Pond Plants And Their Purpose Around Natural Habitat

Introduction
One of the main reasons for having plants in your pond is to oxygenate and help to filter the water. There are however many other reasons, both aesthetic and practical, for taking the time to plant your pond.

Types of Plant
There are 6 categories of plant known as zones, and each zone relates to the level of water in which you can house your plants.

• Zone 1 plants can be planted in the shallowest areas and can even be planted in the earth around the edge of the pond, particularly if the pond is apt to overflow. The plants that do well in Zone 1 are generically known as Bog Plants and include, Bog Bean, Chinese Globe Flower, Cuckoo Flower and Forget-Me-Not
• Zone 2 and 3 plants need to be planted in baskets, well below the surface, with soil specially prepared for pond conditions (Aquatic Compost). The plants that do well in Zones 1 and 2 are generically  known as Marginal’s and include, Iris, Arrowhead, Creeping Jenny and Common Cotton Grass
• Zone 4 and 5 plants also need to be in baskets but are placed in the deepest part of the pond in soil specially prepared for pond conditions (Aquatic Compost). The plants that do will in Zones 4 and 5 are generically known as Deep Water Plants and include Lilies, Water Hawthorn and Golden Club
• Zone 6 plants float on the surface of the water and need no additional soil, they will move around the pond with the water flow and are generically known as Floating Plants, and include Fibre Optic Plant, Hair Grass, Hornwort and Water Soldier.

The Benefits of a Well Planted Pond
In addition to oxygenating your pond, plants will also provide cover and shade for your fish in the summer and protection during the winter. The plants will also help to naturally filter the water and absorb a lot of the excess nutrients, reducing algae growth. It will encourage breeding if there are areas where fish can safely spawn, reducing the chance of the eggs being eaten by other fish. Once the eggs have hatched the babies will look for places to hide until they grow big enough not to be eaten by larger fish, and it will be around the Deep Water Plants near the bottom of the pond where the babies will seek refuge.

The right combination of plants will create a natural ecosystem that will require little or no intervention from chemicals to correct and balance the water quality, and will considerably reduce the amount of pond maintenance you have to carry out consequently; your fish will be healthier. There are also lots of other wildlife and species that thrive from these plants in ponds. Ducks, turtles and tortoises, insects, and so much more. They really are the source of new oxygen being brought into the water.

Conclusion

A pond that has been planted with consideration and forethought will have plants growing throughout the year. If you find that your fish have a tendency to nibble on the roots or leaves of the plants to the point where they are causing serious damage, you may want to consider supplementing or increasing their food intake because they may be hungry.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 

Jason Balchand is a fish hobbyist who writes for a couple of pond and aquarium blogs. If you would like to read more of his work you can follow him at his main blog or on Twitter.

Caring For Our Environment? Who Is Taking Charge

Over the last several years we have been told time and time again that we must learn to care for the environment. But who are these people telling us this? And how do they know what is right and what is wrong for the environment.
Having the role of predicting what the environment will be like in 50 years must be a tough one, as it is hard enough to predict what is going to happen in the next month, never mind years to come.

What Effects the Environment?

To be able to predict what the environment will be like in the future, it is essential to understand what effects it. Numerous different things can affect the environment, some being more natural causes that cannot be stopped, other causes being made by human beings every single day that can be stopped easily.

Natural Causes

Each day, all over the world there will be some kind of natural destructive event occurring that is harming the environment. However small the occurrence is, it is still having a detrimental effect – harming and destroying the world. Some natural events include earthquakes, volcanoes and fires.
Such events are unavoidable, meaning we can only protect the environment as much that is possible. The pollution that is given off from earthquakes, fires and volcanoes can be very harmful to the environment, contaminating rivers, seas and natural landscape.
Certain defences have been put in place to try and lower the harmful effects. Certain rivers can be sped up, whereas others have defence blockers to prevent contamination.

