Tag Archives: fish

Fish Fun

Don’t let Mother Nature put a damper on your summer fishing adventures.  If your big day has to be put on hold because of bad weather, have some fish-themed fun indoors. Children looking forward to reeling in the “big one” can practice their dexterity skills by making the following colorful underwater creatures: Fish Shapes:  Cut various shapes (e.g. rectangles, squares, circles, triangles, diamonds, hearts, etc.) from colored construction paper, and then let kids use the shapes to construct their own fish.  When they’ve put the final touches on their fish, have the kids glue the pieces in place and adhere … Continue reading →

New Pet Products for 2011

Before Christmas pet website Zootoo published a list of new holiday pet products. None of the items are explicitly Christmas-themed, however, so I thought I’d share them now; maybe you might even be able to find some of these at post-holiday discount prices. The Walking My Dog Kid-Sized Leash is the latest product meant to make those dog walks easier. My little 20-pound shepherd/beagle mix gives the leash such a hefty pull that I use a Gentle Leader with her on walks, so I can imagine how difficult it might be for children to hold a lead for many dogs. … Continue reading →

Gimmie that Fish!

Like millions of others around the world, my 5-year-old is hooked on McDonald’s catchy commercial for its Filet-o-Fish sandwich. Unless you’ve been living under the sea, then you’ve probably seen the ad, which features Big Mouth Billy Bass belting out: Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish. Gimme that fish! Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish. Gimme me that fish! What if it were you hanging up on this wall? If it were you in that sandwich, you wouldn’t be laughing at all! So give me back that Filet-O-Fish, give me that fish! Yes, nothing says, “Welcome to Lent,” more effectively than a stuffed fish … Continue reading →

More Meatless Meals for Lent

Another “Fish Friday” is upon us, and if you are tired of sipping calm chowder, heating up frozen fish sticks, or eating breakfast for dinner in an effort to make meatless meals more palatable, then you might find the following recipes helpful. The Baked Tilapia and Seafood Stuffed Haddock are not only easy to make, but they may just make Friday night dinners during Lent something to look forward to, rather than dread. SIMPLE BAKED TILAPIA Ingredients: 2 Tilapia fillets (you could also substitute with red snapper, haddock, halibut, or orange roughy) 1 fresh lime 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 … Continue reading →

Goldfish Bloat

Bloat can be a serious health issue for aquarium fish — especially goldfish. How do you know if your goldfish has bloat? The following symptoms are common at various stages of bloat: Bloating or swelling of the body. Passing clear, bubbly strings of feces (in early bloat). Refusal to eat. Inability to poop (in advanced bloat). Difficulty swimming. Reddish areas on the skin (in advanced bloat — often an indication of internal bleeding, which can lead to life-threatening infection). A goldfish doesn’t have a stomach that uses acid to break down foods, like humans do. Goldfish don’t have stomachs at … Continue reading →

Going Green by Going Meatless

Let me start out by saying I am definitely a carnivore. I love meat, but I also love veggies and while I will never be truly vegetarian, as I get older, I recognize the benefits of going meatless every once in a while. Not only can going meatless occasionally be better for your healthy, it can also make an impact on the environment. Livestock, Environment, and Development (LEAD) recently issued a report (400+ pages!) with a few statistics you might find surprising: Almost two-thirds of the human related ammonia emissions are due to livestock. 9 percent of all human activity … Continue reading →

More Easy Fish Friday Recipes

With just two more Fridays until Easter I thought it would be appropriate to share additional seafood recipes for those of you who abstain from meat during Lent. The following recipes are simple to prepare, but you’d never know it after seeing the finished product. The walleye is wonderful with lemon butter sauce and for those of you who love shrimp, I’ve included a dish that pairs the popular seafood with some Southern grits. LEMON BUTTER WALLEYE Ingredients: 1/4 cup flour Salt and pepper 2 walleye fillets 1 stick butter 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon fresh parsley 1/4 cup … Continue reading →

Fish Friday at Home

Fridays during Lent mean massive fish frys. Tonight thousands of seafood lovers will cram into dozens of churches and rotary clubs in our area to dine on fish fry favorites, including perch, grouper, homemade cole slaw, German potato salad and rye bread. I love a good fish fry, the prices not so much (though the money does go to a good cause). If you are looking to spend less this Friday night consider making your own three-course fish fry using the following simple recipes: SHRIMP DIP Ingredients: 1/4 pound diced cooked shrimp 1 stick butter, softened 1 (8 ounce) package … Continue reading →

Betta Fish and Tank Size

You may have heard that betta fish should be kept alone. That’s a simple solution to a more complicated question! Male betta fish will fight each other if they are too close together in an aquarium. So if you’ve got a small tank (like twenty gallons and under), it’s probably best to have just one male betta fish. Females are somewhat more tolerant of each other, and can share if there is adequate room in the tank. In nature, there will be more than one male betta fish in a body of water — but that body of water can … Continue reading →

Betta Fish Basics

If you’re interested in a colorful aquarium pet, betta fish are a popular choice. Maybe you’ve seen rows of little glass jars at the pet store, each one with a bright, flowing-finned fish inside? Those were probably betta fish. The betta fish (otherwise known as Betta Splendens or the Siamese Fighting Fish) comes from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and parts of China. In the wild, the betta fish is found in rice paddies, swampy areas, shallow ponds, and some slow moving streams. The waters here are warm — between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 degrees Celsius). In waters … Continue reading →