Introducing the Family Dog to the New Baby

After welcoming a baby in to the world you are probably concerned about how your dog is going to react to him or her. Many people surrender their pets to shelters because of exhibited jealousy from their dog after a new baby’s arrival and fear of the infant being harmed by the animal. Yet many families have been successful in introducing their dogs to the new baby. Introducing your dog to you baby is a process that needs time and the utmost of care to ensure a happy and safe welcoming process! The steps to ensuring your dog acts appropriately around the baby when he or she is finally taken back to your home are twofold usually – preparing your dog for the infants arrival and introducing your dog to your infant.
Preparing your dog:
Preparing your dog for the baby’s arrival in advance is one of the best ways to help avoid friction and jealousy between your baby and your dog. Your dog is used to your attention and pampering, some jealousy will naturally surface when your new baby becomes the center of attention. Taking some precautions, a few minutes of quality time and some extra treats can go a long way! Be sure to:
• Take your dog to your local Veterinarian for a complete checkup a few months before the baby arrives.
• Worms and parasites can be harmful to your baby so be sure to worm your dog before the baby arrives and at the normal intervals to keep on top of this problem. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, this is also the time to get it done.
• Encourage friends with infants to visit your home to accustom your pet to babies. Supervise all pet and infant interactions.
• Allow your dog to explore the baby’s sleeping, diaper changing areas, and related items such as baby powder, lotions, and diapers to become familiar with the new smells and objects. Apply baby lotion or powder to your hands, for example, and allow your dog to sniff the new smell. Dogs rely on their sense of smell, so familiarity with the new baby smells will help him or her recognize the baby as a part of the family. If possible, allow your dog to smell clothing that your baby has used before you bring the baby home.
• Accustom your pet to baby-related noises months before the baby is expected. For example, play recordings of a baby crying (there are CDs out now for this exact training purpose – (see www.soundtherapy4pets.com/ for CDs with baby noises), turn on the mechanical infant swing, and use the rocking chair. Make these positive experiences for your pet by offering a treat or playtime.
• Do not allow your dog to sleep on the baby’s furniture or play with the baby’s toys. Your dog should know that the furniture is not for him or her and should treat it as such. Provide toys for the dog that do not resemble baby toys. A dog may take the toy from the baby’s hand and unintentionally injure the infant.
• If the baby's room will be off-limits to your pet, install a sturdy barrier such as a removable gate (available at pet or baby supply stores) or, for jumpers, even a screen door. Because these barriers still allow your dog to see and hear what's happening in the room, your dog will feel less isolated from the family and more comfortable with the new baby noises.
• Use a baby doll to help your pet get used to the real thing. Carry around a swaddled baby doll, take the doll in the stroller when you walk your dog, and use the doll to get your pet used to routine baby activities, such as bathing and diaper changing.
• Finally and very importantly, be sure that your dog knows that you and your family are alpha over him or her – this is crucial to ensure you can reprimand your dog should any jealous signs show when the baby is brought home.
Introducing your dog to your infant:
The actual introduction of your dog to your newborn baby is of utmost importance and the first few meetings can often dictate how your dog responds to your baby in an ongoing basis. For this reason, it is crucial to undertake the introduction process slowly and properly. Tips for the first meeting include:
• When the baby comes home, another person should hold the baby while you greet your dog. Your dog has missed you and it is important to pay attention to him or her when you first get home.
• Greet your dog happily and bring him or her a new toy as a gift to associate the baby with something positive. After your dog’s excitement about your homecoming has dissipated you should start introducing your baby to the dog.
• If you are unsure of you dog’s behavior, leash or restrain him or her during the introduction. Talk to your dog, pet and encourage him or her to get a good look and sniff the baby’s hands and feet. Do not force a reluctant dog by pushing the infant in front of the pet. Allow the pet to explore the new smells at their own pace. Never leave your baby unsupervised with your pet. An infant is incapable of pushing the animal away and your dog may inadvertently smother the child. The actions of a baby may scare your dog and cause it to bite in self-defense. If your dog reacts aggressively, put him or her in another room until it is calm and try the introduction again.
• After the initial greeting, you can bring your pet with you to sit next to the baby; reward your pet with treats for appropriate behavior. Remember, you want your pet to view associating with the baby as a positive experience. Again, to prevent anxiety or injury, never force your pet to get near the baby, and always supervise any interaction.
• Life will no doubt be hectic caring for your new baby, but try to maintain regular routines as much as possible to help your pet adjust. And be sure to spend one-on-one quality time with your pet each day—it may help relax you, too. With proper training, supervision, and adjustments, you, your new baby, and your pet should be able to live together safely and happily as one (now larger) family.
For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like accustoming your dog to children), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

House training your dog / House training tips for a new puppy

When a new puppy arrives in the house, it’s an exciting time for everyone. In order for the homecoming to proceed as smoothly as possible, it’s a good idea to spend a little bit of time in preparation.
One of the major challenges of dog ownership (particularly for first-time owners) is the issue of house training. If you equip yourself with some rudimentary knowledge and a positive attitude, though, it’s a lot easier than most people make it out to be.
The New Arrival
As soon as you bring the puppy home, take her outside. The excitement of the car journey coupled with the unfamiliar faces, sights, and sounds will have her needing to go anyway – and if you can orchestrate her first toilet break so that it occurs outside, instead of inside, then so much the better. And not just from the perspective of short-term hygiene, either – the more your puppy relieves herself inside, the more likely she is to do it again.
The homecoming is a great opportunity for you to set a precedent for toilet behavior!
- Take her to your designated toilet area, and put her down on the grass.
- Wait while she sniffs around – refrain from petting her or playing with her just yet, because you don’t want her to forge an association between this area and games. She has to learn that this part of the yard is for toilet breaks only.
- When she begins to relieve herself, say the phrase you want her to associate with toilet breaks: “Go pee” or “potty time” or whatever works for you. It’s best if that phrase is short and easily recognizable – and use the same voice inflection each time, too (so that your dog can easily memorize the meaning of the phrase.)
- When she’s done, make a big fuss over her: shower her in praise and affection, and give her a little treat.
When you take her inside the house, the house training regime you’ve decided upon should start immediately.

