The coolest Aqua Forest aquarium with healthy plants and happy fish

The Dutch aquarium follows an orderly, often symmetrical arrangement, in which multiple types of plants having diverse leaf colors, sizes and textures are displayed much as terrestrial plants are shown in a flower garden. This style was developed in the Netherlands starting in the 1930’s, as freshwater aquarium equipment became commercially available. It emphasizes plants located on terraces of different heights, and frequently omits rocks and driftwood. Linear rows of plants running left-to-right are referred to as “Dutch streets.” Tall growing plants that cover the back glass originally served the purpose of hiding bulky equipment in the tank.

Nature style aquascapes

A contrasting approach is the nature or Japanese style, introduced in the 1990’s by Takashi Amano. Amano’s three-volume series, Nature Aquarium World, sparked a wave of interest in aquarium gardening, and he has been regarded as quite possibly the most influential aquascaper in the world. Amano’s compositions draw on Japanese gardening techniques that attempt to mimic natural landscapes by the asymmetrical arrangement of masses of relatively few species of plants, and carefully selected stones or driftwood. The objective is to evoke a landscape in miniature, rather than a colorful garden. This style draws particularly from the Japanese aesthetic concepts of Wabi-sabi, which focuses on transience and minimalism, and Iwagumi, which governs rock placement. Plants with small leaves are usually emphasized, with more limited colors than in the Dutch style, and fish or freshwater shrimp are usually selected to complement the plants and control algae.

Biotopes

The styles above often combine plant and animal species based on the desired visual impact, without regard to geographic origin. Biotope aquascapes are designed instead to replicate exactly a particular aquatic habitat at a particular geographic location, and not necessarily to provide a garden-like display. Plants and fish need not be present, but if they are, they as well as any gravel and hardscape must match what would be found in nature in the habitat being represented.

Paludariums

In a paludarium, part of the aquarium is underwater, and part is above water. This allows plants to grow emersed, with their roots underwater but their tops in the air, as well as completely submersed.

Saltwater reefs

Dutch and nature style aquascapes are traditionally freshwater systems. In contrast, relatively few ornamental plants can be grown in a saltwater aquarium. Saltwater aquascaping typically centers on mimicking a reef. An arrangement of live rock forms the main structure of this aquascape, and it is populated by corals and other marine invertebrates as well as coralline algae, which together serve much the same aesthetic role as freshwater plants.

McDonald’s map reveals ‘McFarthest Point’ in America

Just as in London it is claimed you are never more than five metres from a rat, it seems that in the United States of America you are never much more than that from a Big Mac and fries, according to weathersealed.com.

That’s not quite true. While there are more than 13,000 branches in the States, some benighted areas of its vast hinterland are not blessed with ready access to 710-calories salads or a quarter-gallon vat of Coca Cola.

Predictably, the densely populated eastern seaboard has the highest numbers of the fast-food outlets – as represented by the thick galaxy of McDonald’s lights to the right of the map – closely followed by the west coast.

But between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, double cheeseburgers get harder to find.

South-east Oregon, central Nevada and Idaho are all borderline French-fry deserts – “McSparse”, as Steven von Worley, the map’s creator, puts it.

According to von Worley, the “McFarthest Spot” in America – or at least the 48 contiguous states – lies in the grasslands of South Dakota, between two tiny hamlets called Meadow and Glad Valley.

It is a terrifying 107 miles from the nearest McDonald’s as the crow flies – but worse still, a two-hour-minimum, 145-mile journey by car.

British people will be reassured to know that despite the comparatively tiny size of our islands, we still find room for an artery-busting 1,250 McDonald’s outlets.

Scientists may soon be able to erase fear and trauma from your mind

Scientists are a step closer to being able to wipe the mind clean of painful memories, a deveolpment that will offer hope to those with a fear of spiders or who are trying to bury traumatic experiences.

Neurobiologists believe they will soon be able to target and then chemically remove painful memories and phobias from the mind without causing any harm to the brain.

The researchers think that the new technique could help war veterans get over the horrors of conflict and cure people with debilitating phobias.

It could even eventually be applied to ease the pain of a failed relationship or a bereavement.

“While memories are great teachers and obviously crucial for survival and adaptation, selectively removing incapacitating memories, such as traumatic war memories or an unwanted fear, could help many people live better lives,” said Dr Joe Tsien, a neurobiologist at the Brain and Behaviour Discovery Institute at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.