Avoidable Harm

Harm that is avoidable is often created by humans. Many people are selfish when it comes to protecting the environment, having little thought for how their actions are having a negative impact on the world. Some other people may be unaware of how their actions are seen as dangerous and harmful. Some harmful actions include:

• Regular driving – the exhaust gives off bad emission into the atmosphere.
• Not lowering your energy consumption.
• Fires started purposely.

Who Is In Charge of Warning Us?
So by now, we know it is all good and well to take care of the environment for the future, but who exactly is telling us this? It is the role of environmental consultants to warn us of such behaviour.
Environmental consultants work alongside the government to monitor pollution levels. The consultants will advise the government of any high risk areas and what needs to be changed. From the current warnings given, a lot has been changed to create a cleaner and greener world.

Electric hybrid cars are currently being sold, lowering the amount of fuel guzzling vehicles on the road. There are currently many more ‘go green’ campaigns running all over the world, encouraging more people to lower their energy consumption. The home and the workplace are the places that consume the most energy, so it essential people begin focusing in these places first. Reducing the amount of lighting you use in the workplace or home is essential. It is also advised that you should recycle rather than throw your rubbish into the bin.

Taylor Hopkinson has many openings for renewable energy jobs, including environmental consultants. You can find out more by looking here, https://www.taylorhopkinson.com/

Work alongside the environmental consultants to make the world a greener place.

Water - Like Liquid Gold But Much Cheaper

Getting Your Feet Wet

H20. It is a simple chemical compound formula yet this substance – commonly known as water – is vital to life on this planet. Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in the stuff and our bodies are made up of approximately the same percentage. It vaporizes at 100 Celsius and freezes at zero Celsius. Pockets have been found on the Moon and on Mars leading scientists to speculate about the possibility of colonizing other worlds in future if only it were possible to harness these vital life supplies. Europa, one of the largest moons of Jupiter, is a ball of ice with liquid oceans beneath its frozen surface and many more moons are strongly believed to have a large water supply.

It is highly important to many religions and cultures. Holy water is used to baptist Christians and Jews. Hindus bathe in the holy River Ganges every year. Ancient Egyptian society was built on the veneration of Isis and the life-giving properties of the Nile. Most of the ancient civilizations had a water cult or gods based around waterways: Sulis, Minerva, Neptune, Chalchiuhtlicue, Sequana and many more.

The Cycle of Life

It isn’t just a symbolic thing. Water in its liquid state permits replication of most life forms. If it isn’t the spontaneous cell division of single-cell organisms (or those with only a few cells) then it is amphibians relying on stagnant or fresh pools of water to lay their eggs or spawn. Fish live in it and will die when removed from it for any length of time. Though ocean-based mammals such as whales and dolphins need to come up for air because they still have lungs, this isn’t necessary for fish. For plant based life, it is vital for photosynthesis which is why you need to keep your plants sufficiently watered at all times.

We have always harnessed it for industry: in the processes of smelting and forging, in grinding flour for our bread, to provide and control food supplies and since the Industrial Revolution we have used our great bodies of water as methods of disposing of our waste material. Though most of the civilized world has legislation to restrict and reduce pollution of our waterways, some argue that it has not gone far enough and businesses need to be encouraged to act more responsibly.

Triumph of the Otter

There are many success stories environmentalist fight and there is no better example of the triumph of conservation than the otter. Since the 1980s, a deliberate drive to improve the waterways of England and make them safe for all forms of life has seen the return of one of the most celebrated icons of the English countryside.

Through banning use of certain pesticides and enacting legislation to make businesses deal with their pollution responsibly, people in the UK are celebrating and enjoying their rivers and canals once more. This is not an isolated case though and sadly, there are species all over the world that are being affected by pollution and the wanton dumping of raw sewage. The truth is, it is now easy and inexpensive for businesses to act responsibly in installing sewage processing systems for the treatment of industrial waste water. Such systems are not just good for the environment, but beneficial for the health of employees too. Finally, we are using a lot of water in our day to day lives and these systems can help businesses reduce their carbon footprint and overall clean water consumption

Water is important not just to our survival, but to the survival of the species of our planet. That is why it is vital that we do our best to keep our waterways as clean as possible to prevent diseases or poisoning the planet.

