Cultural Sense

The ancient Egyptians revered the Nile water-lilies, or lotuses as they were also called. The lotus motif is a frequent feature of temple column architecture.

The Egyptian Blue Water-lily, N. caerulea, opens its flowers in the morning and then sinks beneath the water at dusk, while the Egyptian White Water-lily, N. lotus, flowers at night and closes in the morning. This symbolizes the Egyptian separation of deities and is a motif associated with Egyptian beliefs concerning death and the afterlife. The recent discovery of psychedelic properties of the blue lotus may also have been known to the Egyptians and explain its ceremonial role. Remains of both flowers have been found in the burial tomb of Ramesses II.

A syrian terra-cotta plaque from the 14th-13th century B.C.E. shows the goddess Asherah holding two lotus blossoms. An ivory panel from the 9th-8th century B.C.E. shows the god Horus seated on a lotus blossom, flanked by two Cherubs.

The French painter Claude Monet is famous for his paintings of water lilies.

 

Healthy Diet for your Fish

When a 4 kilogram pet gourami named Gary was moved to the Sea Life London Aquarium, he went on a hunger strike and refused to eat the fruit given to him. Eventually, the aquarium staff found out why he was shunning the natural diet of a gourami Gary had been raised on Kit Kats only.

I have never heard of a fish being fed chocolate, let alone being brought up entirely on the stuff, says Gary handler, Rebecca Carter. Gouramis usually eat a diet of fruit but Gary doesn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from his chocolate addiction. However, we would not recommend feeding fish confectionery of any kind.

The aquarium personnel is now squeezing crushed pieces of Kit Kat into grapes in an effort to change Garys diet.

Fish being fed strange or simply suboptimal food by their keepers is unfortunately very common. Even well-intentioned fish keepers sometimes fail to realize that the various fish species in the world have developed to fit into different ecological niches and a diet that is perfect for one species might be highly unsuitable for another. However, keeping fish on a chocolate coated wafer diet is probably quite unusual.

Another problem is of course people getting fish without making the effort to find out how large the little juveniles they see in the fish shop may grow as fully mature adults.

Many people don’t do the right research when they buy fish and end up unable to care for them, says Carter. Catfish are a good example and we have a number here that outgrew their homes. We simply do not have the space to accommodate the vast number of re-homing requests we receive.

Facts

  • Gourami are freshwater fish belonging to the family Osphronemidae. Currently, there are roughly 90 described species divided into four subfamilies and about 15 genera. The most famous gourami species is arguably Betta splendens, the Siamese fighting fish. Gourami is native to Asia where they are found from Pakistan to the Malay Archipelago and Korea.
  • Kit Kat is a chocolate coated wafer confection produced by Nestlé and The Hersey Company. Each bar consists of fingers that can be snapped from the bar one at a time. Each finger is made up of three layers of wafer and an outer layer of chocolate. Kit Kat was invented at Rowntree’s, a confectionery company based in York, UK.

Stressed Out Koi

Koi keeping is an important part of Pond Care and stress is an impending part of it. We all go through stress in our lives to being uncomfortable and new to something. Fish living out in nature would simply swim away from stressful conditions, but when they are confined in a pond or tank there is no way for them to swim away. Ammonia levels can get too high and this can cause them a lot of stress. Fish have a hard time dealing with change in their environment, including temperature. That is why when you move any fish from one water source to another they need to be acclimated before being put in. This goes for pH, hardness and alkalinity of its new home.

Japanese Koi

The Japanese Koi are world wide known as beautiful fish composed of brilliant colors and markings. People who own these fish can tell you how wonderful it is to be part of their lives. There is a mysterious past that surround this awesome fish. A lot of people still wonder where they have originated from.

Koi is a Japanese name meaning Carp, but the original word comes from the latin word Cyprinus Carpio meaning Carp. Many people believe the Koi came from Japan, but it is understood that Japanese Koi have come from the waters of the Caspian Sea and around China. There are records of carp fossils found in China dating back 20 million years and showing early accounts of the first color mutations being bred in China.

It is unclear as to where Koi are from, but there are a lot of stories that Koi have been brought to Japan by the Chinese invasion. Another says that Japans emperor had kept Koi in 200 AD. The history of Japanese Koi is pretty vague. As to what really happed between the 2nd and the 17th century is an ongoing exploration still today.

Koi Colors and Patterns

In Koi keeping, hobbyist always begin with a Kohaku and end with a Kohaku. When new hobbyists begin, they always overlook the Kohaku koi for its simplicity; looking to much like goldfish. However, they always end up appreciating the colors and patterns of the Kohaku and turn to this simple beautiful koi.

“The Kohaku share the colors of both the Japanese flag and the symbol of that country, the Tancho crane, but it is much more difficult to find a prize Kohaku than a show winner of any other variety. In Japan, to own a good Kohaku is the ambition of every koi-keeper.” (Kin Matsuba pg.128)

Matsuba, Kin-“The Tetra Encyclopedia of Koi” By, Kin Matsuba

Koi Facts

Life Span of Koi: 60+ Years

Great info from Ozarkkoi!

Determining the age of a koi fish, also known as nishikigoi, is not an easy task. Some signs to take into consideration are the variety, coloration, appearance and size of the koi fish in question.Lastly, the size of your koi fish will help determine its age. Mature nishikigoi can reach 36″ or more in length. If your koi fish is considerably smaller, it is younger in age or its growth has been stunted.

KOI FACTS

Life Span: 60+ Years