Animals
Bunnies
Bunnies II 
Cat-N-Around Cat Club
Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007 Annual Show
Hawkeye Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye Cat Club 2005
Chinchillas
Degus
Ferrets
Ferrets by BOB
Gerbils
Ground Squirrels
Guinea Pig
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Kids & Kittens
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Parasites
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Water Bottles

Bugs
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Crab 04 Results
Centipedes
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Crayfish III
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Shrimp, Rudolph
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Hermit Crabs II
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Mini-Crabs
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Reiman Butterfly
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Tarantula Night 2006
TarantulaWeen VII
TarantulaWeen 9
Walking Stick
Misc. Bugs
Misc Bugs II  

Birds
Breeding Tips
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Finches
Love Birds
Parakeets
Pelleted Foods
Quaker Parrots
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Parrot Pix III
Dave's Parrots

Lizards
Alligators
Anoles
Bearded Dragon
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Calotes
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Chamel, Panther
Chamel, Veiled
Crested Geckos
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Gecko, House
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Gecko, Tokay
Horned "Toads"
Iguana New
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Iguana Training
Iguana Update
Cool Iguana Pics
Knight Anoles
Monitors, Nile
Monitors, Savana
Monitors, Water
Salmonella
Skinks
Skinks Blue-Tongue
Tegus
Uromastyx maliensis
Water Dragon
Misc Lizards
Misc Lizards 2
Misc Lizards 3
Misc Lizards 4
Misc Lizards 5
Misc Lizards 6
Misc Lizards 7
Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9
Misc Lizards 10


Snakes
Anacondas
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Boa, Red-Tail
Corn Snake
Garter Snake
Green Snake
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Kids/Red-Tail Boas

Kids at Pet Expo 1

Kids at Pet Expo 2

Kids at Pet Expo 3

Kids at Pet Expo 4

Kids at Pet Expo 5
King & Milk
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Python, Burmese

Snakes Alive
Snakesgiving
Snakesgiving II
Misc Snake Pix
Misc Snakes II
Misc Snakes III  

Turtles/Tortoises
Box, Asian
Box, USA
Races
Snapping
Spiny

Sulcata
Water
Western Painted

Live Foods
Blackworms
Blood Worms
Br Shrimp I
Br Shrimp II
Crayfish 1
Crayfish 2
Crayfish 3 
Crickets
Dandelions
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Earthworms
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Fruit Flies
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Glass Worms

Grindal Worms
Infusoria
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Microworms
Rosy Reds

Super Worms

Wax Worms
White Clouds

Decorating
Bubbles
Driftwood
Gravel
Plastic Plants
Rocks
Slow Growing Plants

Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
How to Add New Fish
How to Keep Healthy
Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
Under Gravel Filters

Sponge Filters
Cloudy Water
Cool Water Tanks
Gravel Vacuums
Preventing Disease
Feeding to the Max
Frozen Foods
Green Water
Nasty Chemicals
Overfeeding
Power Filters
Rift Lake Salts
Quarantine Tank
Mini-Tank
2nd Av Bait

Pet World Visit
Dandelions

Aquatic Plants
Amazon Swords
More Swords
Sword Plants III
Anubias
Anacharis
Aponogetons
A. boivinianus
A. fenestralis
A. ulvaceous
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Banana Plant
Bolbitis
Bunch
Bunch Plants II
Cryptocorynes
Crystalwort
Dwarf Lily
Grassy
Grassy II
Hornwort
Hygrophila
Lace
Java Fern I
Java Fern II
Java Fern III
Java Fern IV
Java Moss
Moss Balls
Onion
Vermiculite
Watersprite
Different Watersprite

 
Local Clubs
Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2006

Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007
Hawkeye State Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye State Cat Club 2005
CIWGA -- Central Iowa Water Garden Association
Iowa Herp Society
MACBS -- Mid America Caged Bird Society
Iowa Aquaria Association
IAA 02.05.05
EIAA -- Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association
MAS 75th Ann. Show
MCA Expo 2006 -- the Fish
MCA Expo 2006 -- the People

LA
Vampire shrimp get their name from the little "stabbers" on their feet.

LA
If you look real close, you can see the little "stabbers" on every foot.

No Pincers:   Most shrimp sport small pincers they use to gather foods.  Ditto crabs.  Not at all in vampire shrimp.  They will gather food they find on the bottom, but they're not food hunter/gatherers like your average shrimp.

LA
If you look real close, you can see his specialized food gatherers.

LA
Three-inch wood shrimp on left.  Two-inch vampire shrimp on right.

Filter Feeders:   Vampire shrimp use their specialized "fans" to capture micro-organisms and other bits of tiny particulate food.  They eat paramecia and other infusorians.  If you keep only one, he can usually support himself without supplemental feedings.

LA
Their fast-moving fans are difficult for the camera to capture.

Supplemental Foods:   We've seen them pick up sinking pellets and stuff them into their chest.  This was before we realized they were filter feeders (like the flower shrimp).  They like any of the micro foods.  We give them finely ground flake foods.  We add mystery snails to polish off any overfeeding.  They react very favorably to microworms.  We've never tried frozen baby brine shrimp, but they should eat them also.

LA
They hide in plain site if you give them a small flower pot.

LA
Mystery snails invaded their hidey hole and forced one out.

LA
We extracted the snails and this guy decided to climb out when we took the pot out of the water.

Shy Little Critters:   When you first get them, they like to hide.  You'll usually find them behind your filter stems.  You usually have to pry them out from their hidey holes.  Happily, they eventually get used to you and their tank mates.  In the meantime, we provide them a pot to pose in.

