When you think of endangered animals, what do you picture? Odds are good that you envision an exotic, beautiful mammal such as the giant panda, Siberian tiger, or Indian elephant. But among these visually stunning icons of the natural world, thousands of endangered animals go unnoticed. Invertebrates, such as insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and snails, lack ...
Algae are common problems in all kinds of aquariums, including reef or salt-water aquariums. But it is a common misconception that algae need to be completely eliminated in the marine fish tanks. Some algae will always be present in healthy aquarium water, according to “The Everything Aquarium Book” (Adams Media; 2006.) But algae can quickly ...
There is a type of invertebrate which you can purchase that will remove algae from your sand and it’s known as the Sea Egg. It’s actually a sea urchin and it comes in a variety of colors and it has sharp spines every couple of segments on its body. This Sea Urchin will roam around ...
Saltwater organisms require a bit more care than freshwater animals when it comes to changing environments. The water from the pet store or online retailer is going to be different from the water in your home aquarium. To creatures used to living in the vast, stable oceans those differences can come as quite a shock. ...
The Red Starfish is a great choice when you are thinking about purchasing a starfish. This starfish stays very small, which is great. You can place this starfish in a smaller fish tank that is over 40 gallons. Most of the other types of starfish will reach over one foot in length and you will ...
Ever wonder what the largest invertebrates in the world are? Well, if you haven’t, then I’d say it’s time you begun! The Largest Insect This one is hard, because some insects are heavier, but shorter than others. The longest insect today is the giant stick insect of Southeast Asia, the longest of which was nearly ...
A reef tank is a culmination of a plethora of inhabitants that range in size from microscopic plankton and pods to the fish and corals that are so highly sought after. As far as the pods and plankton are concerned, they either populate an aquarium as hitchhikers, often arriving with corals, algae and live rock ...
Ah, inverts, we all have them, but do we really need them? What kinds provide the best likeliness of living a long time in a captive environment? What kinds are reef safe? What about mixing and matching various species of invertebrates? What benefits can invertebrates provide? Their are many interesting questions regarding invertebrates and thought ...
Velvet is a common parasite among betta fish and unfortunately kills many betta fish due to simple lack of hygiene on the owner’s part. Velvet is caused by the parasite Oodinium, which is an algae parasite. Many betta die to this disease before the owner even knows something is wrong, so it’s very important to ...
Scientific Fact About Tarantulas #1: The ‘real’ tarantula is a wolf spider. Many regions of the world have given nicknames to these hairy spiders known by their scientific name Theraphosidae (ther-uh-FO-suh-dee). North America lays claim to the nickname tarantula which seems to have stuck. In Africa they are called baboon or monkey spiders. The nickname ...
