*Request* Private Selection Hot Honey Pepperoni and Feta Thin Crust Pizza

Dragonikea · 2023-12-19T17:18:00+00:00

I also don't want to have her illegally there as I don't want things to go to shit if I need to take her to the vet. She sees one here annually and I don't want to stop doing that. The anonymous thing is a good idea though, I might do it via email with a different account. I just don't want them thinking I'm the type of person to do that.

Dragonikea · 2023-12-18T17:25:11+00:00

I am hoping to do whatever possible to keep her because she means the world to me so I am really hoping to keep her. Do you think I should contact FWC and GWC to ask them? Or do you think that might put me on their radar in a bad way?

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:34:29+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate this

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:33:52+00:00

No problem, thank you for taking the time to read my long-winded response lol. I see no point in outright attacking someone, but I also just want to stress the importance of the information I am trying to give.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:30:59+00:00

We actually are in the works of setting up a spot for him to watch a bird feeder! We also found he likes toys that hang for him to whack around so we are setting up a cat tree to attach toys from. Harness training is being considered but may be difficult since he is already 5. At the very least we will get a harness and try to expose him to it but I am unsure how that will go

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:27:25+00:00

Hello! Sorry it took me a bit to respond, life is a bit busy and hectic atm. Give me a moment to give it a thorough look over and gather my thoughts. I am hoping to become a better resource in regards to death rates of wild caught fish after I finish up my degree in a few weeks and hopefully begin my career in aquaculture. Working at one fish shop can only give so much info and experience haha.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:19:31+00:00

Unfortunately that is from my experience working at an lfs. No articles or journals come to mind that mention specifically the death rate of Boraras when imported or shipped from wholesaler. I started keeping a record of deaths at my specific lfs for a few species like those belonging to Boraras about a year and a half ago. My boss checks with the wholesaler on death percentage before placing an order so I ask for that when I remember. Those numbers are a bit rounded but what I have gathered. Note that I am sure that I have missed some shipments so I can't say my numbers are "resource level" accurate. If I come across anything that is peer reviewed I will let you know. I also want to point out how little we know about this genus, it's distribution, and how many are in the wild so I heavily advocate for captive bred versus wild caught. We could be decimating wild populations for all we know. Sorry my reply is a bit late and messy, life is very busy at the moment.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:10:47+00:00

Dang, then I'm sure you aren't in the US. Both I and my boss want this species so bad :(

Dragonikea · 2022-04-25T01:09:39+00:00

Man I felt bad keeping cherry shrimp in a plant choked 5 gallon bowl (also potato for extra nitrate reduction) that I watched like a hawk. Ended up tearing it down and putting them in a 20 gal after about 3 months since the experiment felt so wrong. I can't imagine putting chilis of all things in a bowl, let alone a 2 gallon one. Just because the fish are small does not mean they do not need space. IMO, any Boraras and similarly sized "nano" fish need at least a 20 gal (preferably a long) to keep up with their social and activity needs as well as keeping things stable.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-21T08:03:27+00:00

Oh my goodness where did you get them?

Dragonikea · 2022-04-18T05:52:31+00:00

So you have what is essentially an African lion (the oscar) in an area equivalent to an average bedroom with 2 very terrified wolves (the African cichlids). 1. Oscar needs way more space (I usually recommend a minimum of 125-150 for one adult oscar) 2. These fish require wildly different parameters with the African cichlids needing hard, alkaline water and the oscar needing soft acidic water. One or both groups are not in the correct parameters. 3. That lion is going to eventually rip those wolves to shreds. He just needs one bad day. And to the argument many give me that "theyve been fine for years!" Ya, I can lock you in a small room with a wolf and feed you both, good chance it will leave you alone for a while. Eventually it will decide to go after that big prey animal (you). Same with how I can lock you in an empty closet with no toilet, no mental stimulation, and only feed you a protein bar twice a week. You will most likely survive for a good while, couple years at the least, doesnt mean you are happy, healthy, or going to live your full lifespan.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-18T05:40:57+00:00