LA
We put the pot back in and they returned to their hidey hole.

LA
We hoped to detect some breeding activity but no such luck.

LA
Warning:  These Raphael catfish chewed of their little food-gathering "fans."

Harmless:   Vampire shrimp do not bother their tank mates.  They can't.  Avoid mixing them with cichlids and other shrimp-loving critters.  They are more likely to get pushed around by their tank mates as opposed to vice versa.

LA
And they don't all look alike. He's been around a couple months.  This is about a week after a shed.

LA
New kid on the block -- with us 24 hours.

LA
We've had him a month.  Supposedly they all turn bluish.

LA
They don't like to be picked up, but they don't go berserk either.

LA
The similar wood shrimps adapt to captivity and learn to "open up."  Perhaps the vampires will also.

LA
Here's a vampire shrimp "opening up" to fill his craw.

Last Words:   Vampire shrimps are a rose by any other name.  But they do smell a little funny.  They're fairly pricey for a shrimp but grow to a respectable and very observable size.  They require next to no maintenance unless you keep several of them.  In fact, they fit well into your clean up crew.  However, we find large snails help clean up after them.  Avoid all aquatic medications when you keep invertebrates.  LA

LA

LA

LA

© 2008  LA Productions
aqualandpetsplus.com

Jaguar Spawning II
Jewel Fish
Keo's Flowerhorns
Keo's Flowerhorns II
Kribensis
Odd Couple Spawn
Oscars 1
Oscars 2
Oscars 3
Oscars 4
Oscars 5
More Oscar
More Oscar II
More Oscars III
More Oscars 2007
More Oscars 2007.5
Oscar Spawn
Peacock Bass
Red Devils
More Red Devil
Red Parrots
Red Parrots Spawn
Red Parrot Spawn II
Pikes
Pink Tilapia
Rams
Red Bay Snooks
Red Bay Snook Spawn
Roger Stephen's Cichlids
Severums
More Severums
Severums III
Tanganyikans
Texas Cichlid
Texas Spawning
Texas Spawn II
Uarus
Misc Cichlids I
Misc Cichlids II
Misc Cichlids III
Misc Cichlids IV
Misc Cichlids V
Misc Cichlids VI
Misc Cichlids VII
Misc Cichlids VIII
Misc Cichlids IX

Livebearer  
Guppies
Half-Beak
Mollies
Moons/Platys
Swordtails

Minnows/Tetra 
Barbs
Barbs, Black
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Barbs, Rosy
Barbs, Tiger
Barbs, Tinfoil
Danios
Danio Egg Saver
Distochodus
Fathead Minnows
Headstanders
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Killies, Golden
Killies, Peat
Killies, Plant
Misc Mini-Fish
Pacús 
Piranha, Black
Piranha, Red
Rainbowfish

Rainbowfish, Dwarf Neon
Rainbowfish, Irian
Silver Dollar
Tetras, Larger
Tetras, Smaller
Tetras, Spawn
Tetra, Vampire
White Clouds

Pond Fish
Carp
Channel Cat
Gold. Comets
Gold. Fantails
More Fantails
Gold. Oriental  
Gold Oriental II 
Gold. Spawn
Kloubec Koi Farm
Koi
Koi II

Koi III
Oranda Spawn
Plecostomus
Shubunkins

Oddballs  
Af. Butterfly
Af. Lungfish
Af. Mudskippr
American Eel
Archer Fish
Arowana
Bichirs
Borneo Suckers
Brackish I
Brackish II
Brackish III
Brackish IV
Brackish V
Michael Troung's Pix
Butterfly/Wasp
Chameleon Fish
Chromides
Chin Alg Eater
Crazy Fish
Crocodile Fish
Datnioides
Dojo
Dwarf Puffers
Electric Cat
Electric Eels
Elephant Nose
Exodon paradoxus
Flounder
Gars  
Glassfish
Goby Bumble
Goby Butterfly
Goby Dragon
Goby Misc.
Half-Beak
Knife African
Knife Clown
Knife Ghost
Loach Botias
Loach Clown
Loach Kuhli
Loach Weather

Longear Sunfish
Moray Eel  
Peacock Gudgeons
Polypterids
Puffers
Ropefish
Scats
Siam Algae Eater 
Spiny Eels 
Snakehead
Stingray
Stonefish
Wasp Fish
Wolffish
Wrest Half-Beak
Misc Mini-Fishes
Misc Odd
Misc Odd II
Misc Odd III
Misc Odd  IV

Misc Odd V
Misc Odd VI

Sharks  
Bala
Black
Bull
Chinese Hi-Fin Banded
Iridescent
Red-Tail
Siam Algae Eater

Pond Info 
Blank Park Zoo
Bob Humphrey's Ponds
Cattails
Maffett Reservoir
DMACC's Pond
D.M. Botanical Center
D.M. Water Works
Dr. Ervanian's Garden
Duckweed
Dwarf Lily
Ewing Park "Pond"
Jan & Chris's Water Garden
John McDonald's Pond
Hall's Four Acres
Klines' Water Garden
Landscaper Effects
Mini-Pond Pics
Pioneer Corn's Pond
Pond Fish Predators
Pond on 38th Street 
Pond Pics
Pond Plants
More Pond Plants
Pond Plants III
Reiman Ponds
River Scenes
Riverview Island
Selin's Water Gardens
Selin's Japanese Garden
Tom's Used Cars Pond
Urbandale Duck Pond
Water Hyacinth
Water Lettuce
Wild Ponds