As far as house training goes, crate training is generally accepted to be the most effective and efficient means of house training a puppy in a short space of time.
What is crate training?
Crate-training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you’re not actively supervising her.
How does it work?
Crate training is based on all dogs’ inherent dislike of soiling the area where they sleep. Because you’re restricting your puppy’s movement to her sleeping space, she’ll instinctively “hold it in” until she’s let out of the crate (provided you don’t leave her in there too long, of course!)
This is why it’s important that the crate is sized properly: if it’s too big, she’ll be able to use one end as a bed and one end as a toilet, which defeats the whole purpose!
How do I choose a crate?
As a general guideline, it’s more cost-effective for you to choose a crate that’s big enough for her to grow into. It should be big enough for the adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around in, and stretch out – but no bigger (so that she doesn’t choose one part as her bed, and one part as her toilet!)
Because the adult dog is likely to be considerably larger than the puppy, it’ll most likely be necessary for you to use a barrier to reduce the internal size of the crate. A wire grille or board will do just fine.
Alternatively, you can use a cheap crate (or even make one yourself) and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows.
Using the crate for house training
Crate training works like this: your puppy is in that crate at all times unless she’s sleeping, eating, outside with you going to the toilet, or being played with (active supervision.)
You’ll need to be consistent, or else it won’t work: you can’t let your puppy wander off through the house unless you’re focusing your complete attention on her.
If you allow her access to the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself inside – and remember, each time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again (and again … and again …)
Sample schedule of a morning's crate training
7am: Wake up. Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
7.25: Breakfast time.
7.45: Back outside for another toilet break (accompanied by you, of course.)
7.50 – 8.45: Play-time! Puppy is out of the crate being actively played with, cuddled, etc.
8.45: Outside for another toilet break.
8.50 – 11: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap
11 am: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
11.05 – 12.30: Playtime! Puppy is out of the crate being played with and petted.
12:30: Lunch time.
12.45: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
1 – 3.30: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap.
… and so on throughout the day.
Crate training generally takes one to two months (depending on the breed of your dog and how much time you spend on the training process.) As the puppy grows older, you can begin to reduce the amount of time spent in the crate – but beware of doing this too soon!
Other crate training rules
- Your puppy probably won’t be too happy to go in the crate the first couple of times she uses it. She wants to be outside, being showered with affection and attention, and hanging out with you (of course!) But it really is for her own good – in a surprisingly short time, she’ll come to accept the crate as her own personal haven where she can go to relax and get a couple hours’ uninterrupted sleep. It’s important to persevere: do not respond to any whining or crying.
- The best place for the crate to be is the hub of the household: usually the den or the kitchen, anywhere where people tend to congregate. Just because she’s in the crate doesn’t mean she can’t still feel like part of the household; it’s important for her not to feel isolated or excluded.
- The crate should be a welcoming, inviting place for her to go. Lay a couple of thick blankets or towels on the floor, and place a few toys and a chew or two inside it as well. The door should be invitingly open at all times (unless she’s in there, of course, in which case it should be securely shut.)
Some toilet facts about puppies that will come in handy
- Puppies’ bladders and bowels are so small and weak that they have only a very small window of opportunity between knowing that they need to go, and having that need become an immediate reality. Because of this, it’s imperative that you take her outside as soon as she wakes up (she’ll let you know she needs to go out by pawing the door and whining), and within ten minutes of eating or playing.
- Behaviors that indicate she needs to go outside include sniffing the ground and circling. Again, because she’s only little, she won’t exhibit these warning signs for very long – so as soon as she starts, take her out straight away. Better an unnecessary trip to the yard than an unnecessary wet patch (or pile) on the carpet!
- The maximum amount of time that a puppy can be crated at one time is figured out using the following equation: her age in months, plus one. So, a three-month old puppy can be crated for a maximum of four hours. However, this is likely to be physically pretty uncomfortable for her (not to mention hard on her emotionally and psychologically: it’s tough being cramped up with nothing to do), so you should really take her out at least once every two hours during the day. If she’s sleeping, of course, just let her sleep until she wakes up naturally.
For a more indepth look at house training, as well as a great deal of useful information on canine behavioral problems and the most effective training techniques, check out The Ultimate House Training Guide. It’s the complete dog-house-training guide..

