Irish Wolfhound Highly and Big Dogs on Breeders

The Irish Wolfhound is one of the tallest of the breeds and one of the oldest. Its history can be traced to pre-Christian times when the Legions of Rome used it as a war dog. The Irish Wolfhound originated near Rome and was then brought to Ireland during an invasion by Roman troops. In Ireland it gained in popularity and is now their national dog. They are coveted for their hunting prowess; particularly for the pursuit and take-down of the Irish Elk, an animal that can be six feet tall at the shoulders. To develop a better understanding of the Irish Wolfhound Standard some background concerning his origin may be of use. Pedigree dog breeding as we know it today dates only from the 19th Century when Irish Wolfhound Breed Standards were first written down with the advent of Dog Shows. Irish Wolfhound Breeding for excellence of function, on the other hand, is thousands of years old.

Irish Wolfhound Highly and Big Dogs

To fulfil the roles for which the breed was developed, the Irish Wolfhound is unique in being a dog of great size and strength. Today, however, in the totally unreal world of the show-ring, there seems to be little thought given to the original purpose of this breed. Many of the desired and cultivated points, so highly praised in the show-ring, were considered unimportant by our ancestors and the early breeders. In the 20th Century when hunting for survival is no longer a daily reality for the Irish Wolfhound, the Standard must our guide to the ideal hound. It describes the breed in a word picture. The living animal must conform to this as closely as is possible.

The Standard describes the great historical Irish Hound which was the hunter, companion and protector. It is not open to change or interpretation by anyone who objects to any of the points in it. The Standard is, and should always be the specification in detail of what is correct and what is wrong. The Standard is the safeguard protecting the Irish Wolfhound for what it was and still ought to be. It is far too easy to deviate from the Standard in both appearance and in character and the show rings today are ample proof of this. Recent years have seen the emergence of very pretty "chocolate box" Irish Wolfhounds with soft coats, over angulation and close moving hind action. Unless we call a halt, we will see this breed divided into two types, the working type, which is described by the Standard; and the show type, which is fit only to perform in the show ring.

Irish Wolfhound

Our Standard was drawn up in 1885 by Capt. Graham, Major Garnier and MR. J.F. Bailey. This Standard with a few minor additions, is the Standard which is used by the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland and therefore the FCI, the Standard with which most of you are working. In 1950 the Irish Wolfhound Standard was amended in America, the reference to the Great Dane and the Deerhound were removed. The only other differences in the current American Standard apply to height and a slight difference regarding faults of pigmentation. Besides these exceptions, the two Standards are identical and while I do not believe that these changes were necessary, they have not fundamentally altered the intent of the authors of the original Standard to the extent which prevents intelligent breeding and judging the historically correct Irish Wolfhound.

The Standard used in Great Britain was revised in 1985 by the Kennel Club in a more drastic manner. So many changes were made that it no longer paints the same word picture, some characteristics are now required or preferred which never were in the past. For example, ears are now preferably dark in colour which wrongly penalises self coloured wheaten hounds, for no reason of function or historical tradition. Other items which had previously been part of the Standard are now gone. Judges and breeders in Great Britain are required to follow this Standard so that it cannot but impact on breeding in some manner.

Irish Wolfhound

My recommendation is for Irish Wolfhound food with a high fiber, carbohydrate, and fat percentages. Horse meat seems to provide the best amino acid profile for this breed's requirements. I also think the Irish Wolfhound should avoid foods that contain fish, poultry, white rice, and soy. Nutrients of the Irish Wolfhound's native areas were very high in carbohydrates and fiber from grain sources. The best carbohydrate food sources for the Irish Wolfhound should come from wheat, barley, and potato products. Foods with carbohydrates from sources like white rice seem to be difficult for this breed to assimilate. Irish Wolfhounds also have a lower overall protein requirement per Kg. of body weight when compared to most other breeds of dogs. Therefore, I recommend that the bulk of energy producing ingredients in this breed's diet come from fat carbohydrate sources.

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Irish Water Spaniel Best Breeds and Recommended Foods and Health

The Irish Water Spaniel developed on the north coast of Ireland as a water fowl retriever. Its history dates back to the 7th or 8th century. This is the tallest of the breeds called "Spaniel." The breed standards were established in 1850 after the breed gained in popularity in its native land, and local dog fanciers started promoting it. This dog is a natural retriever with a waterproof coat that makes it ideal for fetching birds brought down in extremely cold water. The Irish Water Spaniel is very territorial and protective of children given to its capable care, and yet it has a tendency to be a runner.

Irish Water Spaniel

This "running" characteristic may be to satisfy its curiosity more than to "get away from." This Irish Water Spaniel breed is very inquisitive, determined, and strong. Although the current breed stock is Irish, the origin of the breed is unknown. It is probable that more than one ancient breed of spaniel has gone into its makeup. It is not known from which other breeds Irish Water Spaniels were developed. The acknowledged father of the breed, Justin McCarthy from Dublin, left no breeding records. All manner of dogs have been suggested including: the Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Barbet, generic old water dog, the now-extinct English Water Spaniel as well as the Northern and Southern Water Spaniels, but whether Irish Water Spaniels are antecedents, descendants, or mixtures of these other breeds is a matter of some speculation.

Irish Water Spaniel

The Irish Water Spaniels dog are strongly built, and a bit taller and more squarish than other spaniels. There is a curly topknot upon the head and the face is smooth. The most distinguishing characteristic of these dogs is their not-too-long "rat-like" tails, which are a striking contrast to their otherwise curly coats. Dogs range in height from 22 to 24 inches (56–61 cm), and weigh 55 to 65 pounds (25–30 kg). As their name would imply these dogs love water and to this end they have evolved slightly webbed feet to aid this. Irish Water Spaniels may make good family dogs, as they are usually excellent with respectful children and with other pets.

For the Irish Water Spaniel I recommended foods high in their carbohydrates, with a blend of poultry, fresh water fish, potato, oats, and wheat. However, you should avoid feeding a special breed like this any soy, white rice, avocado, beef, or horse meat products. food supplies for this breed would have included those found in both Spain and the Northern Irish Lake Country. These included fish, waterfowl, potato, and grains of flax, rye, and oat.

Irish Water Spaniel

They can make good guard dogs if they have been trained to do so, and will protect their human families. Not usually an aggressive dog, yet the IWS may have a deep, fierce-sounding bark. Although their coats do grow to medium length, the dogs do not need regular brushing unless the owner intends to enter the showring. A once-a-month trim with scissors to remove straggly ends, a comb to remove mats, then a swim to curl up the coat again, is all that is usually required.

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Irish Terriers The Muscular Dogs and Gentic DNA

The Irish Terrier was once known as the Irish Sporting Terrier in its native Ireland. The group of dogs collectively labeled the "Irish Sporting Terrier" included a rather mixed looking group of dogs with no breed standards. Breeders established standards after a show in Dublin, Ireland, in 1875, and the dogs conforming to these standards became the forefathers of today's Irish Terrier. The first records of this breedindicate they were a ratter and an upland game bird dog. They are very quick and agile and can catch a rabbit on the run or a woodcock before it can take wing.

OWING to their great pluck, Irish Terriers are known among their friends as daredevils, and no breed is more worthy of this sobriquet. While being good-tempered with human beings, they are never averse from a scrap with other dogs if the challenge is thrown down. They make very devoted companions, and are excellent guards, meeting the needs of any who require a Terrier between the Fcx Terrier and Airedale in size. The most desirable weight is about 27 lb. for a dog and 25 lb. for a bitch. They are somewhat higher on the leg than Fox Terriers, and also more racily built.