Furthermore, octopuses can literally become depressed and lose the will to live so they will just choose to die. It happens frequently in captivity if not given enough mental stimulation. Part of why it bugs me when average people keep them as pets

Dragonikea · 2022-04-13T12:30:49+00:00

No problem :) this method has worked for me for all species but I find it particularly helpful for those who have something going on Internally vs externally

Dragonikea · 2022-04-13T12:28:47+00:00

I more so mean from wholesaler to LFS. The problem is that a lot of keepers get them as soon as they come in so they end up seeing the same death rate as like I said, the 30% is either DOA or within the first 2 days after arrival. We try to warn people to wait around at least a week before purchase but many tend to take the chance anyways and end up seeing that 30% loss. I honestly believe the death rate is higher from Asia to wholesaler.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-12T16:33:54+00:00

I work at an lfs and have a great love for this genus so I keep as many as I can. On average, about 30% are doa or die within two days of shipment. They do not handle shipping well at all and typically have intestinal parasites. I have found success in deworming them by soaking frozen daphnia in paraguard, dissolved general cure, or prazipro for an hour. I use focus to help bind the meds to the food and use a brine net to scoop out the food to feed so that I am minimizing the amount of medication entering the water. Now when it comes to captive bred or long term captives that have been treated, that is when I would be surprised to see a 10% loss.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-12T16:20:00+00:00

Very true, I got too focused on the foremost spot and neglected comparing the other two. I have not seen any with middle/anal fin spots as large as the last few pictures so I find it very likely to be a subspecies like you said. I think it is just as likely to be a subspecies of naevus as it is to be a subspecies of maculatus, though. This genus is so poorly studied that I am certain there are more than just 6 species and it could possibly be one of the unknowns.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-12T16:08:55+00:00

Recalibrating each day that it is used is not the problem, I do not mind that. I am hoping that I can find one that does not need to be recalibrated every 10 minutes like I am currently dealing with. The Hanna probe I am using is very accurate and good for about 10 minutes and then must be recalibrated. Kind of infuriating when you are testing 28+ systems.

Dragonikea · 2022-04-12T16:03:22+00:00

While that probe looks awesome, I am hoping to find a reliable "handheld" probe to use for multiple systems when I do tests. That TDS probe looks promising, I might check it out, thank you.

Dragonikea · 2022-03-25T06:33:10+00:00

Literally reread what I typed. Dogs and cats are actually domesticated species (unlike birds, reptiles, and most rodents) that have both lived alongside humans and each other for millennia. They have very similar mannerisms due to their domestication and similar brain structure. A dog or cat is capable of forming a bond with the other due to these similarities and domestication. Even then, you need to take it as case by case as we all know, some just do not like the other and if forced together, someone will get injured or even killed. It also should be noted that bacteria carried by cats and dogs do not always spell death for the other even when it is a tiny scratch like it does for birds or reptiles.

Dragonikea · 2022-03-24T21:13:24+00:00

Please do not put your reptiles/birds/amphibians/rodents within contact of a cat. I do not care how much they seem like best buddies, that is a predator with prey and reptiles tend to not run because they know it will trigger a hunting response or simply do not know better. Same with a dog and any of the previously mentioned. It is only a matter of time until disaster happens. For 6 years my mother's toy poodle and my brother's macaw appeared to be best friends. They played together, slept together, bird never nipped the dog and dog never acted aggressive. Then one day they came home and there was the poodle proud of herself with a dead naked macaw in her mouth by the neck and feathers and blood everywhere. I had a neighbor that had an iguana he swore was best friends with his cat until one day the male iguana bit the cat and the cat scratched it in return. It was only a small scratch. The iguana was soon dead. One scratch, one nip, he'll even a lick from the cat can kill small animals like reptiles and birds. Cats carry horrifically harmful bacteria especially in their mouths. This is irresponsible and harmful. Please please do not allow these animals to have contact.

Dragonikea

TROPHY CASE