inject carbon dioxide CO2
• Use a commercial acid buffer
• Water changes with softened water or RO/DI (Reverse Osmosis/De-Ionized) water

How to Raise the pH
This should not be done lightly since as you raise the pH, you are making the ammonia in the tank more toxic to your fish.

• Aerate the water, to drive off excess carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Filter over coral or limestone
• Add rocks containing limestone to the tank or use a coral sand substrate
• Use a commercial alkaline buffer

Conclusion

Rather than aim for a specific pH value you should take steps to ensure a stable pH.   To achieve this the kH should be around 5-6 dH in order for the water to have enough buffering capacity.

Even small swings of more than 0.2 pH in a day can cause your fish to die.   Therefore, unless you have a specific reason for doing so, it is better to acclimate the fish to your tap water’s pH than to adjust your pH to fit the so called preference of your fish.

For more information on freshwater aquarium pH go to my website www.freshwateraquariumsecretsonline.com

These problems can vary from a painful cat bladder infection to a life-threatening cat urinary blockage. An an informed cat owner, you should always be on the lookout for cat urinary problems LINK http://tinyurl.com/yg4r28u.

What’s The Difference Between FLUTD And FUS?

Many cat owners are confused, and rightfully so, over the terms used to describe cat urinary problems. FLUTD is an acronym that stands for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. FLUTD used to be known as FUS, or Feline Urologic Syndrome. Feline Urologic Syndrome has been renamed as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease to reflect that most of the urinary problems in cats happen in the lower urinary tract, which includes the bladder and urethra.

Overview Of Feline Urinary Disease

There are many different aspects to feline urinary disease. Here’s a quick overview of a few different conditions that can affect your cat’s urinary tract.

• Cystitis is an inflammation of your cat’s bladder.
• If your cat’s urethra is inflamed, he has urethritis.
• Idiopathic cystitis means that the cause of the bladder inflammation is not known.
• Bladder stones in cats often occur as a result of feline urinary crystals.
• A bladder tumor may be the cause of your cat’s problems, too.

You can see that it’s important to pinpoint what’s causing your cat’s urinary tract problems in order to treat his condition successfully.

Symptoms of Cat Urinary Problems

No matter what’s causing the feline urinary tract problems, your cat will show these symptoms:

• Bloody urine
• Urinating in places other than his litter box
• Urinating often, but passing only small amounts of urine
• Straining to urinate, or not being able to pass urine at all
• Crying out in pain in the litter box

Any of these symptoms should be enough for you to take your cat to the vet for a check-up.

What Your Vet Will Do

Your vet will examine your cat and feel his bladder to see how full it is. The vet will also want to do a urinalysis to check for infection or feline urinary crystals, and may want to do a cat urine culture to see if bacteria are present. If your cat’s bladder is distended, that indicates a cat urinary blockage, and your vet may want to take x-rays or do an ultrasound to look for cat bladder stones.

Steps You Can Take To Prevent Feline Urinary Disease

There are many steps cat owners can take to prevent their cats from developing feline urinary tract problems. The most important thing you can do is to feed a high-quality canned food.

Because cats are supposed to get most of their water from their food, a kitty who eats only dry food is usually chronically dehydrated, which leads to his urine becoming concentrated. And concentrated urine can lead to cat bladder stones, and a whole host of problems that goes along with them.

Be sure your cat always has access to plenty of clean, fresh water, too.

Consider treating your feline friend with natural remedies for cats that support bladder health in cats. This remedy should contain the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagria, along with herbal extracts of barberry and uva ursi. Not only are these natural treatments effective for bladder problems in people, but they have been proven to work just as well in cats.

Don’t let your cat suffer any longer from feline urinary disease.  Just click on any link in this article to find out how to prevent and treat this problem with a safe, effective natural remedy.

It is a known common fact that some dog breeds tend to become jealous towards children which can be dangerous in the household, especially if your kid is very small. Therefore, you should read up on the nature of dog breeds, basic dog care techniques and what kind of environment is suitable for the breed that you are planning on adapting.

American kennel society has recognized over 150 dog breeds including working dogs, coyote hunting dogs, companion dogs and more. remember that dog breed have characteristics of their own and they come in to play. Whilst dogs can be one of  the best friends for humans, it is also important to consider the aspects that might go wrong when adapting a specific dog breed.

There are two types of dogs to begind with; terristorial and friendly. Some dog breeds require a single master who will have the control over the dog s behavior and know how to discipline them. A perfect example of such single master dogs are guard dogs used by police.

One more important thing you should know about dog breeds is that some dogs know how to boss around people and know whom to obey. So read up on the general temperament of the dog and its nature before settling on any dog breeds.