Irish Terriers

They are expected to present "an active, lively, lithe, and wiry appearance; lots of substance, at the same time free of clumsiness, as speed and endurance, as well as power, are very essential." Front legs should have plenty of bone and muscle, and should be quite straight. Shoulders long and sloping, and chest deep and muscular without being full or wide. The back is moderately long, and it should be strong and straight. Loins bioad and powerful, and slightly arched; ribs deep rather than round. The neck is a fair length, and the head is long, with a skull that is flat, and rather narrow between the ears, which are small and V-shaped. Eyes a dark hazel colour, small and not prominent. Whole coloured bright red, red-wheaten, or yellow-red, are the preferable colours, and the coat should be hard and wiry.


For the Irish Terrier I recommend foods containing potatoes, wheat, rye poultry, mutton (lamb), and fish. I also recommend that you avoid feeding an Irish Terrier any white rice, brown rice, avocado, or soy products. Native food supplies of Ireland for this breed would have been the potato, wheat, rye, flax, game birds of the woodcock variety, fish, and mutton. So when considering the food for this breed, remember the ingredients that would have gone into Irish Stew. These ingredients represent the food supplies that have been in Ireland for centuries. Also remember the number of rice paddies you can find in Ireland is zero.

Irish Terriers Highly Jump

A research program on footpad hypekeratosis, also called naso-plantar keratoderma, is ongoing in the
laboratories of CNRS-University of Rennes I (Dr Catherine André, Rennes, France) and Antagene (Dr Anne Thomas, Lyon, France), since november. This disease affects both the Irish Terriers and the Dogues de Bordeaux. In order to unravel the genetic causes of the disease in both Irish Terrier breeds, collecting cases and having side by side clinical and epidemiological data in the 2 breeds will strongly help for their comprehension.

1. Clinical signs are well described in Dogue de Bordeaux :
- hyperkeratosis of footpads (usually on the four paws), and sometimes of the nose. Some dogs are
only affected on nose,
- age of onset between 4 and 9 months old (after one year old, a dog could be considered as healthy)
- the disease is disabling for young dogs and slightly ameliorates with the age

2. Inheritance in both breeds is suspected to involve one gene and to be autosomal recessive.

In order to better characterize the clinics and the genetic causes, a research program is pending with
the collaboration of veterinarian surgeons specialised in Dermatology, geneticists and the help of
breeders and kennel clubs. For research purpose, we need DNA from affected and healthy dogs:

- A blood sample (on EDTA tube) or a cheekswab sample (kits are available from Antagene)
- A copy of the pedigree
- Sampling and clinical certificates (available on www.antagene.com)
- For affected dogs, an histopathological examination is major to confirm the diagnosis, it will allow to
exclude any other cause.

Irish Terriers

The ultimate aim of this research is to finalise a genetic test to determine if the dog is  healthy carrier  or  affected by the disease with a simple DNA sample obtained from blood or cheekswab. The early detection of carrier dogs will allow a better management of breeding by avoiding production of affected dogs and eventually decreasing the frequence of the disease in those breeds. In addition, this disease exists in human, all forms are not genetically understood, and the results of this genetic study in Irish Terrier dog will help human medicine to identify the responsible genes, or to explore common pathways between human and dogs.

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Koi Maintenance and Care Pumps and Skimmers

You next have to estimate the volume of your pond in cubic feet using equations for the shape or by drawing top and side views of your pond to scale on graph paper and counting the squares. Each cubic foot equals 7.5 gallons of water so find out how many total gallons of water your pond and filter system will hold. Remember, you will need to keep the water level 10 inches from the top of the rocks, bricks or what ever material you have surrounding the edge of the pond to keep critters out and fish in the pond. Koi can jump higher than you think and many have jumped out of a pond when startled. Once you know the gallonage of your pond, then select a pump that will turn over that amount of gallons within 2 hours. Less time is better.

So if you have a 4000 gallon pond, add 25% for the water in the rest of the system and filters for a total of 5000 gallons and select a pump that can pump at least 2500 gallons per hour or dividing by 60 minutes gives about 42 gallons per minute. It is much, much better to use two pumps for your pond for the following reasons. First, you can plumb your system so if one pump goes out you can switch the total filter system to the other pump. Second, when you go to treat your pond with chemicals for parasites or bacteria, you will need two pumps to run the pond and the separate filter system. A 1/6 Hp pump will deliver 42 gpm and will cost about $350 to purchase and about $15-20 per month to run depending on your electricity rates.

High efficiency Hp Lim brand Wave pumps are available for about the same purchase cost and run for about $35 per month electricity and pump 80-100 gpm depending on the head. What is head? Head is the distance in vertical feet the pump must raise the water from the pump to wherever it is going, say to your filter. For above ground tank filters this is probably around 6 feet. But there are losses in the piping and bends due to friction so you may have another 5 feet of head due to these losses.

So when you look at a pump curve, you see a curved line showing less pump flow for higher heads because it takes more work for the pump to push the water higher. Look at the point on the curve with a head of about 10-12 feet to determine your true water flow. Always use 2 inch diameter PVC piping into your pump and from your pump to the filter to reduce head loss. Always use a minimum of schedule 40 PVC pipe or ABS that is the black plastic piping for drains. Minimize the use of sharp 90 degree elbows by using two 45 degrees together, ABS generous 90 degree sweeps or PVC flex pipe. PVC flex pipe must be painted to protect it from the sun’s UV. Koi pond pumps are not the 1.5 – 2 Hp monster pumps used for swimming pools.

Koi pond pumps are good at pushing water but not good at sucking water so koi pond pumps should be placed in a water tight vault below the water line of the pond or pre-filter to always maintain positive water head pressure on the inlet. Pumps will suck down a pre-filter 1-3 inches before equilibrium is obtained on incoming water from the pond and outgoing water from the pump. If you must place a koi pump above the water line of the source, install a flow directional gate or check valve to keep water in the pipe going to the pump when the electricity goes off. This will keep the pump primed with water and avoid the pump sucking air when the power returns.

This check valve should be below water line. This type of valve is also important if you forgot to design a bottom drain into your pond and you are bringing the water up and over the edge of the pond to the pump. You must keep water in the line going into the pump when the power goes off to have the pump work properly when the power comes back on. Pumps don’t pump air very well. Swimming pool pumps resolve this with high suction, high Hp pump design. In-pond submersible pumps like Cal or Rio pumps can work for koi ponds. However, be forewarned, I have had Cal pumps leak oil and also leak small amounts of electricity into the water which will damage the koi. But I use these pumps to move water from one place to another and am always handling the pump. If placed into the pond and left alone, this may take years or may never happen with Cal pumps.

 Rio pumps are ceramic without oil so that issue is resolved but they will destroy themselves if run while dry without water present. High efficiency koi pumps are usually available in 1/15, 1/6, and 1/3 Hp models. Several manufacturers are available with good pumps but I can recommend the W. Lim pumps series called Wave pumps or Dragon pumps for efficient pumps as the ones I chose for maximum efficiency and water flow.

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Koi For Style Garden ponds Long Boxes and Round Bowls Totorial and Tips

Koi for Ponds can be formal shapes like long boxes and round bowls or informal Japanese style garden ponds as long as there are no dead water corners or stagnant locations.

However, ponds imitating bent rivers or L shape are best for koi because the koi can’t see around the corner and will spend all of their time swimming back and forth from one end of the pond to the other looking for food. This exercise is good for koi. The old style koi pond with in-pond downflow, gravel filter at one end of the pond separated by a block wall that stops 6-12 inches below the surface accomplishes this same curiosity in the koi who can’t see thru the block wall so are constantly swimming into the filter area. Koi in a round or kidney shaped pond will do Ok but jets may be needed to make the koi swim more against a current for better growth and health. Any shape pond can work but there are some rules.