“Our work reveals a molecular mechanism of how that can be done quickly and without doing damage to brain cells.”

The team, who published their work in Neuron and worked with scientists at East China Normal University in Shanghai, has isolated a “memory molecule” in a mouse and used it to remove its painful memories.

In a number of experiments they instilled a trauma in the mouse by applying electric shocks – but then removed the memory with a calcium enzyme called CamKII.

Just as a war veteran remembers a fateful patrol when he was fired upon, mice can establish a very long-lasting emotional memory about a place if, for example, they receive a mild shock to the paws.

But fears both new and old alike were wiped clean or over-written by over dosing the mouse’s brain with CamKII.

A similar approach was taken with object recognition memory, giving mice a couple of toys to play with then erasing their memory of one of them. Each time the mice acted like it had a new toy.

Eventually the research could lead to a pill or injection being administered to a person at the same time as they are asked to recall the painful memory or fear.

Despite the exciting breakthrough Dr Tsien said it would still be years before a similar trick could be carried on a human because their brains were much more complicated.

He also cautioned against the use to erase failed romances.

“If one got a bad relationship with another person, hoping to have a pill to erase the memory of that person or relationship is not the solution,” he said.

Real danger #1

i started these series just to remind one more time - living is a dangerous practice! Smile & Panic

The little animals artist

Koopa is the world’s first internationally collected, professional turtle artist. His paintings are the finest quality nonhuman-created art available anywhere. Koopa is under no stress when he paints. The slippery texture is just like mud to him and it is equally safe. Every gorgeous detail is created through Koopa’s natural walking motion. He is not coerced, assisted, or guided in any way during the painting process. A Certificate of Authenticity and a CD rom (containing at least 30 photos of this painting’s creation) will be included with the artwork. Koopa’s goal is to have at least one of his paintings hang in all 50 states, and at least one on every continent, except Antarctica. No small feat for a box turtle! Koopa knows that life isn’t so good for all turtles, so 20% of the purchase price from all of Koopa’s paintings will be donated to a non-profit organization that cares for sick/injured/abandoned turtles and tortoises. Koopa’s art has raised over $10,000.00 for turtle rescue organizations.

Piggy Painters: Van Snout and his pal Bottabelli. A farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England has stumbled upon a novel idea to raise funds for their Farm Crisis Network charity. The farm has enlisted the help of two piglets, known as “Van Snout” and “Bottabelli” who one day accidentally got into a few cans of non-toxic paint, and the next day had become artists. Their work is comparable to a Jackson Pollock painting for its messy and loose design, and wild mix of colors. Farm owner Chris Murray said “The pigs tended to go more for pointilism – they weren’t too keen on cubism. We think of them as our little Pigassos.” The paintings sell for up to £16 each and have raised more than £150 so far, which is sure to grow once the news spreads. The quality of the paintings is actually quite good, so good that you may be surprised to see who the true artists are behind the works.

He is the artist who paints without putting brush to canvas. Instead, Steven Kutcher uses moths, beetles, spiders, flies, honey bees, butterflies, grasshoppers – and even Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar. He dips the insects in paint, places them on a blank canvas and lets their movement create a string of colourful paintings. Mr Kutcher, 63, uses insects as living paintbrushes, guiding them by using their reaction to light or simply letting them wriggle at will. He said: “I’ll take a bug in my hand and, leg by leg, load the paint on to each leg. Then I put them on to the canvas and off they go, leaving a tiny trail of coloured footprints in their wake. “I can switch colours and even insects to create the effect I am looking for. “If a bug is sensitive to light, I can influence its movement on the canvas by controlling the lighting. “Insects have different footprints and behaviours so I use both my entomological and artistic knowledge to create fine works of art.” The artist, who lives in Los Angeles, is a keen environmentalist and says he ensures his paint-soaked insects are unharmed. He said: “I use water-based, nontoxic gouache paints which easily wash off. I have to take good care of them. After all, they are artists.”

Which Of These Beautiful Roads Would You Choose

These photos are spectacularly beautiful. These are like images taken in paradise. Very very interesting and fun to travel through…

Wudnt mind walking along those roads any given day …

few seconds before death

Think!! Few second before your death. You don't know anything about your backside enemy

Pictures Taken Exactly At The Wrong Time