WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALTWATER & FRESHWATER FISH

I’m asked that question often. There are the obvious differences in color & form, and also the environmental and scientific differences. But, from the practical standpoint of fishkeeping, the differences are not as many as a lot of people think.

The basics for keeping freshwater fish also apply to saltwater fish (keep the environment stable with adequate filtration, monthly partial water changes and temperature control.) The only major difference is that with a marine aquarium you must add salt to the water (by mixing a dry salt blend) and the cost of the fish themselves is much greater in most cases. Of course a varied diet is important for both freshwater and saltwater fish. One other difference is that most saltwater fish are wild caught specimens whereas most freshwater fish are either tank or pond raised. The transition into a captive environment from the wild can sometimes be difficult, hence the theory that saltwater fish are more "delicate than freshwater". Most aquarium problems occur in the newly set up aquarium, by people who don’t understand the basic principles of biological filtration. In their enthusiasm they start up the aquarium with too many fish and/or the wrong kinds of fish, then overfeed them and conclude that marine fishkeeping is too difficult. This is why you hear stories about people spending a whole lot of money on saltwater fish and giving up within 6 months or so because their fish kept dying. Be patient, start with 1 hearty fish per 10 gallon of water (damsels or clownfishes are good choices), feed them lightly and give the aquarium 3-8 weeks to cycle and in most cases you will succeed.

Whether you choose Freshwater or Saltwater fish, READ and LEARN as much as you can and you will enjoy the hobby so much more because you will have minimal losses and your tank(s) and fish will look so much better!

Pet Friendly Businesses- To edit and/or update your information follow the link to that page: http://www.barleyslist.org/ and Select Add/ Edit your business. If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use! BarleysList.org is Where People Go For Pet Info

History of the Domestic Cat

Cats have always been a source of fascination for mankind throughout history. Today cats have become one of the world's most popular pets perfectly suited to the lifestyle of our day. They are beautiful, enigmatic and easy-to-care for pets. But where and when did the domestic cat originate? This page will give you some insight into this question.

It has been about 4000 years since the first cats were domesticated. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to keep and use cats to control vermin and other pests to protect stores of food. In Ancient Egypt, the cat was revered as a hunter and worshiped as gods and goddesses. The ancient Egyptians imposed the death penalty for killing cats and cats were also mummified before being buried.

Other ancient civilizations later began to domesticate the cat and took tame felines to Italy where they slowly spread around Europe. Eventually, they arrived in the New World with the Pilgrims. The short-haired domestic cat spread across the world from Egypt while long-haired cats came later from Turkey and Iran. The domestic cat also spread from India to China and Japan.

Except for a short period of persecution in the Middle Ages when cats were associated with the devil, by the eighteenth century cats had become popular household pets world wide.

The wild cats of today such as Lions and Tigers descended from early carnivores called miacids. From there the modern wild cat developed into three main types; the European wild cat, the African wild cat and the Asiatic desert cat. The domestic cat is thought to have evolved from the African wild cat because of its tabby markings.

Domestic cats today still take many characteristics from their wild ancestors. The arresting eyes, body shape, feeding and grooming habits are the same along with the ability to pounce into action at any given moment. It is this link that makes the domestic cat so fascinating around the world.

The non-pedigree domestic cat, the Moggie is the most popular house pet today with the black and white Moggie being the most popular followed by the black cat followed by the Tabby cat. There are also 36 recognized breeds of pedigree cats around the world with the Siamese cat being the most popular. Most homes today that keep pets have at least one cat in residence.

Pet Friendly Businesses- To edit and/or update your information follow the link to that page: http://www.barleyslist.org/ and Select Add/ Edit your business. If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use! BarleysList.org is Where People Go For Pet Info