Neon TetrasWritten by Linda Paquette
Neon tetras are one of most popular community fish and an excellent choice for those new to fish keeping. Their purchase size is often under ¾ of an inch and at full size, they reach a big 2 inches in length. If you like color in your aquarium fish, Neon tetra will add real sparkle and flash to your aquarium. A silver fish that darkens to iridescent blue along its backbone, neon tetra also sports a bright red tail. In addition, these active little fish like to school in groups of 6 or more, so a tank of neon tetras continually flashes with red, silver-white, and blue! Although in same family as Piranha, neon tetras are completely unaggressive fish and if kept with more aggressive types are more apt to become prey than predator. The main diet of neon tetras is tropical flake food with tubifex worms, bloodworms, or brine shrimp introduced as an occasional treat. Maybe because of their size, neon tetras do like an aquarium that provides them with lots of places to hide. This makes them wonderful fish to keep in a live plant aquarium. In addition, a dark substrate is closer to their natural surroundings. Other good hiding places for neon tetras can include pieces of driftwood or fish caves. Tetras in general also like highly oxygenated acidic water, so another accessory you should consider is a good aeration system.
| | Aromatherapy for PetsWritten by Liz Santher
Pets can enjoy therapeutic effects of aromatherapy as much as humans can. Aside from possibly eliminating bad odors and giving your pet a pleasant perfume, essential oils also serve many practical functions such as boosting your pet's immune system, fighting off bacteria and viruses, preventing growth of yeasts and molds and repelling insects.Aromatherapy is used by enthusiasts, groomers and pet salons to trea mild ailments such as skin inflammations, itchy skin ear infections, rashes, bad breath, flatulence and motions sickness. Psychologically, certain oils also have a calming or relaxing effect on animals. For example lavender oil not only helps kitties repel insects but it also makes them feel sleepy or content. Roman chamomile can be used to treat an ear infection as well as soothe nerves of a dog in pain. Essential oils are also frequently used as home remedies. However before you attempt to use aromatherapy on your own pets, keep in mind that essential oils are always diluted before they are applied to a pet's skin or sprayed on their coat. Almond oil, olive oil and jojoba oil are common base oils to which a few drops of essential oil is added. Usually all that is needed is about one ounce of base oil combined with two to three drops of essential oil. Essential oils can also be diluted in a spray bottle and misted onto pet or pet's bedding. You can simply dilute a few drops in distilled water or you can use water and a mixture of aloe, witch hazel or cider vinegar. The traditional recommendation is to use 20 to 30 drops of oil per eight ounces of liquid. Any less might not be effective and any more might be toxic to pet.
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