Make the walls vertical or almost vertical. If you add a ledge 18 inches deep to place water plants into your koi pond you are providing access to raccoons and blue herons to your pond and koi. If you must add plants, use the floating plastic baskets designed for water lilies and do not build a ledge into your pond if you can avoid it. If you must have a ledge, there are electric fence devices and motion detectors with either sound or spraying water to combat these predators to some degree. But even with them, you may lose some koi to predators. Local building codes usually treat koi ponds like swimming pools if they are over 3 feet deep.

Koi For Style Garden

So the rules for concrete swimming pools including permits, rebar, bond beam perimeter and grounding of rebar will apply. You should also ground your pump. You MUST use GFI or Ground Fault Interrupter plugs or circuit breakers for any electrical used for a pond for not only the safety of the koi but for yourself. Many of the materials, processes and codes applying to swimming pools will also apply to koi ponds but DO NOT let a swimming pool contractor design your pond and filter system. Use someone who knows pond design or learn and design it yourself and then use swimming pool contractors to build to your design. Koi pond and swimming pool systems have much in common but the differences are very important to proper functioning and maintenance of a koi pond.

One difference is a koi pond requires a bowl shaped bottom sloping to a bottom drain with no corners or flat areas for proper automatic bottom cleaning. Swimming pools have flat bottoms that would require constant cleaning for a koi pond owner. Swimming pools use expensive to operate, high Hp pumps and pressure filters intended to mechanically filter the water for 4-5 hours each day. Koi ponds use inexpensive to operate, low Hp pumps feeding filters that grow beneficial bacteria to treat the water 24 hrs/day. Always design 3-4 inch bottom drains into your pond at the far end from the water source or waterfall and every 20 feet across the bottom with the bottom of the pond sloping to these drains. A surface skimmer will also be required to keep the surface free from the dust and debris on the surface of your pond.

Place the skimmer furthest from the waterfall or where the wind usually blows across the pond for maximum efficiency. Either a swimming pool skimmer or a no niche skimmer may be used. The no niche skimmer requires pump suction to operate properly. A swimming pool type skimmer line is often Y branched into a line from a bottom drain so the flow from the bottom drain pulls the flow from the skimmer. Rocks, bricks or material surrounding the pond must be raised to not allow any runoff form the surrounding area. A 10inch drop from the top of the rocks surrounding the pond to the surface of the water will resolve any raccoon or cat problems and will usually keep the koi from jumping out.

Koi Pond Materials

Prefabricated fiberglass ponds are available up to 2000 gallons and can be installed above or below ground. PVC or Butyl rubber liners are also available to create in ground ponds and will last 20 or more years. Bottom drains are available for liner ponds. Many ponds are made with concrete blocks placed on a concrete base. However most ponds are concrete, shot-crete or gunnite. Concrete ponds with Red Label additive will harden quickly and tight so no sealer is required and they can be filed immediately. Shot-crete or gunnite ponds are porous and will require a sealer on the inside of plaster, Thoroseal (plastic cement compound), Hecht rubber or other sealer compounds for water basins. Hecht rubber requires proper surface preparation and primer for proper adhesion.

All concrete, shot-crete and plaster ponds will require Muriatic acid wash to remove lime and lye from the surface layers or gallons of vinegar in the first water fill to do this task over 3-4 weeks. This acid wash is done prior to coating the pond surface. People have also laid their own fiberglass pond using resin and matting because they could do it in stages. Plaster must be applied in one application to provide a good seal and must not ever be exposed above the water line so the top 8-10 inches of your
pond will probably require Thoroseal which is not sensitive to cracking with air exposure like plaster. This is the reason swimming pools have tile around the edge. All of these products work if instructions are followed.

Caution – do not ever allow treated wood to come in contact with pond water, it contains arsenic. Bare redwood or cedar is OK if not treated. Know what is in your stain or surface coating on decks that could have runoff into your pond. Even some decorative bricks have been known to poison ponds when in constant contact with pond water. Do not use copper or galvanized pipe for koi pond plumbing, use PVC or ABS plastic pipe. Some brass valves are probably OK.

Some water garden designers suggest rocks and gravel in the bottom of the pond for its natural
look. Rocks are bad because your koi will scrape themselves on sharp edges. In nature, streams have quickly running water and a mud bottom to clean the debris from this quagmire. Your concrete or liner pond has neither fast flow over or thru this material so it will just collect debris and become a smelly cesspool over time which will require periodic emptying of the pond and cleaning of this material while your filter bacteria die due to the pond being down. This cesspool will also grow hydrogen sulfide gas that will kill fish and anaerobic bacteria will grow, which is not good. So I cannot recommend this type of pond.

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Koi High Quality Grooming and Maintenance

Most people attend my tutorial lecture because they bought a home with an existing pond or are considering the construction of a pond in their yard. The second group is luckier because they still have time to avoid many common mistakes in pond and filter design. The first thing you need to decide before starting to design a pond is what do you really want from your pond? Do you want a landscape feature only? Do you want the sound of moving water from a waterfall to add sound to your visual treat? Do you want to be able to watch large fish swim gracefully to add relaxation to your view or do you really just want a water garden with plants and maybe some goldfish? Do you want to buy expensive koi to compete in shows for prizes as a hobby?

The answers to these questions are critical before you take the next step so think about them. The consequences of the answers are mostly financial in the cost of building and running a pond. Small water garden ponds, say less than 1000 gallons, may or may not have a waterfall. If they just contain water plants and some fancy goldfish, they do not require 24hr/day pumping of water and do not require a filter. They may have a fountain squirting water to aerate the water for the goldfish or no pump at all. If this is the kind of water feature you really want, contact Van Ness Water Gardens in Upton, CA for their catalog or your nearest water garden dealer for instruction on how to build, properly stock and maintain a balanced water garden.

Koi Fish From Japan

The purpose of this lecture is koi ponds although some of the materials and processes also could
apply to water gardens. I recommend koi ponds to be at least 1000 gallons (8.5ft by 4ft with 4 ft
average depth) and they cost more to build than small water gardens. Koi ponds DO require a filter to clean the contaminants the koi put into the water and a pump to feed the filter running 24 hr/day to maintain the bacteria in the filters costing more electricity than water gardens. I will discuss more on cost when we get to the discussion on pumps. Koi will root around plants in a pond to eat the roots of plants and make a mess likely to end up clogging your pump. Plastic baskets are made for floating plants to avoid this problem. Also, oxygenating plants do add oxygen to the water during the day but take oxygen out of the water at night when the oxygen levels are the lowest and also reduce the pH in the pond by addition of CO2 at night. This reduction of oxygen at night is not good for koi with heavily stocked ponds.

So, you want to build a pond for koi. The next decision is how large of a pond. The general rule of koi ponds is “build the largest koi pond the first time that fits into your landscape, budget and koi collection plans”. The larger the pond, the less sensitive it is to small mistakes in water or pond management. However, the larger the pond the more it will cost to build and in electricity to run the pump for reasonable water turn over rate thru the filters. Not to mention the fact, 90% of existing ponds become overstocked with koi for the size of the pond. When you think about it, koi in a wild or natural lake have thousands of gallons of water for each fish. A conservative rule of thumb for koi pond stocking is one 12 inch koi for each 200 gallons of water and each 10 square feet of surface area. You can cheat on the 10 square foot rule by adding aeration of the water with a waterfall or air pump with air stones. You can cheat on the 200 gallons per 12 inch koi by having an oversized or larger filter system for the size of the pond as koi dealers must do to keep very high stocking rates. More on this in the filter discussion.