Sally Dimmock has a compulsion to continue to learn about the world around us and she never fails to feel astounded at the importance of water. We must keep our supply clean so if you need Biological Sewage Treatment check out one of the many services available

How To Cook A Fish Caught In The Water

If you love fishing, you would surely want to make the fish you catch a part of your health diet. Fish are rich in many nutrients and the fresher the fish the better it tastes. However, they may ingest contaminants like mercury and PCB. This is the reason why many people avoid eating fish.

Clean the Fish

Remove all the fat, which is usually found at the top, centre, and bottom of a fillet. Although some of the fat is considered beneficial for its omega-3 content, these fats generally accumulate in areas where the contaminants accumulate. Hence, it is better to get rid of it completely.

After removing the fat, wash thoroughly and then cook. Cooking helps remove any remaining contaminants. High fat content also gives a rancid odor to the fish and reduces its shelf life (although there are some exceptions).

Storage

How the fish is handled after being caught affects its taste and shelf life largely. When caught, it should be kept alive if possible until the time you land. You can then gut and clean the fish for storage or cooking.

Modern day fish boats are equipped with a well for storing fish. If your boat does not have a well, you should gut, scale, and clean your fish immediately when (or as) you catch it. S
mall fish can be frozen whole while the larger ones can be cut into slices. Most boats carry a deep freeze where you can put your catch. When you put fish in the deep freeze, make small packets which you can consume fully once taken out for cooking. You should not refreeze fish.

Thawing

If you have iced the fish, you should thaw it out properly before cooking. Ideally you should thaw out frozen fish in the refrigerator which takes around one full day. Alternatively, you can keep it in cold water for a couple of hours until it is at room temperature.
If you need to thaw it instantly, you can pop it in the microwave but remember not to microwave it for too long or it will begin cooking! Whatever you do, keep the fish wrapped in the packet while you thaw it.

It is best to partially defrost and then cook the fish while it is still cold. Do not refreeze thawed out fish. Refrozen fish loses its unique flavor and texture.

Cooking
You can cook fish in the same way whether it is fresh or frozen. There are many ways to cook fish like poaching, baking, and other methods. Always cover the fish while cooking to preserve the flavor whether on the stove or in the microwave. There are a few things you should keep in mind when cooking fish.

1. Never over cook fish. The more you cook it, the more it hardens and the flavor is destroyed.
2. You can assume fish is cooked when you see it change from translucent to opaque. Test it by poking a fork in the fleshy part. If it flakes easily it’s done.
3. When cooking, do not toss or stir too much. Fish flakes easily when cooked, and tossing or stirring can affect its shape and appearance.

David Hammel is freelance writer, professional blogger and an avid boater. He is from the Napanee area and enjoys blogging for Atkins & Hoyle about his boating knowledge and experiences.

Fishing Expedition Essentials - Top 4 Items, Be Prepared

A large number of people look upon fishing as just another way to explore more of their local terrain. Hitting the road, or indeed water can be a great way of finding any number of new adventures. However, just like any other road-trip it is probably a good idea to cover an element of planning. This way at least you will be able to deal with anything that your trip throws up at you.
So if you have been giving some thought to organising your next fishing expedition then this blog post is definitely for you. Here,we will take a closer look at the 4 essentials that will make for a successful trip.

Do the Research

Remember those old fishing trips that you went on? You know, the ones from about 20 years ago. Well at the time information would have been quite limited about where you could fish. Guides would have been ordered via the mail and you would have to wait for them to arrive. Then you’d be on the phone trying to organise a reservation for your chosen camp site. The final step in your planning would have been praying that you would have good weather for your entire trip.
Thankfully the internet has changed pretty much most of the above. Information is much more readily available, with reviews and bookings being carried out in real-time. The same applies to the weather forecast, whilst it might still not always be 100% accurate at least it can be regarded as reasonably reliable.
The key lesson here is to take some time to plan out your trip. An example of this might transpire in savings being made if you take the opportunity to buy any permits in advance of leaving.

