Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy, water lily-like flowers commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are two species in the genus, the better known of which, the Sacred Lotus (N. nucifera), is the national flower of Egypt, India and Vietnam.
And now, imagine that whilst on a holiday in a foreign country, a stranger describes to you a wondrous plant growing in his garden. A plant that produces luxuriant circular leaves, larger than dinner plates, elevated on strong, slender stems up to 1.5 m. above the ground.

The biotechnology industry has struggled for the last twenty years to come up with products that work, and propaganda to sell those products. Remember the FlavrSavr tomato, the first genetically engineered (GE) food product designed to ripen on the vine, yet stay firm all the way to market? Well, it hardly lasted the first truck ride across the country, as it really wasn't all that squash proof.

One of the groups of aquatic plants which is frequently overlooked and under-rated are the floating plants. There are a surprising number from which to choose, with a variety of shapes and sizes as well. The fact that a plant is referred to most commonly as “floating” doesn’t automatically mean that it must remain forever on the water surface, or that it will necessarily thrive best there.

The Zebra Cichlid has a "typical" mbuna shape. The coloring depends on the geographical population and mood of the fish. The most common color variety has a pale blue body with seven to eight, dark blue or black, vertical bands. All flanks are pale blue. Another variety or "mood coloration" is simply pale blue in color. Albino and white variations are very common, as is a "Red" or "Tangerine" form, and several blotched "OB" varieties.

This is the start of a several part series of which goldfish types, maintenance, breeding, collecting eggs, and even shipping eggs and fry will be discussed. I hope to share facts as well as my own experience with these beautiful, but challenging fish. Who knows maybe even a few surprises along the way.

Poecilia Libestes Reticulata, a fish commonly known as the Guppy, is a very popular aquarium fish. It is particularly suitable for novice aquarists since it is easy to keep and non-aggressive. The Guppy belongs to the Livebearer group and will give birth to free swimming fry instead of laying eggs. The Guppy originates from fresh and brackish waters in South and Central America, but can today been found wild in other places of the world as well, including Florida in the U.S. The Guppy has been deliberately set free in several Asian waters in an attempt to combat malaria by decreasing the number of mosquitoes.

Neocaridina are small freshwater shrimp, also called dwarf shrimp. 2 species Neocaridina have been bred in several colors and are very popular for the planted aquarium. Neocaridina are from the family Atyidae and the subfamily Atyniae, which also include shrimps from the genus Atya, Atyopsis, and Caridina. Shrimp from all 4 genus are represented in the aquarium trade. The Neocaridina are very similar to some shrimp from the genus Caridina, which include the Amano shrimp among others, and were once considered part of that genus.