Koi ponds should be a minimum of 3 feet deep sloping from the waterfall at the shallow end to greater depth at the bottom drain end. 4 to 5 feet depth is better for several reasons. Koi feel less stressed from potential predators and their bodies grow better with greater pond depth. Greater depth yields more water volume. Greater depth provides a more stable water temperature. However, larger and deeper koi ponds make it more difficult to catch koi and koi seem to swim up and down instead of horizontally for best viewing. Raccoons and Blue Herons love fish ponds only 18 inches deep because it is easy for these predators to enter and exit the pond to catch fish. We call these ponds bird buffets. A step in the side of a pond 18 inches deep for water lilies also provides an dangerous entry point for these predators.

Do you want to only be able to enjoy this water feature when you are outside on your patio or do you want to enjoy this feature during the winter months from the warm environment of your home? I suggest the second choice based on my personal experience. So place your pond where you can see it from windows or glass doors in popular living space like dens or kitchens. This will also give you more opportunity to hear fish jumping while trying to tell you there is a problem in your pond like parasites. Local building codes probably restrict how close a pond can be built to the property line (8 feet in my city). You will need a drain pipe to dump water from filters being cleaned to the sewer so figure that into your design.

Yes, you can dump the dirty water into gardens and onto the lawn as long as you never put salt into your koi pond and I can tell you now, you will use salt someday to kill parasites. So plan for a sewer dump. Do not place the pond under deciduous trees with leaves if you can avoid it. If you do, plan to clean the leaf trap or surface skimmer daily. Ponds can be below or above ground or partially both. The ground helps to stabilize the water temperature in the pond so in ground ponds have more stable water temperature. Note- many city codes require locked or self closing gates and doors from homes to the backyard, high fences and perhaps even a wrought iron fence around ponds to keep children from drowning. So check the local code requirements.

Do not place koi ponds where rain runoff can get into the pond from hillsides, adjacent ground or from the roof of your home. Add gutters or French drains to resolve these issues if necessary. How does this water feature fit into the overall landscape plan for your yard? Balance of pond to gardens or lawn is usually important in any landscape.

grooming 

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Recommended Maitenance Care and Health Food Koi Fish

Feeding Koi a Strong Champion Body Shape and Best Color

One of the goals of the annual Texas Koi & Fancy Goldfish Societies annual spring fish sale and seminars was to bring some high quality but affordable baby koi to Texas along with an English speaking Japanese koi dealer, Mr. Megumi Yoshida and a guest Japanese koi breeder. If you were able to attend our club’s 10th annual spring fish sale and seminars (the first weekend in April) you could have met and talked koi with Futoshi Maruyama the current second generation owner/operator of Maruyama koi farms located in Isawa, Yamanashi, Japan. We asked Futo for advice about feeding and growing adult female Koi to get best body shape and color development results. He drew something similar to the graph that follows:

Koi Fish

- 50F – 60F - Do not feed adult koi. Important that koi be fasted (2-3 yr. old koi for 4 to 6 weeks/older koi 6 to 8 weeks) at 55F - to cause reabsorbion of excess fat. Also allows koi to rest and develop stronger color purity and depth.

- 60F – 70F - Begin feeding low protein food (.025%) of koi body weight daily. Slowly increase to 0.5% as water temperature rises closer to 70F.

- 70F – 85F - Increase feeding of low protein food to 1.0% up to 1.5% of total koi body weight as water temperature rises.

- 80F – 70F (Water Cooling Down) - Increase feeding with HIGH protein food to 2.0% to 3.0% of body weight.

- 70F – 65F (Water Cooling Down) - Decrease feeding with LOW protein food to 1.5% to 1.0% of body weight.

- 65F – 60F (Water Cooling Down) - Decrease feeding with LOW protein food to 0.5% to 0.25% of body weight.

Futo emphasized that there were many extremely important issues to remember when growing and feeding koi in a hobbyist koi pond.

1) Best results will be from ponds containing similar sized koi. Either keep all small koi (less than 14 inches), or medium sized koi (15 inches to 24 inches) or larger koi (over 24 inches) together in same pond. Mixed sized koi ponds limit larger koi from developing to their full potential. Smaller koi feed more aggressively and will get too much food and get too fat while larger koi will get less food and grow less.

2) Water quality and highest possible levels of aeration are most important. You must not feed more food to your koi than your filter system can handle and still maintain high water quality.

3) Natural sunlight is very important. If you cover your pond be aware that if you filter too much sunlight the koi’s ability to develop color, especially it’s shiny quality, and full depth will be prevented.

4) Feed fresh high quality koi food. Vitamins lose potency in a few weeks. Store in air tight containers in cool, dry area.

5) Never feed color food. Color food harms color layer and dulls the skin sheen. This will confuse owner as to proper condition.

6) Always better to feed too little than too much.Most hobbyists feed too much and feed incorrectly based on season and food type.

Koi are a four season fish. To develop best body shape it is important that two year old koi and older koi fast (not be fed) for 4-8 weeks each winter. Should be kept at about 55F during this time and allowed to rest and develop full color depth and shininess. Larger and older fish need longer fast. (8 weeks) Medium sized and younger koi can have shorter fast (4 weeks).

Feed Koi Fish high quality low protein food almost all year. Low protein food is between 30% to 34% protein. Try different high quality koi food brands. Some are better than others. Futo said brand is not important but thinks commercial Japanese koi foods are best.Watch white color as well as red. Your want both colors to develop together and be bright, clean and deep.

Feed Koi high quality high protein food for short period only 4-8 weeks (maximum) after water temperature starts coming down (early fall) This is when you should feed high protein food. High protein food is between 36% to 44% protein. Stop feeding high protein food when water temperatures drops below 74-75F. Increase aeration and filtration to maximum when feeding high protein food.Watch water quality very carefully when feeding high protein food. Switch to low protein or reduce amount of food given. Many Hobbyist filter systems cannot handle.

If you want you can continue feeding after dark but only once in evening and again once before sunrise. Koi need to rest most of night. Watch carefully for any sign of floating koi feces. If seen
you are feeding too much or too often or both. Reduce feeding or switch to better quality food.

Watch water conditions carefully. If foam is seen on surface in morning this indicates more organics than your filter can handle. You need to reduce feeding, or increase filter maintenance or increase filter size, increase aeration, or try different koi food with less protein. Turn off pond skimmer occasionally at night to better determine foam production in mornings which indicates more organics
than your system can process. Futo finished by emphasizing that three things are necessary to successfully grow a koi into Grand Champion quality. They are listed in order of importance:

• Highest Water Quality
• Proper feeding and care
• Koi with best genetics capable of growing large and developing deep beautiful color and shiny skin.

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Betta Fish Recommended Care

Betta Fish, also known as “Siamese Fighting Fish,” are native to Southeast Asia, typically in the areas of Thailand and Cambodia. They are usually 2-3 inches in length and can live as long as 3 years. Males have small, sharp teeth and flare their gills, displaying graceful colored fins when excited. Females are smaller than males, and tend to have a more peaceful demeanor, and have a less-vibrant color normally a brownish-yellow.

Betta Fish Diet:

Bettas are carnivorous fish. In the wild, they feed upon insects and insect larvae. Their upturned mouths, make the Betta well suited for snatching insects that fall into the water. Because their digestive system is geared for meat, Betta Fish should ideally be fed brine shrimp, daphnia, plankton, bloodworms, beef heart, or other “live foods.” Bloodworms, or other foods that float, are easier to remove from the water if your fish does not eat all of what is fed to him. You should only feed your Betta Fish 2-3 times a week, and only enough per feeding for your fish to consume in a couple of minutes. Check your fish’s water ten minutes after feeding it and remove any excess food using a small net. Over-feeding your fish can cloud the water, making it dirtier much quicker, and can also cause illness in your fish.