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is one of the most common problems that dogs develop. It’s an anxiety disorder, and is defined as a state of intense panic brought on by the dog’s isolation/separation from her owner(s).
In other words: when you leave for work in the morning, your dog is plunged into a state of nervous anxiety which intensifies extremely quickly.
Dogs are social animals – they need plenty of company and social interaction to keep them happy and content. No dog likes to be left alone for long stretches of time, but some dogs do a lot worse than others: these are the ones most prone to separation anxiety.
There are a number of contributing causes to the condition:
- Some breeds are genetically predisposed towards anxiety and insecurity, which is something you should consider when deciding which breed you’re going to go for (particularly if you’re going to be absent for long stretches of time). A few of these breeds include Weimaraners, Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, and Airedales
- A significant proportion of dogs from shelters develop separation anxiety. Most of these ‘shelter dogs’ have undergone significant trauma in their lives – they’ve been abandoned by their previous owners – and thus they have little trust that their new-found owner (you) isn’t going to pull the same trick.
- Dogs that were separated from their mothers and siblings too early have been identified as being especially prone to separation anxiety. Puppies from pet-stores are a perfect example of this: they’re usually taken from their mothers well before the earliest possible age (which is 8 weeks), and confined to a small glass box in the petstore for anywhere between a few weeks to two months. This early weaning, coupled with the lack of exercise and affection while in the petstore, is psychologically traumatic for the dog.
- Neglect is the number-one cause of sepration anxiety for dogs. If you’re absent much more than you’re present in your dog’s life, separation anxiety is pretty much inevitable. Your dog needs your company, affection, and attention in order to be happy and content.
The symptoms of separation anxiety are pretty distinctive: your dog will usually learn to tell when you’re about to leave (she’ll hear keys jingling, will see you putting on your outdoor clothes, etc) and will become anxious. She may follow you from room to room, whining, trembling, and crying. Some dogs even become aggressive, in an attempt to stop their owners from leaving.
When you’ve left, the anxious behavior will rapidly worsen and usually will peak within half an hour. She may bark incessantly, scratch and dig at windows and doors (an attempt to escape from confinement and reunite herself with you), chew inappropriate items, even urinate and defecate inside the house. In extreme cases, she might self-mutilate by licking or chewing her skin until it’s raw, or pulling out fur; or will engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, like spinning and tail-chasing.
Upon your return, she’ll be excessively excited, and will leap around you in a frenzy of delight for a protracted period of time (more than the 30 seconds to one minute of a happy, well-balanced dog.)
This extended greeting is a source of some misunderstanding: without realizing that such a greeting actually signifies the presence of a psychological disorder, some owners actually encourage their dog to get more and more worked up upon their return (by fuelling the dog’s excitement, encouraging her to leap around, paying her protracted attention, and so on.)
If you’re behaving in this way with your dog, please stop. I know it’s tempting and very easy to do, and it seems harmless – after all, she’s so happy to see you, what harm can it do to return her attention and affection in equal measure? - but in actuality, you’re just validating her belief that your return is the high point of the day.
So she’s as happy as Larry when you return – but, when it’s time for you to leave again, her now-exaggerated happiness at your presence is under threat, and she gets even more unhappy when you walk out that door.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize your dog’s tendency towards anxiety. Here’s a short list of do’s and don’ts:
Do:
- Exercise the heck out of her. Really wear her out: the longer you expect to be away, the more exercise she should get before you leave. For example, if you’re leaving for work in the morning, she’ll probably be by herself for at least four hours; and, if you’ve got a dog-walker to take her out mid-day instead of coming back yourself, she won’t see you – the person she really cares about - for at least nine hours. So she needs a good, vigorous walk (fifteen to twenty minutes is the absolute minimum here!) before you walk out that door. More is even better.
- Distract her from her boredom, loneliness, and anxiety by giving her an attractive alternative to pining, pacing, and whining. All dogs love to chew – why not play on this predisposition? Get a couple of marrowbones from the butcher, bake them in the oven for 20 minutes (so they go nice and hard and crunchy – and so she can’t smear marrow all over your furniture), slice them up into chunks of a few inches long, and give her one about 15 minutes before you leave. It’ll keep her happy and occupied, and will act as a smokescreen for your departure.
- When you leave, put the radio on to a soothing station: classical music is ideal, but any station featuring lots of talk shows is also ideal. Keep the volume quite low, and it’ll calm her down a bit and give her the feeling that she’s got company.
- If at all possible, supply her with a view: if she can see the world going by, that’s the next best thing to being out and about in it.
- Acclimatize her to your leaving. Taking things nice and slowly, practice getting ready to go: jingle your keys about, put on your coat, and open the door. Then – without leaving! – sit back down and don’t go anywhere. Do this until she’s not reacting any more. When there’s no reaction, give her a treat and lavish praise for being so brave. Next, practice actually walking out the door (and returning immediately), again doing this until there’s no reaction. Gradually work up – gradually being the operative word here! – until you’re able to leave the house with no signs of stress from her.
Do not:
- Act overtly sympathetic when she’s crying. Although it sounds very cold-hearted, trying to soothe and comfort your dog by patting her and cooing over her is actually one of the worst things you can do: it’s essentially validating her concern. Make sure she can’t tell that you feel sorry for her: don’t ever say, “It’s OK, good girl” when she’s upset!
If you’re interested in getting a more detailed look at how to deal with your dog’s separation anxiety, you might like to check out SitStayFetch.
It’s a great learning tool for anyone who wants to learn how to deal constructively with their dog’s problem behaviors.
All of the common behavioral problems are dealt with in detail, and there’s a great section on obedience commands and tricks too.

Destructive Chewing

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. So just to clarify, when I use the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

The three main reasons why dogs chew:

- Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (for example, if she’s chewing on something that tastes good.)

- Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.

- Underexercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and giving themselves something to do.

- How to prevent destructive chewing -

Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew your stuff – you just have to put in a little effort first, that’s all.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test her self-control – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider her size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can she jump? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is she when standing on her back legs?

Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jawful of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.

4. Provide her with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), her needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the yard – but that’s boring and horrible for her, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch her chewing something inappropriate, interrupt her by making a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “her” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

- Maintain a productive attitude -

Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged by her curiosity.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes: it’ll take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with.) Remember to give her time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

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Complete Cat Training Guide- Product Review
It’s funny how many dog-training guides there are available. All the information you could ever want on how to teach your dog tricks; how to communicate with your dog; how to understand what your dog’s thinking; how to prevent behavioral problems.
Why aren’t there more books on how to do all this for cats? After all, cats are just as popular as dogs (if not more so); and, arguably, they’re just as intelligent and just as capable of being trained.
I never even thought about training my cat to do tricks and obedience work. He’s spent his life thus far as a happy free-loader, accepting food and cuddles from me in exchange for …. well, not that much, actually.
Until, that is, I dropped round to visit a new acquaintance recently, where I watched, stunned (and, I’ll admit, more than a little envious) as she got her cat perform what seemed to me to be an entire circus’ worth of acrobatics: rolling over, playing dead, shaking hands, even playing fetch.
“Right,” I thought to myself, “That’s it! If her cat can do it, then mine can, too!” … and thus my search for the Holy Grail of cat-training handbooks began in earnest.
I hunted here, I hunted there – I just about turned the library inside out. I looked through newspapers for advertised cat trainers, I asked my friends, I made phone calls to vet clinics and even dog-training organizations (just in case!)
The two things I didn’t do – but should have – were place a phone-call to that new acquaintance (I’m afraid my pride got in my way: I fostered fond dreams of casually unveiling my cat’s mastery of a stunning array of tricks and obedience work the next time she dropped around); and I didn’t even think of looking online until my husband (who, as chance would have it, works in internet marketing) castigated me gently for not “Googling” the subject straight away.
So I hopped onto the computer, and within five minutes I’d found what I was looking for in the Complete Cat Training Guide; and it was clear to me within just a few pages that the author, Paula Robb, is a woman who really knows what she’s talking about …
So What’s Included?
Let me get one thing straight: although this is a book that will teach you (among other commands) how to get your cat to beg, jump, twirl, stay, sit, come, open cupboards, kiss, play dead, and retrieve, that’s by no means all that you’ll learn.
Something I found incredibly useful was the book’s total-coverage philosophy: pretty much all aspects of cat ownership have been covered, in real detail. Example: as well as cat training, you also get information on how to fix virtually any cat problem (this is no baseless claim - over twenty-five cat behavioral problems are covered, from urine-marking to nocturnal disturbances to aggression); you get a real-life case study for each problem (which is a real help when it comes to putting the information into context); you learn about your cat’s body language and vocals, and how to use that knowledge to understand what he’s thinking and how to communicate with him; plus chapters and chapters of general knowledge on things like choosing the right cat for you; understanding feline behaviors both “good” and “bad”; how to help your cat adapt to your lifestyle and home; how to toilet-train your cat; and two whole sections on cat health and nutrition, all of which goes a long way towards deepening and strengthing your relationship with your cat.
Other Benefits
I sometimes find it hard to understand written instructions. It can be kind of confusing, especially when you’re also trying to control a wriggling, energetic cat. That’s why the clear step-by-step photographs and illustrations came in so handy with the training strategies: I actually understood exactly how to position myself and make the most of my body language during the training. It made the whole process a lot easier - and a whole lot faster!
Something else I liked: the book was instantly downloadable. This is a pretty big deal to me; I don’t like paying for something, then waiting days (usually weeks) for it to be shipped overseas, processed through the post, and then – likely as not – delivered to the wrong address. What I do like is instant gratification, which is exactly what I got with Complete Cat Training: seconds after paying my money, the book was downloaded onto my computer and I was gleefully reading through it.
The Best Bits
I don’t really understand how this woman can be making any money off her product, because she seems to be giving away a lot of stuff for free (but hey, I’m not complaining!)
Here are just a few of the handy little freebies that I got with my book:
- Two free bonus books: “The Essential Cat Recipe Book”, which shows you how to prepare tasty, healthy meals and treats for your beloved kitty; and “The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Cat”, which shows you how to develop a real bond of affection with your cat through improving his quality of life.
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In a Nutshell
Two words: highly recommended. You really can’t go wrong here; not only is the whole thing jam-packed with practical advice and hands-on tips, but the price is extremely reasonable: just $37 for the book, the consultation, and the bonus books … oh yeah, and there’s a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee for 60 whole days after making the purchase.
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Cat Training: Play Aggression

