________________________________________________
Weekly Creature Tip 1/28/12/
This week’s creature tip on fish is titled, “Tap Water is Dangerous to Fish”
Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
Never place a fish directly into tap water. Tap water has chlorine and sometimes other chemicals in it that are harmful to fish. There are two ways to make tap water safe for fish. One is to set out the water in a bowl or container for 24 hours so that the chlorine will evaporate. The second is you can treat the tap water with a water conditioner like “Aqua Safe” and the water will instantly become safe for fish. You can get “Aqua Safe” at most Wal-Marts and pet stores. Aqua Safe also puts a protective coating on the fish’s body. There are other brands of water conditioners for fish too besides Aqua Safe (Aqua Safe is just the brand I use). Tap water can cause a fish to die depending on how high the levels of chemicals are in the tap water. Play it safe and protect your fish by using a water conditioner.
________________________________________________
Weekly Creature Tip 12/10/11
This week’s creature tip is on fish titled, “My First Fish”
Weekly Bible Verse: Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Do you know the story of Jonah? If not read it in the Bible. God told Jonah to go toNinevehand cry out against it; for their wickedness had come up before God. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish in a boat and a huge storm arose. Jonah knew it was because he had disobeyed God so he told the men on board to cast him into the sea. As Jonah began to sink to the bottom a great fish swallowed him and three days later spit him onto dry land. If Jonah had listened to God in the first place, things would have been easier. Will you obey when God tells you to do something or will it take a huge fish to get your attention?
Weekly Creature Tip
If you are interested in having fish, betta fish are a great start. In fact, they are even easier to care for than goldfish. Because goldfish produce a lot of ammonia and waste their water needs to be changed more frequently and a filter is recommended. This is not the case with betta fish. Most fish need an air pump to add in oxygen into the water; betta fish can breathe air from above the water’s surface so an air pump is not mandatory.
Quick info on Betta fish:
Betta fish can live in fishbowls and do not need a large expensive fish tank.
Betta fish should be fed a very small amount of fish food daily.
Betta fish need their water changed about every 2 weeks.
Betta fish are an aggressive fish and need to live alone most times.
Betta fish can easily live for several years with proper care.
________________________________________________
Weekly Creature Tip 9/17/11
This week’s creature tip is on fish titled “Make a filter for your small fish tank”
Weekly Bible Verse: Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures . . .
Fish need a filter to keep the tank clean, and a bubbler so your fish will not run out of oxygen and die. Did you know that using a bubbler you can make a fitter?
For small tanks like 1-3 gallons, a bubbler can work as a filter too. Buy a big yellow car sponge at the 99 Cents store and suction cups that have a hook on them. Using a knife, cut the sponge into several squares (now you will have several replacement filters). Using scissors poke/twist a hole in the top of a sponge. You want the hole to go to the center of the sponge and then stop. Now place the bubbler tube in the hole. Using a suction cup hook, place it on the tube near the sponge. Now attach the suction cup to the tank wall near the bottom so that the sponge is completely submerged. If the sponge comes off the tube you made the hole too big and you will need a new sponge to try again. As time goes on the sponge will become dirty and need to be changed; about every 1-3 weeks.
The air that goes through the sponge and out the top will draw dirt and debris into the sponge.
Stop by every Saturday morning for our week creature tips.
________________________________________________
Weekly Creature tip 8/27/11
This week’s creature tip is on Fish titled “Cleaning a Freshwater Fish tank”
Weekly bible verse: Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and….(Verse will be continued next week)
How often do you clean your freshwater fish tank? Do you dump all the water out and put new in?
Depending on the size of your tank and how many fish live in it, take out 10-25% of the water every 1-2 times a weeks using a suction hose. By doing this you will not loose all the natural good bacteria and other balances in the water. Make sure you use the suction hose like a vacuum for all the debris in the gravel/rocks. Your fish will stay healthier and be less stressed out if your clean your fish tank this way. Remember to use a fish tap water conditioner to make the new water safe for your fish.
For the plants and decor take them out and scrub them clean as needed. Don’t forget to change your filters when they get dirty.