Betta Fish Red

Betta Bowl Set Up:

Betta Fish are called “fighting fish” for a reason: Do not place more than one betta fish in a bowl! They are highly territorial and will react violent to “betta intruders” in their territory. They can be housed with peaceful fish (mollies, small gold fish, fancy guppies to name a few) or even African Dwarf Frogs. Your Betta’s bowl should be kept away from sources of hot and cold air, such as heaters, heater vents, direct sunlight, drafts, and air conditioner vents. Ideal water temperatures
for your fish’s water range from 70 – 80o Fahrenheit. The water should be changed once the water grows cloudy, usually about once a week. After removing your fish and placing him in a container, rinse the bowl and any decorations (rocks, shells, plastic plants, etc.) with clean water.

Tap water may be used to fill your fish’s bowl if it’s not highly chlorinated, as chlorine is toxic to fish.
Water must be room temperature (75 -86o Fahrenheit). One of the best ways to meet both of these
conditions, if your water is not too highly-chlorinated, is to fill an empty jug with your tap water and
leave the cap off for 24 hours. The next day, replace the cap and store the jug until its ready for use.
By doing this, the water meets room temperature, and the chlorine dissipates into the air.

Betta Fish Interesting Facts:

What’s that bubble nest you see floating on the surface of your Betta Fish’s bowl? In the wild, male bettas build a nest of bubbles and saliva to attract a female mate. This is what you’re seeing, even though he has no hopes of a mate, unless you are a fanatic Betta Fish Breeder! Why can Betta Fish survive in small bowls, without a bubbler? Betta Fish are born with a special organ called a “labyrinth”. This sac-like organ is located right above the Betta’s gills, and allows the Betta to absorb oxygen through the air (you’ll notice your Betta coming to the surface for “gulps” of air).

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Maintenance Care And Food Betta Fish

Betta Fish life started out in a small plastic cup. His next home was a small glass jar and later he enjoyed the luxury of a five gallon tank with water filter and aerator. But let’s face it, his tank was much like every other fish’s tank: Standard issue with standard options: plastic water toys, fake rocks, the occasional half dead plant. I wanted  Betta Fish to move up in the world. He was better than the other fish and therefore needed better accommodations. If the fish tank was an apartment building then Fishy Wishy should live in the penthouse suite. I had grand plans but my wife had just enrolled in university to get her teaching degree and so she put a lid on any new purchases which unfortunately
included fishy penthouses. I needed to be creative with a low budget.

Penthouse suites are up, on the top floor, overlooking the residents below. I needed to somehow elevate Betta Fish above the others. I thought of tubes, elevators, ramps, and canals but these were all complex and potentially expensive schemes. In the end the solution was simple. I took a large clear glass cranberry juice bottle, filled it with water, inverted it in the tank and raised it up, stopping just before leaving the tank’s surface. I expect most people will remember the science behind this,
something about atmospheric pressure on the outside matching the inside pressure but for me all that mattered was that I had a water filled penthouse suite ready for my Betta Fish. I used some old particleboard to keep the bottle permanently suspended above the tank.

Betta Fish On Glass

While I was certain this was the right home for Betta Fish, Betta Fish was not so sure. You see, for a Betta fish, the water’s surface is a sacred barrier to be treated with ultimate respect. Below it is “fish-world” while above it is a world for creatures who serve the fish (and the occasional threadsuspended dried bloodworm which, for some reason unknown to the fish world inhabitants, has not been seen in ages). As a betta fish…well, as a Fighting Fish…you can venture into the world above but only very briefly. Extended visits result in certain death. Over and over Betta Fish would swim up to where the water surface should have been…and stop. The sacred barrier should be there, but it was not. It was now a portal into the other universe. “Should I cross over? Can I ever return? Will I die?” Days went by.

Then after days of me sitting, staring, watching, he finally crossed over, up into the portal, boldly going where no fish has gone before, looking down upon Water World below him. A small step for a fish, a big step for fishkind. My wife and I, well…I celebrated for the rest of the day. Betta Fish took up residence in the penthouse suite rather quickly. Because of the curvature of the jar he appeared larger than life relative to the fish below. This made Betta Fish and I both feel good
with me noting to my wife “Honey! Look how big he looks!”

Having established the penthouse as his territorial home, other fish that would come close to the barrier portal would be quickly chased off. Brine shrimp, not being smart enough to understand portals and parallel universes, would occasionally venture across the barrier and into the suite. From Fishy Wishy’s perspective, this was some curious combination of homeinvasion and ordering-in. The penthouse was clearly exclusive Betta Fish territory.

Betta Fish

Betta Fish was well set up. He was a strong fish having honed his hunting skills. He had plenty of food. He had the best pad in all of Water World. What he needed now was someone to share his fortune with. He needed a female partner. Now let’s be clear about something. I liked Fishy Wishy but one fish was enough. I was not ready to start a family of fish. Under the title of “How to Entertain Your Betta Fish” a supply of female Bettas would likely be at the top of Fishy Wishy’s list but you have to draw the line somewhere. He would have to settle for a reasonable substitute.

With lonely Fishy Wishy gawking on through his penthouse suite I picked up a Betta Fish book I had bought some time ago. As I flipped through the book I found a small picture of a female Betta on. For those who don’t know already, male Bettas are the amazingly beautiful of the two sexes. The females are not nearly as attractive as the males. (My wife says it’s just the opposite with humans, or at
least it is in our household.) But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and by simply lifting up to the Penthouse, Fishy Wishy immediately changed his expression. I allowed to “swim” past the tank a few times. It was clear that this was what Fishy Wishy was looking for. He was now swimming in circles.

Suspecting that a female fish being followed by several hundred words of text may not be conducive to the full effect, I got out a pair of scissors and extracted the essential ingredient from. With a little wire and tape, I had a reasonable facsimile of a female Betta. I spent most of the afternoon doing my
best to make the paper cutout as attractive as possible, perfecting the “seductive swim by” with each pass. Part way through the process my wife came home. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me. “That’s sick.” Trying to be smart I replied, “But honey, it’s just a fish”. That didn’t help much. From her perspective I had sunken to a new low but I didn’t care. I knew Betta Fish had risen to a new high. His happiness was my happiness. Figuring Fishy Wishy had enough for one day I went to bed and got plenty of sleep that night.

The next morning we awoke to a surprise. Fishy Wishy had built a bubble nest in his Penthouse suite! Quickly referring to what was left, I read that when Betta fish are ready to mate, they create little bubble nests that float on the surface. I was thrilled. Fishy Wishy wanted a family of his own. You can be certain you have a happy, comfortable Betta when he makes his first nest. I felt I had accomplished all of my goals. Even my wife was excited about Fishy Wishy’s paternal urges. “Honey, can we get a real female Betta for Fishy Wishy?”, she asked. But you have to draw the line somewhere. After all, it’s just a Betta fish.

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BETTA FISH THE FIGHTING FISH GUIDE AND TIPS

Does that sound like appropriate prey BETTA FISH for a Fighting Fish? I didn’t think so. Fishy Wishy needed something more challenging. Off to the pet store I went. I discovered the wonders of “brine shrimp”. Brine shrimp are very tiny creatures that swim around in salt water. The pet store worker will scoop up a quantity of brine shrimp equivalent to half the population of a small country and put them in a bag of water for the easy price of $2.00. Arriving home beaming at the thought of feeding live prey to Fishy Wishy it dawned on me, fresh water Bettas…salt water brine shrimp? Problem. Not one to let a small technicality slow me down I decided to take out a couple brine shrimp, rinse them in fresh water and release them into Fishy Wishy’s tank. The brine shrimp didn’t seem to mind their new environment, possibly because we all expected their visit to be a short one.