Aggression is an inherent aspect of your cat’s predatory nature: behaviors like stalking, chasing, leaping, pouncing, swatting, and biting are all common displays, and are always a major component of any play session.
Usually, this doesn’t constitute a problem: it’s just how cats play, and catering to your cat’s predatory whims can be pretty fun!
But when your cat becomes play aggressive, things can get very uncomfortable, very quickly: faced with a cat that doesn’t understand that such play is painful and even dangerous for her owner, playtimes with your cat can become a trial rather than a pleasure.
This problem is the number-one most common form of aggression that cats display towards humans. It happens when a bored, underexercised, and lonely cat becomes overstimulated during play – and typical play-time mock aggression becomes the real deal.
How do cats normally play?
Cats play in two ways: social (or interactive) play, which is directed towards other cats and humans; and solitary play, which is directed towards objects like balled up paper, mobile cat toys, and paper bags.
Play aggression is often present in either of these two modes of play, but it only becomes an issue when people are involved.
What causes play aggression?
Play aggression happens when your cat has an excess of unused energy – usually from a lack of exercise and owner interaction – and, as a result, becomes too rambunctious and vigorous during a play session.
Because all cat play is based around the predatory feline nature, an overstimulated cat vents this excess through an intensification of her normal predatory play: so, instead of swatting at you with claws sheathed, she extends them; instead of mouthing your hand, she gives it a sharp bite.
Unfortunately, the problem is usually self-replicating. The cat is play-aggressive because she’s not getting enough stimulating, interactive play time; but because she demonstrates this behavior whenever she gets played with, her owner plays with her less … which results in more play aggression … which results in even less play … and so on.
How can I tell when my cat’s about to become aggressive?
You can often tell when the play’s getting a bit out of control by paying attention to your cat’s body language and expression.
Normal, non-aggressive feline play behavior includes the ‘play face’, with a half-open mouth and heavily lidded eyes; the sideways hop (often with arched back); and a lightly switching tail (it’s going from side to side, but slowly and gently.)
When your cat’s getting too revved-up, her body language will alter dramatically. Her ears will go back, her tail will start lashing violently from side to side, and her pupils will enlarge. Her movements will also become significantly more vigorous and energetic: there’ll be increased speed and force to her playing.
What should I do when I sense things are getting out of control?
If you think your cat’s getting overexcited, the best thing you can do is to stand up and walk away – before she actually starts to display aggression! You can resume play as soon as she’s calmed down a bit; the idea is to intervene before she has the chance to vent her energy on you.
If it’s too late for this and she’s already started to bite or scratch at you, don’t reward her with attention – not even negative attention. Simply stand up and walk away. Leave the room, if necessary.
At this point, she will most likely try to initiate play with you again. When she does, don’t respond – play initiation is dominant behavior, and if you accede to her demands, it’ll teach her that bothering you for attention results in her getting her own way.
If she’s particularly persistent, or the aggresion is becoming hard to deal with, you can isolate her in a room by herself until she’s calm (which can take anywhere from five to twenty minutes.)
Main do’s and don’ts for play aggression
- Remember, your cat isn’t really trying to ‘attack’ you – her intentions are purely playful. She just has to learn that aggressive behavior isn’t going to result in a rewarding play session for her. In order for her to learn this, you need to be consistent with your reactions: so don’t reward her with attention sometimes, and ignore her at other times. She’ll get confused, and won’t learn to curb her aggressive behavior.
- Don’t ever use physical punishment to correct play aggression. There are two reasons for this: one, if you actually hurt your cat, this will result in increased aggression on her behalf; and two, even if it doesn’t hurt, it’s still going to scare her, which results in owner-avoidance and a general deterioration of your relationship.
- Since play aggression is almost always due to boredom and an excess of energy, the best thing you can do is to provide lots of opportunities for stimulating interactive play with your cat. Try to make it aerobic exercise: get her running around, chasing things, climbing, pouncing, and so on.
- Make sure the play is on your terms. Don’t allow your cat to initiate play – this is habit-forming, and teaches her that you can be manipulated.
- If you find it difficult to make the time to play with your cat, scheduling in a couple of set ten-minute playtimes each day might help. Paying attention to your cat’s circadian rhythms (watching to see when she’s the most active) is a good idea as well: play with her when she’s wide-awake and raring to go. She’ll get more out of it.
What toys should I use?
Cats are predators. Their play is instinctively based around behaviors that will increase their ability to hunt.
Because of this, cats prefer toys that resemble prey – that is, small, mobile objects that move.
Try things like ping-pong balls, scrumpled-up paper, cardboard boxes, paper bags, dangling ropes affixed to the ceiling or doorways, scratching posts, and skeins of yarn for solitary play; and fake mice, cat dancers (like a mobile which you dangle and jerk around for your cat to play with), wands, and anything that rolls which you can toss for her for interactive play.
If she likes to climb and explore, you can also try creating an obstacle course for her to enjoy: rig up some branches, pillars, shelves, perches, and climbing ramps etc for her to clamber around on. Most cats enjoy being up high anyway, so this should go down a treat. You can also try hiding some small, tasty treats in various places to encourage her to get climbing.
For a really detailed look at how to deal with your cat’s behavior problems, take a look at Complete Cat Training. It’s a cutting-edge cat training manual that’s focused on training your cat and changing her behavior for the better.
For professional tips on transforming your cat’s behavior problems (as well as teaching her some pretty neat tricks, from sit and stay to roll over, play dead, and fetch!) Complete Cat Training comes very highly recommended.