Prepare your Equipment

Okay, so now you know when and where you are going it is time to think about the equipment.
As this is a fishing trip you will need to give consideration to the tackle that you need to take. Make sure you take a few rods with you; this covers most eventualities whilst away and protects you from what would be a frustrating experience.
Again, whilst on the subject of tackle it is common sense to take a closer look at your reels. Are they in a serviceable condition? If not at least you know now rather than once you arrive at your destination.
Now you should be concerning yourself with the bait. It is probably a good idea to take a selection of different baits. For example, if you were to purely rely on worms to catch your fish and it wasn’t working then the trip wouldn’t be so great. However, taking 2 or even 3 different baits can work out a little better and help to make sure your expedition falls into the successful category.

Safety First

Aside from the tackle and other related fishing equipment you might well also want to think about personal safety items.
If your trip involves overnight stays then make sure that you have sufficient amounts of warm clothing. This could well prevent you from wanting to come home on the very first night away. A good strong flash-light will be considered as an essential for any overnight stay, be sure to check batteries and bulbs before leaving.
Hopefully you won’t encounter any serious situations that result in injury; however, any trip away runs this risk. To help counteract this you must make sure that you have a well-stocked first aid kit with you. Check to make sure that you have ointment and creams for insect stings and bites and that there is plenty of bandages and you should be good to go.

Food for Thought

If you are a seasoned angler then you might well plan to eat what you catch. After all there is nothing better than being able to enjoy the spoils of a hard days fishing. Whilst in theory this sounds like the perfect plan, fish have a nasty habit of spoiling things.
Imagine a trip where you were miles away from any other civilisation and you didn’t catch anything. Believe it or not, this scenario tends to happen more times than you care. This is perhaps why taking an alternative food source might not actually be such a crazy idea.

The Wrap-Up

Planning ahead a little can make a good trip turn into a great one. If you have friends that enjoy fishing then giving them the “heads up” about your planned trip could make things even more interesting. It could very well be a nice way to share some of the costs of bait or even travel expenses.

Your author (Chris Holgreaves) likes to spend as much time as possible fishing and loves nothing more than going on a well planned trip. Recently he has switched to using dendrobaena worms, which has really helped him to catch even more fish than normal. 

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 
•  License: Creative Commons image source 

Time of Year to Catch Carp or Bow Fishing?

Question:

What is the best time of year to go catch carp fish? Me and a couple of my buddies are looking for the best time of year to go fishing with our bows. Were somewhat new to this sport so if we could find the best time of year or some help that would be very cool because were new.

Answers:

#I would think your best time to catch those type of fish are in the springtime because they are bleeding and they swim towards the surface of the water more. Maybe I'm mistaken but I also think that they are in the shallow areas more at night time. I watch the fishing show the other night and it seems that they were hunting these fish at night with large spotlights.

# Yeah what you do is you use super bright lights and you make duckhunting bowl with a big huge rack on it with lights that shine around. The fish freeze when the light hits I'm almost like a deer and since they're in Shallowater it becomes a lot easier to find them. You will also see a lot of crayfish out and about because they are Nocturnals well and the carb actually was very much loved feeding on the crayfish.

# What you do is you have to get special arrows and a mechanism that goes on the side of your bone marrow. Think of it like a huge fishing real except the arrow is now your rod that sticks into the fish and you just reel it in from that area where the strings attached.

Help Learning how to Fly Fish from Someone

I'm trying to learn how to fly fish and I'm looking for someone to teach me around the Maryland State area. Some of my friends told me that I could just learn by reading some books but I think if I had a personal trainer help me it would go a lot faster because I have limited time. Has anybody had any expertise in this or learning how to fly fish on the wrong? I need some help.