Betta Fish

My first observation was that Betta Fish Wishy seemed to “hear” the brine shrimp before he could see them. The shrimp were behind a rock and there was no line of sight between them and their new predator. Fishy Wishy immediately went into “hunter mode” as I looked on in anticipation. Fishy Wishy closed in on his prey, then paused, and again moved even closer. Within seconds he took his first victim and then his second. He never felt so alive before…“we” never felt so alive! What could be better than lightly salted shrimp snacks that you can hunt down and eat, all without having to leave your home? With a rinsing bowl of fresh water and a bag of potato chips, both of us snacked
through the rest of the afternoon.

Brine shrimp do not last forever in a bag of water and unfortunately I had about 30,000 remaining. Putting them in the refrigerator helped slow their decay but as they started to go belly up one by one
I desperately needed a way to preserve Fishy Wishy’s food supply. After all, $2.00 here and $2.00 there can add up quickly. I thought, “If cooling them down in the refrigerator helped slow their decay then let’s go all the way.” I would put them in the freezer but before I go on, some points
of clarification.

First: Unlike Sea Monkeys, after freezing or drying, brine shrimp do not come back to life. I was so disappointed.

Second: While it is evident that I can become somewhat attached to a pet fish, brine shrimp do not fall into the same category. Brine shrimp are objects of food for my beloved pet. In my mind, they are not, themselves, pets. They are pet food and as such, being frozen to death is perfectly justifyable in this case. It is important to set your priorities straight, right from the start: Pet, Pet Food.

Now that we cleared that up, how would I freeze 30,000 fresh water-rinsed brine shrimp? In ice cube trays, of course. Yes guests could get confused while mixing drinks but the convenience was too hard
to resist. I mean, after all, each cube would be like a little Betta Fish frozen TV dinner. Pop it out of the freezer, directly into the tank, wait 30 seconds and dinner is served. Fishy Wishy tried pressing his fish lips against his first ice cubed dinner but that proved uncomfortable so he resolved to simply wait below the floating mass. As it thawed, one by one little shrimp snacks would drift down and Fishy Wishy would snatch them up. So much entertainment for just $2.00 a bag!

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Maintenance and Care Arowana

Arowana, also called Dragon Fish, Baramundi, Saratoga, Kelesa, and Aruana, Whether it’s from Asia, So. America, Australia, or Africa, the Arowana is a long, sleek, streamlined fish of great beauty with a unique character. Many Asian Arowanas are endangered and protected species and are not permissible in the US. Arowana are large and often aggressive with the potential for rapid growth. Many believe that Arowanas bring good luck and fortune Average Size Up to 24 inches long, in captivity Life Span Up to 10 years with proper care.

Characteristics Arowana have Mandibular Barbels or Whiskers that are used to sense movement on the water surface. Decorate with minimum plants and décor to allow maximum swimming area and yet provide a hiding place. Avoid sharp objects upon which an Arowana could injure itself.

Habitat and Maintenance Arowana
Check filter, other equipment and water temperature daily. Check water quality at least once a week
Change 25–50% of the total volume of water every week, or as needed

Diet Arowana is carnivorous. In the wild its food consists mainly of insects, fishes and worms Provide live or frozen fish and insects, krill, worms and shrimp (for young Arowana avoid insects or inverts with sharp or very hard shells) Thaw frozen foods before feeding Provide pellets designed for surface feeding carnivorous fish (or Arowana pellet food).

Feeding Arowana These fish are surface feeders often gliding just below the water surface. Feed young fish 2-3 times a day and adults once a day, feed only what they can eat within 3-5 minutes. Feed carefully as Arowanas usually attack their food coiling their bodies like a spring and lunging forward to engulf the food.

Housing Arowana The Arowana is a surface swimming fish, width (front to back) of the tank is more important than its height (top to bottom). A general rule is the width of the tank should be at least the length of the fish. For an Arowana baby a 20 gallon long is adequate for the first two or three months. (Beware that if a fish is left in too small of tank a permanent spinal curvature can occur.) As the fish grows a 55 gallon, then a 125 gallon, and finally a 180 gallon plus for a fullgrown fish is recommended. Always keep tank covered as this fish is an active jumper Provide proper filtration to maintain health, and perform 25-50% water changes weekly. Arowana are more sensitive to nitrites than other fish. Water temperature should range from 72° F. to 82° F.

Compatibility Arowana Adult Arowanas are best kept alone, because of their size and requirements. If housed with other tank mates they must be large enough not to be swallowed whole by the Arowana and must not occupy the upper section of the tank. Most all bottom dwellers are tolerated. Other aggressive fish may ruin the long flowing fins of a beautiful Arowana. Avoid crowded conditions; they are a major cause of stress and disease. Avoid over feeding as this rapidly degrades water quality Maintain good water quality with regular water changes and adequate filtration

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Type Red Arowana And Indonesia Super Red Arowana

Indonesian Arowana and Indonesian Red Arowana

Indonesia is the home of Red Arowana, Red Tail Gold (Indonesian Golden Arowana), Silver Arowana and Green Arowana. Indonesia currently the largest producer of Red Arowana in the world and actively involve the Red Arowana Breading. Red Arowana and Super Red Arowana is the Indonesian Pride and has very high demand as the color Red brings luck, symbol of strength and power in many cultures. Indonesian Red Arowana family consists of Blood Red Arowana, Chili Red Arowana, Orange Red Arowana, Golden Red Arowana, Yellow Red Arowana and Banjar Red Arowana. The Blood Red Arowana, Chili Red Arowana and Orange Red Arowana are groups together and further classified as Super Red Arowana as the Metallic Red Color around the scale is very obvious and all the Super Red Arowana is consider fully Cross Back Arowana.

Banjar Red Arowana Originaly

Blood red Arowana 

Blood red Arowana develop its metallic red ring color around the scale very early 4-9 months age similar to the Malaysian Golden Cross Back Arowana. Blood Red Arowana has dark metallic blue base color at the top part of the scale and metallic green to yellow base at the bottom part of the scale. The infant eye is smaller and the tail is rounded similar to the Malaysian Golden Arowana. The fin is blood red color. The body shapes also the same as the Malaysian Golden Arowana.

Blood Red Arowana

Chili Red Arowana 

Chili Red Arowana on the other hand has a very large orange eye almost touching the head scull and an obvious diamond shape tail red in color. Young Chili Red Arowana has bluish metallic base color and after the age 5-9 months and above the metallic red ring color can be seen very conspicuously. At the age 1-2 years the red metallic ring around the scale and the base color will be fully develop. The top part is dark green in color.

Chili Red Arowana

Orange Red Arowana 

Orange Red Arowana is the most affordable to purchase the ring metallic color is orange and the metallic base color is orange yellow or light green. The tail is rounded less red and usually develops its full color after 1-3 years of age.

Golden and Yellow Red Arowana or Super Red Arowana

Golden and Yellow Red Arowana are the lowest quality of Red Arowana more common and affordable to purchase the ring metallic color is metallic yellow and the metallic base color is golden yellow or light green. The tail is rounded less red and usually develops its full color after 3-5 years of age. This Arowana is the results of cross breed with Yellow Tail or Green Arowana.

Super Red Arowana

  

Banjar Red Arowana

Banjar Red Arowana is similar to the Yellow Tail or Green Arowana, the tail is rounded red in color and the scale is metallic green in color. This is the most affordable Arowana as the price is affordable and the color is very much attractive.