Training Your Cat

When most people think about animal obedience work, cats aren’t usually the first candidates to spring to mind.
We tend to associate cats with words like aloof, independent, and laid back – they seem to focus on doing what they want, pretty much as and when they feel like it.
You might be excused for thinking that this isn’t really ideal training material!
However – there’s an ever-increasing number of people who are deriving a great deal of pleasure from training their cats in basic and advanced obedience work and tricks (from sit, stay, come to jumping through hoops, twirling, and high-fiving) - and what’s more, they’re convinced that their cats enjoy it, too!
The benefits of training your cat
Just because cats typically lead solitary, individual lives doesn’t mean that they necessarily want to do so.
In fact, many cats are incredibl affectionate and loving by nature – they just need you to demonstrate your leadership and initiate the rapport-building process.
Cats are often underestimated when it comes to the training process, simply because the average owner has very little need to attempt any sort of training at all. Unlike with dogs (whose ability to learn is very well documented) there’s no need to train cats in the basics of pet protocol like house training and bathing.
Consequently, relatively few people are aware of their cat’s abilities in this area.
Training your cat is a fantastic way to enrich your cat’s life:
- It builds a strong rapport between you and your cat

- Because training underlines your authority (your cat has to do what you want to get what he wants), it helps to curb dominant behavior

- It keeps your cat’s mind active and stimulated

- It’s great interactive play, and teaches good social skills

- Anxious and highly-strung cats are reassured and soothed by the repetition and routine of training
So how do I train my cat?
There are two popular methods of training a cat: target training and clicker training. A brief rundown of each:
- Target training is where you attract your cat’s attention and then obtain desired behaviors through the use of a designated tool. For example, during the ‘beg’ command, a particular target training tool called a training wand is used to attract the cat’s attention upwards, and to encourage the cat to rise up on his haunches and ‘beg’.
- Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning (which is where the animal is taught to form a conscious association between a specific behavior and a result.) A small mechanical noise-maker (the ‘clicker’) is used by the trainer to create a short, distinct noise. The clicker is clicked at the precise moment that the cat performs a desired behavior – for example, during ‘sit’, the clicker is clicked at the very instant that the cat’s bottom touches the ground. Directly after the click, the cat is fed a small and tasty treat. With repetition, the cat grows to associate the click with the food, and recognizes his own ability to earn treats by performing the desired action on command. The clicker is a particularly valued training tool because it allows the trainer to pinpoint the exact behavior that’s being rewarded: without the clicker, it’s too easy for the cat to form associations between the treat and a completely unrelated behavior (since it’s impossible to feed the cat a treat at the precise moment that he’s performing a trick.)
Practical tips for training your cat
- Remember to be patient. Your cat is an individual, with his own abilities and preferences. He will pick up some tricks quickly, but may struggle with others. Make allowances for his personality, and don’t lose your temper if it doesn’t go exactly according to schedule.
- If you’re free-feeding your cat (leaving food out at all times for him to eat as and when he feels like it), stop doing this. Enforcing a feeding schedule has two main benefits: it increases the reward-value of food treats as training devices, and also introduces a semblance of routine into your cat’s life (which, believe it or not, most cats actually prefer.)
- Train smart. If you’re using food treats (which is highly recommended to achieve the desired results) then schedule training sessions for just before mealtimes: your cat’s natural desire for food at his regular mealtime will sharpen his focus and increase his desire to obey you (so he can get a treat.)

- Take baby steps. When training your cat, it’s best to build up a solid foundation of the basics before attempting to expand his repertoire.
- Cats have pretty short attention spans, and low boredom thresholds. Keep lessons short and interesting – and always try to end on a positive note.
An example of successful cat training in action
Training your cat to ‘sit’ on command
‘Sit’ is a great basic command for your cat to know, because it serves as the foundation for a number of other, more advanced tricks and commands (for example, ‘stay’, ‘beg’, and ‘high five’.)
- Make your training wand extra-effective by smearing the tip in a little tuna oil, and use it to attract your cat’s attention (wave it around, trail it past his face, etc.)
- Once he’s come over to you, place the wand just over his head, so that it’s slightly behind the crown of his head.
- He will tilt his head back to keep his eyes on it. When he does this, he will naturally sit down (since otherwise, his neck can’t bend back far enough to allow him to keep watching the training wand.)
- As he sits down, say the word ‘Sit’, which will be the verbal cue for this command (your cat will grow to associate the command with the act of sitting, and eventually will learn to sit down whenever you ask him to.)
- As soon as his bottom touches the ground, click the clicker. It’s important that you time this precisely.
- Directly after clicking, give him a small food treat. Make sure it’s cut up very small – if it takes him more than two seconds to eat it, he’ll forget why you gave it to him.
- Repeat this process a few more times, and over the next few weeks, keep doing so until he’s comfortable with what’s expected of him. When he’s able to sit down on command, you can phase the clicker out – but still give treats sporadically (interestingly, if you treat every single time that he performs a command, he’s actually less likely to reliably obey that command. Keeping him on his toes seems to increase the likelihood of obedience!)
Further training
For step-by-step advice on how to train your cat in a huge variety of other obedience commands and tricks (from ‘stay’ to ‘play dead’ to ‘fetch’), check out the Complete Cat Training book – it’s full of training how-to’s, as well as a huge amount of detailed information on solving problem behaviors, cat psychology, and how to develop a more rewarding relationship with your cat.

Katy's Tropical Fish - A Complete Guide



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Visit Katy's Tropical Fish- A Complete Guide