If the dog breeds you choose have a fair temperament then that means they are easy to discipline and they d probably make good friends with children. If not, they could be used as custodial dogs.

Dog grooming is a hassle for many dog owners but if you check all relevant information about dog breeds before you make the choice of buying a certain dog breed, then you will know what to expect. Generally, the long hair types are difficult to maintain while the shorthaired ones are easier to get by.

You will need to learn grooming techniques depending on the dog breed that you choose because some dogs have curly and twisted hair for which different grooming techniques are used.

Cats are frequently rather independent and so they like to go wherever they decide on to go with little regard for their own safety.  Commonly they don’t even understand when they’re about to enter an unsafe region until it truly is too late.  The same is usually said of many other pets and even men and women.

Cats are great climbers and are pretty nimble.  This makes it easy for cats to go just about anywhere they wish.  It is also why cat owners will need to take several precautions.  The best way to safeguard your cat is frequently by stopping them going somewhere considered unsafe for a cat.  You can use specially developed netting for this purpose.

You may well select to prevent your cat from entering an unsafe area or basically an spot you tend not to want them in.  The first step is to identify the spot or places in question and determine how very much netting you can need.  It is commonly a very good idea to obtain more than you think you will will need.

If properly installed the netting may have a clean and neat appearance while also preventing your cat from entering any areas you don’t wish them to enter.

The cat netting is usually applied to protect the cats too as to guard other animals or pets from the cats (e.g. birds or fish).  You want to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when installing the netting and check it periodically for best pet health care practices.

If you shop online you ought to be able to discover a variety of alternatives and kinds of netting.  This will support you come across the correct netting for your cat.

Once we decide to adopt a stray cat, we need to be sure that we are going to be responsible owners. It will be a very big responsibility to be the official and legal owners of a pet.

The initial thing we have to do once we have decided to adopt a cat is go to the local animal shelter and tell them we like to have a cat of our own. After that, they will show us the available cats ready for adoption. If we have chosen the ones that we like, we need to fill out some papers and register the cat as our pets so that we can be legal owners of it.

Once all the legal procedures are done, we can then take the cat into our homes. We have to know that during the first few days of the inside our house, it will not feel very at home. It will still scare of us because it does not know yet that we are its owners.

We need to make sure that we give them an initial cleaning. That way, we can be sure that it will not spread any germs into our homes. It is probably hungry at this time. Local shelters do not have much supply for all their pets. We have to feed them with good food. The first time of feeding would be the time when the cat will first recognize us as its owners. We need to make sure to stay sweet and kind to them as possible so that we won’t scare them away.

The idea is not only adopt the cat but also let it adopt us as its owners. We need to make sure to provide its needs. It means all of the caring, petting and grooming of our pets not only providing them food.

In the long run, our cats will be kind to us and they will not be scared anymore. We will then have a better understanding and relationship with them as their owners. There is no bigger gift for an animal but to have an owner that will provide its needs and will shelter it from the outdoors.

That’s because now you can shop around the Websites via internet connection bird cage stores. Only be sure that the online outlet that you select presents a large variety of cages for birds to be able to eliminate your uncertainties about how to choose bird cages.

Big bird cages might be deemed a large investment for bird owners like you, therefore it really is ever a good idea to opt for sorts which are created from high quality in addition to secure materials. For instance, make sure that the edge, cables, rods and many regions that structure the cage isn’t made with injurious chemicals.

Since cages are at risk of getting wet, you should in addition decide one which includes ample oxidation defense or resistance. Most vital, choose big cages which are hard-wearing and sturdy, if not your birds might be affected if the cages may easily shatter or turn out to be deformed. More info here: click here.

Number of important components to take into account are the shape and cost of the bird cages. Investigation has proved that ring-shaped big bird cages may cause bird anxiety and other mental fitness problems for birds, so it is sensible to decide enclosures that are shaped like a box or those which possess sides and and triangular shapes. As to price, you must hit balance between the price and the class of the cage. Again, make sure that you only obtain from a good on-line shop.

Jenny would always go with them to every area store that they went to. The problem that he ran into was that she would frequently blurt out to Kim what they were looking at when Jenny saw her later on in the store. That made it very hard to shop for any type of present for Kim during any season.

Jim thought that he had finally managed to get something past Jenny one day. However, he was quickly disappointed when he heard Jenny blabbing about the new mongoose mountain bike. He knew that she was ruining the surprise purchase of the day and that Kim would already know about the items that he had gotten.

Kim asked Jenny if that was all that he had purchased and Jenny told her that it was. However, Jim must have managed to sneak in the pair of pearl izumi shorts. He leapt up with a new sense of pride knowing that he finally could surprise Kim. He handed over the shopping tote and knew that he had picked out a good item judging by the hug that he got.