Other Indonesian Arowana

Indonesia also the home for the Red Tail Golden, Grey Tail Silver Arowana and Green Arowana. These Arowana is more affordable and the supply is plenty. RTG or Indonesian Golden Arowana come from Pekan Baru Riau Sumatera Indonesia is very similar to Malaysian Golden Arowana available in Johore State during the old days. The Indonesian Golden Arowana (RTG) also has base color; Blue, Green and Golden. The only difference is the Rim is larger. The Rim is the Golden Color at the end if the scale. Most of the RTC is High Back or Super High Back Arowana. To date cross back RTG or the Golden Head RTG is not known.

Home of the Indonesian Arowana

Red Tail Golden Arowana Original Kalimantan

The famous Blood Red and Chili Red Arowana come from the Lake Sentarum in West Kalimantan Indonesia. Lake Sentarum consists of many small lakes connected to each other and link to River Kapuas. The Red Tail Golden (Indonesian Golden Arowana) originated from Pekan Baru Riau Sumatra Indonesia, and Indonesian Silver with Grey Tail Arowana from Borneo Indonesia.

Conclusion

Making a choice to become Arowana lover is the best decision to many people. They enjoy the beauty of the Arowana, they learn to take care the Arowana. Since Arowana has good prices it is a hobby that can be converted into business and contributed to our life style. Many people begin with Amazon Silver Arowana costs about USD10 a piece and move on to Yellow Tail Arowana, Green Arowana, Banjar Red Arowana, RTG, Malaysian Golden High Back, Red Arowana, Malaysian Golden Cross Back Arowana and finally Malaysian Golden Head Arowana.

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Rype Golden Arowana And Type Malaysian Arowana

The most expensive and most colorful Arowana in the world originated from Malaysia is the Malaysian Golden Arowana. There are many verities of the Malaysian Golden Arowana, 1st the Golden Arowana can be identified by observing the scale metallic based color and 2nd its can be identified by the level of goldenness around the scale, fully golden or all round golden is know as cross back, half golden is know as high back and golden quality between the cross back and the high back is known as super high back. Beside size, the brightness of the metallic base color and the level of goldenness of the scale will determine the quality and price of the Arowana. Malaysia Golden Arowana, fin and dossal usually red in color.

Malaysian Arowana

Malaysian Golden Arowana

Malaysia is the origin of most varieties of Arowana. The Malaysian Golden Arowana further classified to 4 types of Arowana with different base color;

High Back Arowana
Malaysian Golden High Back Blue Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden High Back Rainbow Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden High Back Golden Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden High Back Green Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden High Back Silver Base Arowana

Super High Back Arowana
Malaysian Golden Super High Back Blue Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Super High Back Rainbow Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Super High Back Golden Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Super High Back Green Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Super High Back Silver Base Arowana

Cross Back Arowana
Malaysian Golden Cross Back Blue Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Cross Back Rainbow Base Arowana
Malaysian Gold Cross Back Golden Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Cross Back Green Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Cross Back Silver Base Arowana

Golden Head Arowana
Malaysian Golden Head Cross Back Blue Base Arowana
Malaysian Golden Head Cross Back Golden Base Arowana

Malaysian Chili Red

The less expensive Malaysian Golden Arowana is the Malaysian Golden High Arowana; Malaysian Super High Back is an Arowana which quality less to the Cross Back and higher than the High Back and today the most marketable Arowana in Malaysia as the price is affordable. The Malaysian Golden Arowana has a very distinct golden color around the scale and the verities metallic base color in the scale. The Super High back, Cross Back and Golden Head Arowana has golden color ring almost all the scale and usually fully develop after 9 months age. The High Back Arowana can be identified after 2-3 months age. All of these Golden Arowana verities currently commercially culture at the breading farm in Malaysia mostly in State of Johore and Perak.

Other Malaysian Arowana

Banjar Red Arowana

The other types of Arowana currently culture locally in Malaysia which originally from Australia is Malaysian Pearl Arowana, Originally from Amazon is Malaysian Amazon Silver Arowana and originally from Indonesia is Malaysian Banjar Red, Malaysian Yellow Red, Malaysian Golden Red, Malaysian Orange Red, Malaysian Chili Red, Malaysian Blood Malaysian Red Tail Golden Arowana (Indonesian Golden Arowana). In Malaysia the local Yellow Tail Arowana and Green Arowana also cultured in a breeding pond and supply to the ornament fish lover at affordable price.

Home of the Malaysian Arowana

Red Tail Golden Arowana

Malaysian Golden Blue Base, Rainbow and Green Base Arowana mostly come from Bukit Merah Lake and river connecting the Bukit Merah Lake in State of Perak Malaysia. The Malaysian Golden Golden Base originally from Kerian River in Kedah and Small River in Batang Berjunta Selangor.
The Green Arowana comes from Bera Lake in Johor and Pahang. The Nami Green Arowana comes from Perdu Lake Kedah and Muda River in Kedah. The Malaysian Silver Arowana comes from river and lake in Terengganu. Since the wild Arowana is difficult to find, most of the Arowana currently is the product of aquaculture activities mostly in Perak and Johor.

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South East Asian Variant or Type Arowana as an Ornament Fish

Arowana Fish is the most majestic, most beautiful, most elegant, most exotic, most expensive, most demanded, most admired and a symbol of wealth for many aquarium fish lover in the world. The most beautiful and colorful Arowana in the world originated from the South East Asia mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia. Asian Arowana fossil record dated 140 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous, Amazon Silver Arowana fossil dated 170 million years ago during Middle Jurassic, and African Arowana fossil dated 220 million years ago during the Late Triassic period. Arowana Fish can be considered the most perfected species and can leave until today where most of the dinosaur that leave during the same period already extinct.

Red Arowana

Basically there are five main types of Arowana that originated from the South East Asia Region. The types are Malaysian Golden Arowana from West Malaysia; Red Tail Golden Arowana from Pekan Baru Riau Sumatra Indonesia or known as Indonesian Golden Arowana; Red Arowana from West Kalimantan Indonesia; Silver Arowana from Borneo Indonesia & Cambodia and; Green Arowana from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. Arowana is the most expensive and consider the most beautiful aquarium fish in the world and has a life as long as human being. In the wild Arowana can leave 30-90 years of age. Arowana can be considered a long life pets for many people. The most expensive and the most colorful Arowana is the Malaysian Golden Arowana originated from West Malaysia and the most expensive and the most beautiful Red Arowana originated from West Kalimantan Indonesia.

White Silver Arowana

Since the population of wild Arowana has decline and near extinction many farms are breading Arowana in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Due to the great demand world wide the Arowana are currently classified as an endangered species threatened with extinction in the Convention on the International Trade in Endanger Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Green Arowana still available in abundance in the wild and also considers as an endanger species. There is Green Arowana with purple based color and unique pattern also highly demanded and fetch very high prices. The Arowana fry size is about 2 inches when it starts swimming freely. Usually Arowana achieved a size of about 14 inches after one year old and 18 inches after two years and achieve maximum size of 36 inches after ten years old.

Golden Arowana

Two years Arowana selling prices usually 2-5 times of Arowana size 4-5 inches. Growing Arowana therefore is an excellent investment and a worthwhile hobby that can be enjoyed by many people.
Since Arowana grow very fast in the first two years the minimum size of aquarium recommended is 48’X18”X18”. Larger size of aquarium will reduce water replacement frequency and provide more space for Arowana to swim.

Arowana is an acidic fish and love clean flowing water with PH 6 to PH 7. PH above 7 will make the color less attractive and induce slower growth rate, for fish age below 12 months the grow rate is about one inch a month. PH below 6 on the other hand will make the Arowana become more aggressive and uncomfortable. PH below 3 or above 10 endangers the Arowana life and must be avoided. Red Arowana needs more acidic water PH 5 to PH 6.