Katy’s Tropical Fish Product Review

Katy’s Tropical Fish is the complete guide to keeping healthy, happy, long-lived tropical fish. The manual itself consists of over 100 pages of comprehensive information and full-color diagrams, and covers all aspects of setting up a tropical fish aquarium from scratch: preparing it, placing it, stocking it, cleaning it, and maintaining a sustainable, stress-free, and healthy environment for the fish.
A tropical aquarium is (to the uninitiated, at least) a surprisingly delicate balance of conflicting factors: everything has to be just so in order for the fish to survive and cohabit with each other peacefully. There are a lot of different considerations to bear in mind in the long run – Katy’s Tropical Fish - A Complete Guide tells you everything you need to know to keep a well-maintained aquarium, swimming with beautiful fish, for a minimum of cost, effort, and time-investment.
What Do You Learn?
This manual tells you literally everything you need to know about acquiring and maintaining your tank of healthy, happy tropical fish. One of the main selling-points of the book, as far as I’m concerned, is that it’s a complete guide: literally all the information necessary to set up your own aquarium is included (and how to do it quickly, too – Katy tells you how to do it inside of 24 hours), as well as long-term maintenance tips on how to keep everything fresh and looking good.
In addition to this, there’s also identification and treatment advice on some of the more common ailments suffered by tropical fish (including White Spot, Velvet and Fin Rot), which will save time and money at the vet’s (not to mention potential heartbreak); information and troubleshooting tips on how to grow healthy aquatic plants; and time- and money-saving information on recommended products, which products aren’t recommended (and why), and aquarium care. And all of this is in clear, easily-understandable language, too – which is a real relief, especially after trying to wade through some of the terminology-packed alternatives available on the market!
What Bonuses Do You Get?
You get considerable bang for your buck with Katy’s Tropical Fish Guide – not only do you get the complete, fully-illustrated guide itself, which is an exhaustive guide to everything you need to know about keeping tropical fish, but you also get:
- the downloadable video, Secrets to Tropical Fish Success, which guides you through the set-up of a professional-quality tropical aquarium (regardless of your budget)
- the bonus book Buying Compatible Freshwater Fish, which is a complete guide to the compatibility of a variety of freshwater fish which you may wish to add to your tropical aquarium
- the bonus book Introduction to Freshwater Plants, packed with useful information on the importance and care of plants in your aquarium
- the bonus book Choosing the Right Marine Fish, a complete guide to choosing and caring for marine fish (a wide selection of tropical saltwater fish are covered)
Particularly Good Parts
Something I found particularly useful was the free, private email consultation with the Kingdom of Pets tropical fish team. If, after reading the books and watching the video, you should have any unanswered questions, all you have to do is send an email – and you’ll receive a reply back in no time at all (the rapidity of customer service is another gratifying aspect of this product), straight from the tropical-fish experts themselves. This consultation is valued at $120, but for some strange reason it’s currently being given away completely free!
In addition, I always find it very reassuring when a company or author is confident enough of the quality of their product to offer a no-questions-asked 100% refund, should a customer (for whatever reason) not be completely satisfied with their purchase. From a consumer’s perspective, this safety-net does a lot to assuage any (hypothetical, as it turns out) doubts that I may have had.
All in All
I can’t see how you can possibly go wrong with this. After trawling through the other products available on the market, I have to say that Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide has to be the leader in the field (and I’d say the author knows it too, since she promises to give it away for free if you can find a better-value guide anywhere on the Internet!).
If you’ve got a tropical aquarium, or are thinking of obtaining one, this guide is definitely for you – there’s no doubt about it.

Algae Problems

Algae (pronounced AL-jee) are simple forms of marine plant life. They’re pretty basic: they lack leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, and all the other things we normally associate with plants. The term ‘algae’ is an umbrella phrase that’s used to refer to all forms of marine life that are capable of photosynthesis (converting sunlight into energy), although some forms of algae rely entirely on external supplies of energy (in the form of protein and fish waste in the water) for food.
As far as your tropical fish tank goes, algae is definitely an unwanted visitor – it’s a real eyesore. Of course, certain levels of algae are to be expected; small amounts are inevitable wherever there’s light, nutrients, and water in combination.
However, when levels get high enough to be visible to the naked eye, you’ve got a surplus.Unless you maintain your aquarium regularly, you can pretty much count on regular growths of algae obscuring your fish, making the water smell, and generally detracting from the aesthetic appeal of your tank.
But what is it – and how do you get rid of it?
Well, it depends on the type of algae that you have, since each one needs to be treated in a specific manner. The most common forms of algae to affect tropical fish tanks are:
  • brown algae
  • green algae
  • blue-green algae
  • green water
What to do about brown algae
Brown algae is usually the first to appear in a newly established tank. It’s pretty easy to see: it looks like cloudy brown slime growing along the sides and bottom of your aquarium, as well as clinging onto gravel, rocks, and ornaments.
Limiting the light available won’t make any difference to this type of algae, since it’s perfectly capable of growing at low-lighting levels.
Instead, you need to cut right back on the nutrients available for sustaining its growth – which means feeding your fish less. High protein levels in the tank, derived from fish food, will fuel this algae’s growth.
Even if your fish are eating all the food you give them, this doesn’t mean you’re feeding them the right amount: when it comes to food, fish are natural opportunists, which means they’ll eat everything that’s available regardless of how much you feed them. If they’re overeating, they simply excrete the undigested food – which then floats around in the tank, feeding the algae instead!
Make sure you follow the directions stringently on the fish-food package, to be certain that you’re minimizing nutrient levels appropriately.
In addition to keeping food levels down, make sure you’re maintaining your tank adequately with enough water changes and gravel and filter cleanings.
If brown algae appears in an established aquarium, you’ll need to check the phosphate and nitrate levels, as too much of either will encourage the growth of the algae.
If the problem remains ongoing, you can use algae-eaters. These are bottom-dwelling fish – such as the American-flag fish and the Siamese algae eater - which feed on algae, and are commonly stocked by pet stores and fish traders. They’ll make quick work of your brown algae problem!
What to do about green algae
Green algae will appear in just about any tank with plenty of light. Fortunately, it’s easy to remove (it doesn’t cling to the glass too much) and most algae-eaters will consume it with gusto.
For green algae, make sure you’re minimizing the protein in the tank, as you would for brown algae. Start by cutting the fish-food back by one quarter, and pay close attention to the appearance of your fish: if their bodies become flat and thin, they’re not eating enough. They should be getting just enough food to remain slightly round-bodied.
Keep your fish tank stocked with plenty of algae-eaters, and the problem should take care of itself (although it bears repeating that a certain amount of algae, particularly green algae, is to be expected).
What to do about blue-green algae
Blue-green algae is technically not really an algae in the true sense of the word – it’s actually a form of bacteria, called cyanobacteria, which is a type of bacteria capable of photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria is one of the oldest organisms in the world, and is thought to have been around for at least 3.5 billion years!
It looks like a slimy coating in a number of greenish-blue shades, and the wastes it releases can actually be toxic to your fish – another good reason to keep it to a bare minimum.
The good thing about blue-green algae is that it’s easy to remove manually: usually, it forms ‘sheets’ of hanging matter in the water, which can easily be scooped out.
The bad thing about it is that it’s pretty hardy: even after a thorough removal, it’ll usually have returned by the next day
This algae is usually caused by low levels of nitrates (usually in combination with high levels of phosphate), and an imbalance of bacteria in the water.
How to get rid of this persistent eyesore:
  • Block all light for a week, and siphon the dead algae out of the tank each day. Your plants will be feeling pretty sorry for themselves by the seventh day, but they should recover just fine.
  • Add new bacteria after every water change. You can purchase bacteria pellets for this express purpose from your pet store and aquarium supply dealer. Ask for bacteria pellets that remove ammonia and excess protein from the water.
  • Be stringent with your tank maintenance: keep everything clean, check the filter for clogging, make sure the lights are working adequately (blue-green algae needs light to survive, but good fluorescents are necessary to maintain an adequate balance of bacteria and plant life in the tank).
What to do about green water
If the water in your tank is green, cloudy, and murky, then you have green water. This is a particular form of free-floating algae which hangs suspended in the water, giving it that characteristic opacity – in some cases, the water becomes so green that the fish are obscured.
It’s usually due to a significant excess of light (usually sunlight, as opposed to too much fluorescent), or a problem with your water quality.
To treat this problem:
  • Block all sunlight from reaching your tank for several days to one week. You can do this by draping fabric over your tank, or making sure that all the curtains remain drawn in the room where your aquarium is placed. This is very effective.
  • Keep your filter mesh as fine as you can: most generic filters come with pretty coarse mesh, so replace it with a fine-meshed sponge or use a diatomic filter (designed specifically to treat algal problems). Remember to check the filter regularly, or else it’ll get clogged.
General algae prevention tips
Regular maintenance of your tank is one of the best preventative measures when it comes to algae:
  • Change the water regularly
  • Clean the aquarium regularly
  • Use a UV filter in the tank
  • Situate the tank away from direct sunlight
  • Don’t overcrowd the fish
  • Keep the food levels down
  • Minimize aeration unless your aquarium is very well stocked: keep airstones and vents to a minimum
  • Utilize your plants’ nitrate and phosphate absorbing capacity: stock your aquarium with plenty of fast-growing species like Ambulia and Egeria
Maintaining a healthy, attractive aquarium can be a pretty complex task – there’s so much to keep track of!
For smart, relevant, detailed, and easy to follow advice on keeping a professional-standard aquarium, we recommend Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide.
It’s packed with valuable insider tips for keeping a fabulous aquarium, regardless of budget and experience – all aspects of tropical aquarium maintenance are covered, from fish health to algae problems to fish compatibility. It’s a complete owner’s manual!
Katys Tropical Fish