Answers:

#There's a really good learning guide out there and it's actually a book it's called learning how to fly fish for dummies. It's part of the section of the dummies and how to do things so it's going to be very helpful for you. I actually taught myself how to fly fish a couple years ago because I was going on a company retreat and we were going fly fishing and I know idea how to do it.

#What I actually did was I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube on how to do it for free. You would be amazed how fast a person can learn something when you're watching a video because it's just a better demonstration media platform. Long story short I learned how to fly fish and I'm actually pretty good at it now and I bring my son out and I teach him from what I learned on the videos. I don't go around telling all my buddies that I learned it online because that would be kind of silly but it's actually completely true.

#Just go around at your work or something and ask some people if they know how to fly fish because chances are someone knows and it's really easy to just teach you. Set of actually paying someone to train you that's going to cost a couple hundred dollars I would just have when your friends at work teaching because it's not actually not hard. I'm sure you'll figure it out though because it doesn't take that much and if you know how to move fish regular it even makes it easier.

image source: http://www.tuckamorelodge.com/salmon-and-trout-fishing-46-pictures.htm

My Children Want To Keep A Pet Turtle, I Need Help?

Answer:

Kids are always going to be kids and that's just part of their nature. Nothing is as cool a having a pet when your young because it's "your pet." There comes a time for every parent when their child asks them if they can keep that wild animal as a pet. The aquatic turtle is a very popular choice by children because they're such a fascinating creature.

Most are small in size and have the ability to hide in their shell whenever they desire. They can also live on water and land. Heck, now that I write this.. I want a pet turtle. I've created a help guide for parents to let their kids have pet turtles safely.

Choosing a Tank or Habitat

Depending on what species turtle you are choosing as a pet, will determine how large of a cage you will need. I've seen turtles in 20 gallon aquariums and I've seen entire backyards devoted to a cage with fence to keep the tortoise in. Research the full growth size of your turtle and decide what size of a cage you will need.

Needed Habitat Surroundings

All turtles need certain requirements to live healthy lives. They need a mixture of water versus land. The species of turtle will also tell you their habitats of living in the natural habitat. Some species live in water more than others while some can live on land more. Water, land, sunlight, and food are going to be the core requirements. Of you can't get real sunlight, you need to get an artificial UV light that replicates real sunlight. This is a big key for turtles because they bask in the sunlight.

Viruses and Bacteria - Beware

Turtles and tortoises have the ability to contract salmonella to humans which makes it very important to wash your hands thoroughly after handling the animal. The outside shell of the turtle is the most prone spot for salmonella. Years ago, there were cases in which mostly younger children were obtaining the sickness. Weaker immune systems are more prone to it (children and elderly). If hands are washes good after each handling, chances are very slim of anything occurring with it.
http://turtletanksetup.com/

Food and Exercise

Research what your species of turtle eats and obtain that same food. Don't go the lazy route and just buy "turtle food" at your pet store because it is going to suck to the tortoise. You grabbed this animal from living nature, the least you could do is feed it what it is used to eating.

Don't leave the animal in the same cage for too long. It's unhealthy and nobody wants to stay cooped up like that. Take your animal out in your yard and let it live life and walk around. I don't think it's going to run away on you. Spoil your animal and make it have a food life. I've even dug water holes in my back yard for the turtles to lay in on the weekends while I mow my lawn and such. At the end of the day, it's about the animal being happy.

No Fishing License Fine or Consequences?

Question:

So a bunch of my friends and a couple of buddies are going fishing and I don't have any money so I'm just not going to buy a fishing license. I'm a little worried about the fact of getting caught with no fishing license so I was wondering if anybody had any experience with getting caught and what the fine was? Please reassure me that it's not that big of a deal and if worse comes to worse I can just pay the ticket.

Answers:

Dyde78TJ:
Actually it's a pretty serious thing and if you get caught with no fishing license and you're also keeping fish it's going to be even a bigger deal. But if you're just catching the fish and releasing them you're probably going to get a ticket under $200 so I would advise that you don't keep any fish and don't have any in your possession. If you're really worried about it I would tell your buddies to just release Their fish too because I think you get more trouble if you're with them and sort of party fishing if you know what I mean.