Super Red Arowana

In the aquarium due to the limited water quantity the PH reduce from 7 to the lower PH due to Arowana waste and by product. To improve the PH regular change of water is required. Regular changes of water also improve the water quality in improving the minerals level. For 48”X18”x18” aquarium it is recommended that 30 % of the water to be change every one week or whenever the PH goes below 6. The change of 30 % of the water is recommended so that no drastic change in PH, water temperature and chlorine content will affect the Arowana drastically.

Green Arowana

The used of good PH measurement equipment is highly recommended. Excellent water quality free from unwanted virus, bacteria and parasites is the key elements for healthy and long life Arowana. Almost 90 % of Arowana in Aquarium die due to poor water quality, careless during water changing process i.e. adding chlorine tap water to aquarium without applying correct amount of anti chlorine and feeding too much food. Too much food reduces water quality and will encourage bacteria and parasites growth and develop potential disease.

Arowana need minerals, vitamins, good quality water and sufficient balance diet to be healthy. The used of dried sea almond leaf to provide natural organic acids, minerals, vitamins and hormone is highly recommended.

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GROMMING IRISH SETTER BEST CHAMPION SHOW DOG

The Irish Setter's origins remain a mystery. We do know they became popular in Ireland soon after they first appeared there a few centuries ago and that most of today's Irish Setters can trace their linage to Irish kennels. They became popular because their performance as upland bird dogs was unparalleled. They are the tallest of the setters and one of the most handsome. The Irish Setter requires large amounts of fats, as well as a high carbohydrate to protein ratio in its base diet. It will produce a very healthy and shiny coat when the proper balance of fat-to-carbohydrateto protein is provided. The source of the fat in the Irish Setter's diet is very important. The best sources would be from vegetable sources and the worst would be from animal sources, such as beef fat.

IRISH SETTER

This is due to the different sources of fats containing different amounts and ratios of the alpha-Linolenate family. When feeding the Irish Setter, just think of the ingredients for grandma's Irish Stew. These ingredients represent the food supplies found in Ireland for centuries. I think the best food blend for the Irish Setter should contain potatoes and other vegetables such as carrots, rye grains, with meat sources of lamb and poultry. Conversely, I think the least desirable blend would contain horse meat or beef and their by-products, with soy, fish, or rice.

For Irish Setter's those of you who do not know me, I am a professional Canine Beautician of over twenty years I run my own High Street Grooming Salon in Leicester, apart from pet dogs we also have a regular clientele of many breeds of show dogs, and together with our Thendara Irish Setters, I also own and show Afghan Hounds, the ultimate challenge in coat care and presentation! It is important to remember when reading the following that these are my opinions, others may do it differently with equally good results, and there are those that sculpturing and preening of coats is objectionable.

My view is that today’s show IRISH SETTER dog has to be presented to advantage if one wants to compete at the highest level, take a close look at any group at a general championship show, note the top IRISH SETTER, look at their presentation, believe me, they were not just thrown in the bath the night before and quickly hacked at on the bench before their class!

IRISH SETTER

Regardless of how much long feathering the individual dog carries, the crowning glory of the Irish Setter is his unique and beautiful red coat, which should gleam like a new conker. Length and quality of coat is genetic, I do not believe there is anything you can feed to a dog which will make its coat grow longer than its own genetic make up will allow. IRISH SETTER Coat condition is dictated by the animals general health and diet, how it is cared for and seasonal changes, some will moult in the summer months, and the majority of bitches are difficult to keep in condition when they come into season or after a litter, most will drop a lot of coat around that time and the condition will be lost for a while. When my own Bitches are dropping coat, I bath them every few days and brush and brush until all the dead hair is removed, the sooner its gone the sooner the new hair will start to come through.

From the many questions I am asked the main concern for a lot of exhibitors is how to accomplish trimming, but before I go into that lets look at something far more important. BATHING. I do not hold true with the belief that to regularly bath a dog will ‘ruin its coat’,’ is not good for it’, or ‘will wash all the oil from the coat’. ‘Get real’ you cannot change how your dog is made but you can ensure its presentation can compete with the best, learn to cherish every hair.

Never brush or comb the long feathering hair when dry, especially when dirty. Always shampoo and condition first and brush out when towel dried. This should be done at least once a week, or on a male dog it should be done every 3 days. When brushing out at a show always mist the coat first with water.

Every IRISH SETTER coat is different, so trial different products until you find one that suits. You will probably find you will need to use a different shampoo and conditioner on the body to that of the feathering. If your IRISH SETTER dog has thick strong hair with a course feel to it and or a certain amount of wave in the top coat, use a shampoo and conditioner that is rich, such as Plush IRISH SETTER Puppy conditioning shampoo with evening primrose or one made for long flowing coated breeds i.e. Afghans, Llasa Apso etc. Where the feathering is fine use a much lighter shampoo, Plush IRISH SETTER Puppy Body Building shampoo will help boost the volume without flattening the hair, if conditioner is still required use a very diluted, silk protein conditioner. To use something richer as those mentioned above will make fine hair lank.

On the head and body I prefer to use something like Plush IRISH SETTER Puppy’s all purpose shampoo with henna, it gives a great shine, or if there is a build up of conditioning products and or dirt the best clarifying shampoo is Plush Puppy Deep Cleansing shampoo, Which will leave a gleaming coat. When shampooing it is imperative to saturate the dog with warm water, for the first wash dilute your shampoo and rinse through the coat, shampoo the head and body first with your chosen body shampoo and rinse thoroughly now work in the conditioning shampoo through the feathering and rinse out.

 

IRISH SETTER Weight Standards: m - 70 lbs.; f - 60 lbs.
Height Standards: m - 27 inches; f - 25 inches
Coat: Long, flat, silky coat with feathering, Mahogany
Common Ailments: hip dysplasia, bloat, PRA

Cover the entire feathering in conditioner, if there are any tangles work out with your fingers and then brush through with a bristle brush, (wet hair can take far more punishment than dry) dilute some more of the conditioner and pour over the body and rinse out until the body feels squeaky clean, then gently rinse out the remaining conditioner through the feathering until you can feel just a trace left. Squeeze excess water from the coat and towel dry.

I recommend only two types of brush to be used on a show coat the first is a good quality bristle or bristle and nylon type, although expensive I find the best is a Mason & Pearson, the second is a good quality cushioned pin brush. Combing should be done very carefully and only on fully brushed out hair. After towelling start brushing out the long hair with the pin brush, always start from the ends and work up towards the body, use the bristle brush on the body. If you intend to blow dry the coat wait until the coat is just damp, blow-drying very wet hair will knock the body from it.

If your IRISH SETTER dog has quite a short flat body coat, leave to dry naturally, or with maybe just a little warm air being brushed through in the wrong direction this will lift the roots slightly and give more movement to the coat. On thick or wavy types blow dry thoroughly brushing the coat downwards as you go. Now go on to drying the feathering, I start with the front legs working with the brush from the bottom of the leg, brushing each section until dry working up towards the body, I then usually go on to the chest area back legs and tail and finishing on the more delicate under body hair. The coat can then if needed be gently combed into place.

When maintaining IRISH SETTER the coat between shows always use a clarifying shampoo to remove excess conditioning products, oils and other maintenance products, grooming sprays and dirt, then go on to the conditioning shampoo rinse thoroughly and then saturate in conditioner and rinse but leaving some still in, the coat should feel rinsed but slick, alternately a leave in oil treatment such as Plush Puppy Sea Breeze Oil can be used, follow their instructions.

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