How to Stock Your Tank

It’s all very well to hear people talking about the beauties of an aquarium, how to maintain adequate pH, keeping nitrate and phosphate levels adequately balanced, and so on … there seems to be plenty of technical detail available!
But what about the actual fish? How do you choose which ones you want? How do you know whether they’ll be too big for the tank when they grow up, or whether they’ll be compatible with your other fish? How do you find out how to stock your tank?
Here is a quick rundown of the things you’ll need to bear in mind when choosing fish for your tank, as well as a brief look at a couple of the more common types of tropical fish. Hopefully it’ll give you a good idea of where to get started!
Freshwater vs. Saltwater
Obviously, the water type is different, but what does that actually mean in terms of the kind of aquarium you’ll end up with?
Specifically, freshwater tanks are generally recommended for beginner aquarists – especially if children are going to be involved in looking after the fish.
This is because freshwater fish are much easier to look after, and are generally more resilient to less-than-perfect water quality and fluctuations in temperature (and, really, all the sorts of mistakes that beginners are prone to make!). In general, freshwater tanks are both cheaper and easier to maintain than saltwater ones.
Saltwater aquariums often have more colorful fish, but maintaining the chemistry of a saltwater tank is a pretty finicky business, and is best undertaken by someone well-versed in the lore of fish-keeping.
What to think about when choosing your fish
Unfortunately, choosing fish for an aquarium isn’t as simple as you might think. You can’t just go into a pet store and select arbitrary numbers of the fish that you find the most appealing – you need to invest some forethought into your tank to ensure that your fish lead happy, healthy lives.
Some things to think about:
  • Fish size. When you buy fish, they’re usually babies. Some will stay about the same size, but other will grow much, much larger – so you’ll need to bear the size of your tank in mind! As a standard rule of thumb, always buy for the adult size. If there’s no guide on the tank or if you’re unsure, ask the assistant. This is really important, because fish are sensitive little creatures: if they’re subjected to overcrowding (which happens when fish are too large for their surrounds), they can get so stressed out that they die. Really.
  • Recommended diet. Not all fish dine equally – some fish eat live food, some eat frozen food, some eat flakes, and some will eat anything (but don’t rely on that last one when it’s tank-stocking time!) Because different fish eat different things, unless you’re prepared to invest time each day in measuring out the accurate quantities of various fish foods, it’s best to get fish that eat the same thing. It’ll make it easier and less expensive for you to take care of your new pets (and will ensure that the kids can participate, too, if they want to get involved).
  • Compatibility. Contrary to popular belief, fish do actually have personalities – and some of them can get pretty aggressive. Many tropical fish have well-deserved reputations as bullies: they can nip the fins of other, more peace-loving fish, they can ‘barge’ smaller fish, and they can get into fights (which are frequently pretty vicious). To eliminate the likelihood of your fish getting into scraps, you should aim to buy fish that have mutually compatible personalities – which means, no territorial fighting fish in with a school of peace-loving roamers!
  • Water temperature. Just because the dozen or so species of fish in that wall of tanks in the pet store are all labeled ‘tropical fish’, doesn’t mean that they’re all tropical fish from the same region. Different fish thrive in different temperatures – and because you can only have one temperature at a time in your tank, it’s best if you choose fish that are comfortable in the same temperature range.
  • Life expectancy. Some fish live for upwards of ten years – which is a pretty serious time commitment! If you’re a free spirit who likes to roam about (and, let’s face it, tropical fish tanks don’t normally go down so well when you’re trying to thumb a ride), consider how long you’re likely to want to keep this fish tank for, and shop accordingly.
So what types of fish can I buy then?
Shopping for tropical fish is fun! As long as you’ve got your tank dimensions figured out and know basically how much money you want to spend (and have perhaps printed out the above list, to take with you to the store), grab your wallet and head to the pet shop/fish breeder. One of the best parts about keeping a tropical tank is that the beauty of the fish doesn’t depend on the size of your checking account!
Some common breeds that you’ll likely encounter:
  • Clown Loach. Clown loaches are colorful, lively, and humorous fish with plenty of quirky personality traits (like lying on their side when resting, and making loud clicking noises when they eat!) Clown loaches do best in schools, so if you like them, get at least three or four. These fish grow between 6 and 12 inches – they’re pretty sizeable! – and prefer to eat meaty food.
  • Congo Tetra. These peaceful fish are popular choices for beginners, as they’re very brightly colored and like to flash around the tank in divertingly attractive schools (again, you’ll need to get more than a few of these to keep them happy). These are a medium-sized fish, generally growing to around 5 inches in length, and require a minimum of 30 gallons of water for adequate swimming space. Tetras love clean water, and lots of live plants to dart around and hide behind, but aside from this they’re pretty easy-care.
  • Elephant Nose. These are really amazing fish to look at – they have a long, protuberant ‘trunk’ for a nose (hence the name) which they use to hunt small live food - although they will also eat frozen and flaked food too, if it’s all that’s available. They grow to be about 8 inches long and need a sandy, gravelly bottom on the tank. These are fairly territorial fish, but will do fine as long as the tank isn’t overcrowded.
  • Tiger Barb. These fish derive their names from the characteristic black barring (‘tiger stripes’) on their flanks. They’re very striking fish, but they can be quite aggressive toward other species (they’re known as fin nippers). Aggression is minimized by keeping them in schools, where they’ll be distracted from the other fish in the tank by working out the necessary hierarchy among themselves – it can be pretty diverting to watch! Tiger Barbs grow to about 3 inches and need plenty of space for schooling. They’re omnivores, so they eat all types of food: the one feeding rule is to do it regularly, to avoid aggression!
Further Reading
For more information on the technicalities of keeping a tropical fish tank, check out Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide. As the title promises, it’s a complete compendium for the responsible fish-keeper of any experience level, and is packed from start to finish with valuable gems of relevant, detailed, and easy-read information.
Katys Tropical Fish