Jenny was not very happy when about him managing to sneak something past him and gave Jim a nasty look. Jim knew that he would have to do something though to sneak out of the house the next day. He walked out to his shop to think about what he could do that would allow him to get past her.

As Jenny was relaxing on the new perch a week later Jim slunked out of the house. Jenny never even knew he was gone so the surprise of the new diamondback bikes would be complete. He would not have to worry about Jenny blabbing to Kim about the new item that he was getting her that day.

Jenny woke up with a start as Jim walked back into the house. Then she started complaining to Kim that he had managed to get out without her. However, when they went outside she stopped her complaining because the custom made items had their own perches on it for Jenny to go biking with them.

It is important that you decide where you are going to put your new freshwater aquarium tank before you buy it because this will dictate how large it can be or how small it has to be.   Keep the tank away from direct sunlight since this will almost always encourage excessive algae growth.   As well as this avoid places where it might be difficult to maintain a contant temperature, e.g. near radiators or draughts from windows and doors.   Your tank should ideally be put in a quiet part of your home a place where your fish are not going to be upset by too much noise or movement.

Buying your Freshwater Aquarium Tank and Equipment

Acrylic or Glass?

Generally speaking acrylic fish tanks are more expensive than an equivalent glass tank.   Just because glass is cheaper it does not mean that acrylic is better than glass.   Glass and acrylic each have a number of pros and cons.   Poor scratch resistance is the biggest disadvantage of acrylic.   Acrylic tanks have the big advantage that they can be formed in almost any shape.   Alternatively glass has to be thicker than acrylic so it is much heavier and it can break and crack but it is much more difficult to scratch.

Here is a list of their pros and cons:

Acrylic

• Easily scratched
• Light
• Difficult to break or crack – children safe
• Can be moulded into almost any shape
• Needs a stand supporting the whole of its weight otherwise it can split with the weight of the water
• Thinner and easier to drill through for filters etc.
• Less distortion because it is thinner
• Can yellow with age
• More expensive

Glass

• Hard to scratch
• Heavy
• Can break or crack – may be a hazard when children are about
• Limited to certain shapes mostly rectangular although bowed fron glass tanks are now available
• More rigid so they can be placed on an open stand
• Thicker and difficult to drill through
• More distortion due to its thickness
• Does not yellow with age so they maintain clarity over a long time
• Less expensive

You have to use ‘acrylic safe’ tools when maintaining acylic tanks because they are so susceptible to scratching.

In summary go with glass if you just want a bog standard rectangular aquarium.   It is likely that your only choice will be acrylic if you want a tank which is either very large or an unusual shape.

Other Equipment

It is important that you select the best equipment for your tank.   You should cultivate a good relationship with your fish man because he can be very helpful in your choice.

It is helpful to have some advance knowledge of what is required, basically this means a filter, heater, a lid with lighting, substrate (gravel or sand), backing material and other décor such as rocks, wood and real or plastic plants.   You will need extra accessories like a water conditioner, net, test kits etc once the tank has been set up.   

The Golden Rules

• Never buy the fish and tank on the sameday.   Curb your impatience to come home with everything you need all ast once!
• Buy a larger tank if space allows and you can afford it.   Do not be led into buying a small tank simply because it is labelled ‘ideal for beginners’.   The larger the tank the more stable it is in terms of its water chemistry, pH, temperature etc.   Water conditions will take longer to change in a large volume of water so changes for the worst are less likely to take you by surprise. A 3 foot (92cm) long tank of around 100 litres/20-25 gallons is probably a good size tank to begin with.
• Preferably place your tank on a tailor made stand, failing this it should be a strong piece of furniture.   Large volumes of water are very heavy.   Water weighs 1kg (2.2 pounds) per litre. A regular tank size, say 36x12x18 weighs approximately 110kg or 242 lbs plus the weight of the tank, gravel, lid and decor.
• Prepare your tank and have it running with freshwater aquarium plants, heating and filtration for at least a week before the fish arrive.   This gives the water a chance to settle down as far as its quality is concerned and allows the good bacteria a chance to multiply to a level where the tank is ‘cycling’.
• Do not load the tank with more than 1 inch of fish to each gallon of water and remember that your new fish are probably babies so they will grow fast.   A few like to be even more conservative and go by one inch of fish for every two gallons of water to keep fish waste levels low.
• Add your aquarium freshwater fish carefully don’t just tip them in.   Float the bag in the aquarium for about 20 minutes so that the temperatures equalise, open the bag and add some aquarium water to it for a further 20 minutes and then finally gently add them to the tank.

Conclusion

So there you have it.   Decide first where you are going to put your tank and then decide on its size and what its to be made of.   Follow the six golden rules and your home freshwater aquarium will be a success from the start.