dogs and fish shop

Question
Hi Karen,
Well just today i have completed all my examinations and i am going day after to Kerala (the neighbouring coastal state) and i called up one of the aquarists there and they say they do have the medicine.

Can you do me a favour? Well there is a famous shop called Southern India Aquarists, but i am not at all satisfied with the fish they give and also the price of the fish. But they say that they have the best quality of fish. They have put up some seals and stuff. Here is their webiste-- www.archanaexports.com. Can you please tell me whether it is genuine?
I feel they are frauds as they say an oranda pair costs about Rs 700 but my other aquarist says a pair is only Rs 50 and the quality to i feel is good.

I have bought a pair of upside down catfish to raise in one of my breeding tanks but they dont come up to eat the food. How should i train them to come up?

Dogs
Well i am thinking of going for the lhasa or the lab. There was no Shi Tzu available but there was an irish setter. Anyway, you have so many dogs but dont they bite anyone? Do your grandchildren get along well with the dogs?

......Srinivas
I have cleaned my 350 gallon tank once (with help)  

Answer
Hi Srinivas,
Good deal on the medicine!

~Okay, I searched and looked at archanaexports.com and I would say they have a very good selection of wild caught and tank raised fish. Though on the website they didn't list the price of the fishes. I think their selection was good and their tanks and other accesories were fine. You have to remember that even here in Texas the fish stores around here all have different pricings of their fish and everything for that matter. Each shop will have their different pricings for their fish. Sometimes some fish are priced a bit too much. Can you please try and convert RS dollars into American money? Many thanks if you could.

Anyway the best way to tell if a fish shop is all that genuine, is 1.) if the fish are always in good condition (you have to allow for the occasional  fish), 2.) if the selection of species is decent, 3.) they have a good variety of fish foods, medicines, and water conditioners, 4.) if the staff at the shop are very helpful and are eager to answer any questions you may have, 5.) the prices are reasonable. and 6.) there is a good maintenance schedule. If you can say yes to all of these, I would say it was a very good fish store and would be worth visiting frequently.
I hope you agree! :-)

~Upside-down catfish~
I love Upside down cats! They are so cool... That's strange that they won't eat at the top. Upside-downs are known for using their four feathered barbels for skimming small bits of food from the water's surface and for scraping algae and other bio-matter from the underside of sunken logs anf overhanging root tangles, and the leaves of aquatic plants. Maybe the reason they won't eat is because they are mainly nocturnal fish that feed mostly at night. Your best bet is to feed after you turn the lights out. Floating flakes, floating pellets, or freeze dried tubifex worms are a favorite with these cats. You can also feed them sliced Zucchini or yellow squash. An ideal way to feed these veggies is to first cut up the squash, freeze each slice, and then thaw a wheel completely prior to dropping it into the tank. When the squash freezes, the cell walls burst, making the squash mushy and easily digestable for the catfish.
I hope this helps!

~Dogs~
Well, um...Honestly, I don't have any children. And 4 of my 5 dogs are outdoor dogs only. They will bark, some more than others at any stranger or stray cat in the yard. My Jack Russel Terrier mix is the worst one. She is pretty yappy, (that is the terrier in her, they are highly know for being barky little dogs because they were originally used as hunters or ratters) she also has an endless amount of energy but really is a sweet dog, she DOES have the tendacy to try and nip at strangers but it isn't too bad of a thing. She's pretty sweet overall. Foxy, our Spitz mix is moderately protective and very wary toward strangers. Muffin is our Yorkshire terrier mix, she's VERY docile and extremely shy of strangers, she will bark, out of fear though...No aggression.  Now Diamond, our Lab-German Sheperd mix is the most easy going of the others. She rarely barks at people, more so the stray cats around here. She is friendly to everyone and a very sweet dog. Has a lot of energy but Diamond's a very smart dog. Eager to learn and Play! All but 2 of our dogs came to our yard as sickly strays....Diamond was nothing but a bones and skin when she wandered in our yard. They all have their stories.

Zelda is our indoor dog. She is a blue heeler, also known as an australian cattle dog. Zelda is very sweet and affectionate to me and my mother, probably because were the ones who baby her the most. Zelda will bark at strangers, but eventually once she sees they are no threat to anyone, she will wiggle her little nubby tail and give plenty of kisses to them. She has never really threatened to bite anyone in pure aggression.

Anyways, no dog should ever bite anybody he/she knows out of pure aggression. That is a huge no-no and the dog is most likely very ruling and dangerous to be around. He would need expert training and correction. There are certain breeds that won't tolerate children teasing them and will nip in annoyance. If you have children, or if someone's children will be around the dog a lot. It's best to select a breed that will handle the activity of kids. Labs are good at this, I am not sure about Lhasas, they probably won't tolerate children much. And you should always teach the child that they should be gentle with any dog you have, explain to them they feel pain when their tail or ears are pulled and that they should play nice with them. Remember that any dog, whatever breed or mix, can and will bite a child if he is teased or threatened in any way.


Well I hope I was of some help to you! Remember you can email me again on anything on your mind!

Wishing you the very best on everything!
Take care and Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~
ps: let me know what you decide on dogs....if you don't mind.