DAlberta

I have mixed feelings about feeding feeders to a carnivorous fish but we shouldn't overlook this is done for food ..... not for human entertainment. Most people accept a deer may be hunted and eaten by a larger animal (such as a bear) but many would feel uncomfortable about watching bull fighting. Honestly I don't think this has anything to do with picking on any culture. In retrospect other cultures (most of the world actually) accept the fact organized crime runs their government and local buisinesses. Bribes are commonplace, c*ck fighting, eating dogs and cats and horrific bear farms (which have open wounds to get the bile) are also "cultural practices" which most people in this country firmly reject These betting rings frequently have strong connections to organized crime. We are kidding ourselves if the organizers of these events are conserned about the animal's welfare. True this is an emotional debate but simply turning a blind eye to (deliberatley) abused animals is unacceptable to many (if not most) people here Dave Tortis brings up an important point here, there are cultures that do not have the same views on fish fights that most of you may have. Given the immigration rates in Canada and our supposedly "Multicultural" society a little understanding should be in order. I'm not saying you have to support or condone it, just give the fact that there are some serious cultural differences some consideration. This point has been made before in some of the dyed fish discussions. The gambling / facilitating crime bit is interesting. I have no doubt that the only reason you would see police involvement in this kind of situation is because of the gambling. Hideo said as much if you read his post carefully. I currently make my living in the gaming industry so I've got some perspective on this that I'd like to share. Pretty much nowhere outside of North America is there such a hypocritical knee jerk reaction to unsanctioned gambling or for that matter gambling in general. I deal with gaming organizations in Europe and Asia every day, there is a huge difference in the way gambling is viewed here. I know there's several casinos in town but there is still a certain stigma attached to gambling as recreation. Looking at the original post I honestly can't tell if the poster is more offended about the fish fighting or that people are gambling on it. Again a situation that requires a little consideration of cultural differences. I neither condone or support this practice but I think that the reaction of people here to it is unnessecarily shrill.

You need to put everything in context. No, the mounties would probably not investigate someone buying "fish stuff". They would likely investigate if it was blatantly obvious there was gambling involved. There are animal welfare "officers" which may be interested in animal abuse There are (illegal) gambling events out there. (More than people think). As for animal abuse many (if not most) people turn a blind eye to it Dave

For those who are not aware there is at least one gambling group (here in Calgary) which uses Bettas in their "events" Dave

I would stay away from the railroad ties. They are soaked in creosote (sp?) and will ruin whatever you use to cut them. They also leach a toxic compound into the nearby soil. If you are on the cheap I would by some treated 4" X 6"s (sold at most lumber stores) with sand and a rubber liner. You may be able to get the liner and some slate to put around the top relatively inexpensively at a landscape supply store You probably want to put a "shelf" in your pond so you will be able to put "marginals" (plants which the roots sit in water and the "tops" grow above the surface - like bullrushes) in your pond to help the fish hide from predators Here is a site to figure out how many gallons your pond (or tank) has http://www.metric-conversions.org/volume/c...-to-gallons.htm Dave

Yes, we have a gabillion fry right now! Angels are getting nice lunch every few days Dave

You work in a pet store and a customer (who is buying all of the male bettas) admits his purchase is for an (illegal) betting (gambling) event Would you sell the fish to him? Your input please Dave

I am curious are you a breeder of Bettas??? Welcome aboard btw Dave :beer:

We are conserned she won't make it. Is there anyway to help her along???? Dave

We have a (probably) very pregnant Zebra Danio. She doesn't swim much and is isolated because her buddies are picking on her What can we do for this very pregnant mom? Dave

We have Electric Yellow Labs, Yellow-Tail Aceis, Ob Peacock, Ruby Red Peacock, Zebra Obliquen, Kenyi, Albino Maleri, Eduards Mbunas, and last but not least...a constantly breeding pair of Pink Convicts. Dave

Our Discus are coming to their new home very soon. They will be put in a bare bottom tank (for cleaning purposes) and I am going to add a few terra cotta pots with potted plants Any suggestions on what I could add to this tank for the happy couple to put their eggs on???? Dave :beer:

Women are sometimes like that :shock: Ha ha Dave :P

I am sure everyone here tries to keep their fish happy. Here is a pic of one of our very happy fish! Dave

I am interested in finding out if the "filtered" (sometimes called pure) water found in those five gallon jugs of water (at the grocery store) have the pH altered? (Compared to tapwater) Any thoughts?? Dave

Here is what they look like (I am perfecting my cutting and pasting) Dave :beer: http://images.google.ca/images?sourceid=na...sis&sa=N&tab=wi

Thank you! Dave

Hi Wendy...is this what you were looking for? Plants Tammy

We have a pair of pink convicts which are caring for a gabillion fry. I turned on the light to find all of the youngin were on the very bottom of the tank (within 1/4" of the gravel). Is this normal behaviour for fry when the tank is dark????? Could this be a sign of something else Curious is all Dave

Here is my advice 1. Buy lotsa beer 2. Invite friends over to help dig hole and drink beer 3. When run out of beer (or it is dark out) send everyone home and get what is comming to you from your other half 4. Call someone to come and install your pond fer ya Ha ha! (Just being silly this Friday evening) Dave

I am very interested in how you keep your coleus (on the left side of the tank) alive Dave

No Reply? Dave

Actually I am a bit of an environmental activist and this was in one of the (many) emails I get. Thought it would be an interesting read Redneck News hasn't had much which would interest this crowd ....... stuff like fitting four different size tires on your four wheel drive and making home brew in your bathtub .......... Dave :beer:

Rare Chinese Frog Uses Ultrasonic Communication -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UK: March 16, 2006 LONDON - Bats, whales and dolphins use it to communicate. Baby rodents call their mothers with it and now a rare Chinese frog has shown it can hear and respond to ultrasounds, scientists said on Wednesday. The frog, Amolops tormotus, is the first non-mammalian species known to use the ultra-high frequencies that humans cannot hear. It comes in handy to be heard above the pounding waterfalls and streams in the mountainous region of east-central China where Amolops tormotus, which is known as the concave-eared torrent frog, lives. "Nature has a way of evolving mechanisms to facilitate communication in very adverse situations," said Professor Albert Feng of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "One way is to shift the frequencies beyond the spectrum of the background noise. Mammals such as bats, whales and dolphins do this, and use ultrasound for their sonar system and communication." But until now it was not known that some frogs were able to use ultrasound. Kraig Adler, a biologist at Cornell University in New York, first noticed the frog with no external eardrums while surveying amphibians in China. He told Feng, an auditory neuroscientist who studies frogs and bats, about his find. Feng and his colleagues conducted tests on the frogs to determine whether they could hear and respond to ultrasounds. "Now we are getting a better understanding of why their ear drums are recessed," said Feng, who reported his findings in the journal Nature. "Thin eardrums are needed for detection of ultrasound. Recessed ears shorten the path between eardrums and the ear, enabling the transmission to the ears," he added in a statement. Ultrasounds are high-pitched sounds of more than 20 kilohertz (kHz) frequency -- much higher than the frequency most birds, reptiles and amphibians can hear. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

For those of you who aren't aware I come from a long line of moonshine runners (in Manitoba). I have fond memories of the place. Still have relatives in St Pierre and Interlakes Region (Redneck) Dave :thumbs:

I am far from being a fish mentor but if ya all have n E questions bout redneks I wuld be happy to anser em! Da :beer: Ve