White Spot- Most Common Disease of Tropical Fish

White spot is arguably the most common disease that tropical fish are subject to, and is believed to be responsible for causing more fatalities than any other disease. Most – if not all – aquarists will encounter white spot (also known as Ich) at least once or twice during the course of their career/hobby.
What is it?
White spot is a single-celled, ciliate protozoan. In regular English, this means it’s a single celled parasite organism, which propels itself through the water through use of cilia, or filament-like hairs. Mature adult cells are 0.5 – 1.0 mm in size, and are usually clearly visible to the naked eye.
White spot is a parasite. It lives under the top layer of scales and skin on your fish, eating skin cells and causing minute cellular ruptures. The white spots which result from these ruptures are the basis for the parasite’s name, and are what will eventually kill the host (the fish).
How does it get into my tank?
White spot is usually introduced to a tank along with new, infected fish or plants. It can also break out seemingly without warning in an undisturbed tank.
When this happens, it means that the organism has been present for some time, but has been dormant (hibernating), and that some new stimulus – stress, or a change in water temperature – has caused it to awaken and become active.
The original cell of the organism will attach itself to a host (the weakest, oldest, or sickest fish in the tank), usually in the gill plates or under the scales.
After approximately one week of parasitism, the now-mature organism (mature Ich cells are called trophozoites) detaches from the fish and settles on a new surface: usually, a plant or ornament.
It will then form a capsule around itself (called a cyst) and will remain dormant – at least, outwardly - for about a week. During this period of time, the cell within the capsule is furiously dividing: by the time that those seven days are up, that one cell has become approximately 1,000 new single-celled organisms.
These “daughter cells” will then break loose and swim freely about the tank, attaching themselves to new fish - and beginning the cycle all over again.
White spot is highly contagious and progresses very rapidly. 100% mortality is to be expected unless something is done about it.
What can I do about it?
Prevention is obviously the best cure:
  • Make sure you only ever buy healthy fish from a reputable, clean breeder
  • Inspect the tank from which your fish originate: does it look to be in clean condition? Are the plants healthy and flourishing? Is the gravel clean of sediment and dust? Is the water warm and well-conditioned?
  • Check the fish, too – not just the ones you’re buying, but all the fish in the tank. Watch out for ones that are ‘hiding’ (under rocks and behind ornaments) since this is a classic symptom of an infected fish. Make sure none are displaying those tell-tale white spots
  • Thoroughly clean any gravel or ornaments you purchase before placing them in the tank, to make sure any cysts are dislodged
  • Quarantine new plants and fish for one week before adding them to your tank
  • Never overstock your tank, since it will stress the fish (which is a major contributor to outbreaks of white spot, as well as dictating in part the severity of the outbreak)
  • Check your fish regularly for white spots. The earlier you detect it, the less impact the disease will have on your tank.
What if it’s too late for prevention?
If you’ve already got an outbreak in your own tank, relax – it may be a serious illness, but at least it’s easy to cure!
The most common, and user-friendly, method of curing condition is through the use of aquarium salts.
Parasites are less tolerant of salt than fish, so adding extra salt kills off all the Ich organisms with no adverse effects to the fish themselves. Make sure you follow the instructions on the package (aquarium salts should always come with clear instructions), and make sure before using it that you don’t have any salt-intolerant fish in the tank like Neons, Cardinals, Glow-Lights, or scale-less Catfish, which are easily burned by salt.
A second alternative is to use a chemical called malachite green. This is an effective way of treating Ich, but unfortunately the chemical is toxic to humans (as well as most plants and snails, so make sure you remove these before commencing treatment!). Always use gloves when administering this chemical – and, because it’s teratogenic (meaning it harms fetuses), pregnant women should stay well away from it.
All you have to do with malachite green is remove the carbon from the filter, and add the appropriate amount (according to the instructions) to the water of the tank. It usually takes about 4-5 days to kill all the Ich cells – a good rule of thumb is to continue use of it until a couple of days after the last white spot has vanished from the fish. 10 days is typical for use of malachite green: just remember to put the carbon back in the filter to remove any lingering traces of the treatment, and give it one or two more days before putting the snails and plants back in.
UV light is also an effective means of treatment: you can purchase inner-tank filters from the pet store with small UV lights inside them. The light kills the parasites in the capsule stage, before they attach to the host.
The transfer method is time-consuming but effective: you’ll need to move all the fish, daily, into a new tank with clean, warm, conditioned water. It takes about 7 daily transfers (so, a week) for all the parasites to fall behind. The only downside is that the fish (and, often, the aquarist!) get stressed by the process, leaving them more susceptible to other diseases. Fish already affected by white spot will sometimes die during the transfer process because their bodies can’t handle the additional stress.
Recommended Reading
For a complete compendium of information on all the problems that tropical fish are subject to, take a look at Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide. You’ll learn how to keep your fish happy, healthy, and beautiful, how to keep your aquarium to professional standards, how to troubleshoot health problems as soon as they occur, and learn valuable insider tips and tricks for keeping your aquarium looking spectacular.
Katys Tropical Fish