VinnyD1984:
play it safe and not go fishing and just call lawn chair and drink a beer something while they go.

Clem8008son:
I agree with them with the fact that you should just call it quits on the idea. It's not worth the risk because the DNR can really screw your day off and you'll be in debt faster than you can say mommy. I've seen them take away one of my friends both because he kept too many fish and it just is a matter if you catch them at the wrong time and if they get the wrong five from you. My friend was kind of a meathead and he was talking back to them and being an asshole about it and they took away his boat so it's a pretty serious deal.

VinnyD1984:
They took away her buddies boat and you just watched it happen that's crazy. I must say I never ever heard a story personally where someone says that they've taken away their boat and they just sat there and actually sought happened I always thought those were just kind of scared stories people tell you. Stories out there where they do it every once in a great while but they just said to scare people and they don't do it that much.

It's tough to say because I've seen stories where they take away peoples trucks and boats and nursing stories where they just let people go so it's kind of a tough call. I would say if you can't afford off fishing license that is around $30 then you probably shouldn't be fishing because that is the fact of the matter. If you can't afford the license that cost $30 then why would you be able to afford the ticket that is a couple hundred dollars straight out of your pocket. I would personally just
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080302191759AAQvw36

Clem8008son:
Yeah man I'm not kidding it actually took his 20 foot Lund boat I mean it was a bear back regular boat with no floor and such but it was still a couple thousand dollars worth. I couldn't believe it when I saw it and I will use to be the same way as you and whatever you heard was just a scary story that they put all during the media for people to be scared. I am totally believer now and I regulate by older rules because I saw a red-handed what the heck actually happens in this real world. They took his boat away and then flinch twice about doing it and now the DNR not local area uses his boat as one of their enterprises started saying on the team.

Releasing Carp Fish Back to Waters.. Problem?

My cousin and I were fishing yesterday and we were catching carp fish like no tomorrow. These guys are fighters and we had a lot of fun catching them all day long. We were telling a guy the story and he said it was illegal to release them back into the water.. We released all of them because we didn't wanna keep them. Is that true you have to kill them?

Randy7721 Posted:
It is illegal to release them back into the water but a lot of people do it. It's not like the DNR is going to serve you a citation for something such a nature.. Why they do this is actually a good thing to know though.

The carp species is actually invasive here in the United States and the fish eats the eggs of other fish because it is a bottom feeder and loves those eggs. So if you can imagine, carp kill thousands upon thousands of fish before they are even born. That's more powerful than some of the meanest predators out there.

So to try and stop the carp fish from being so powerful in the lakes and streams, they made laws statin that fishermen must kill all three fish that are caught. The more the government can kill, the better. After all, this species of carp isn't even from the u.s. but instead Asia. It was transported here and somehow got into the natural water systems.

So next time you catch a carp, you should actually wack it over the head and throw it on shore to let the other animals feed on it. Even with these sportsmen laws.. It's still doing little effect. To give you an idea how serious the issue is.. Our government has even made it legal to shoot these fish with shotguns out of boats as a sport to help bring down the numbers in lakes. So if you see videos of this.. That's what it is. Every hillbilly in the world is going to want a piece of that.. Shooting carp from a boat with a shotgun..

Marlen98003zzz Posted:
The shotgun thing looks amazingly fun because the silver carp jump out of the water and you get to shoot them out of the air like pigeons! I don't even know what states they are doing this out of but it seems crazy! I'm really wanting to try it the more videos I see. I did hear though that a woman got hit in the face with a carp and it broke her neck. Some of these silver carp get to be 100 pounds apparently..

Randy7721 Posted:
Yeah a really big silver carp can get a tiny bit over a hundo lbs. I think some of the records were in the 120s. Imagine taking a hundo pounds right to the face.. They won't be able to stop this fish from taking over the waters and its really annoying because then there will be a no wake rule because they jump 10 feet out of the water and possibly hurt people.