| How to Breed Koi Fish Posted: 04 Sep 2018 01:00 AM PDT Breeding koi can be a lot of fun but is a time-consuming process. To breed koi for a profit, it is important to choose koi that show the physical attributes you are looking for in offspring. Keep the pond clean and free from predators to increase the percentage of koi eggs that will hatch and survive their early weeks of life. EditChoosing Koi to Breed - Choose koi that are at least 3 years old. Koi don't sexually mature until they are about 3 years old. Wait until they are 3 years old to increase their likelihood of breeding and producing quality offspring.[1]
- Koi are about long when they are 3 years old.[2]
- Identify at least 1 male and 1 female to stay in the mating pond. Male and female koi generally look quite similar. However, during mating season, the males have small white growths on their pectoral fins and heads. Remove any koi from the pond that you don't want to breed; otherwise you will end up with unwanted baby koi.
- It is easy to spot males once they start breeding as they will chase the females around the pond.[3]
- It is safe to have multiple male koi in the same pond.
- Select koi that have attributes you want to replicate. Consider the attributes that you want for your koi offspring. If you want a certain fin shape, choose koi that demonstrate that characteristic. Regardless of what physical characteristics you want, try to choose koi that have healthy looking scales and are at least long.
- If you are looking for a certain color, choose koi parents that demonstrate that coloring.
- Avoid using a child's pet koi for breeding as the koi can suffer torn fins, bruises, cuts and occasionally death, during the breeding process. Take your koi to a vet if you are worried about their injuries.[4]
EditMaking the Right Conditions for Breeding - Breed koi in late-spring or early-summer. Koi tend to breed when the weather is warm and the water temperature has risen. It is important to be prepared as koi can produce up to 1 million eggs.[5]
- If you don't have the right conditions or enough capacity for baby koi, consider removing the males from the pond during this season. You will need a pond that is deep and by foot wide to house 5 koi. For more koi, you will need a larger pond.
- Use a filtration system to keep the water clean. A clean pond is important for the health of the koi and their spawn. Use a specialized koi pond filtration system to keep the water clean during the breeding season. These can be expensive but are necessary for breeding.
- Pond filtration systems can be purchased from pet stores or specialty fish shops for between US$200-US$2000.
- If your pond is particularly dirty or filled with algae, you may need to completely clean it out.
- Use a skimmer net to remove any debris or predators from the water. Predators (such as other fish) and debris should be removed from the pond to protect the spawn. Use a skimmer net, or a similar scoop tool, to remove anything that might harm the koi.[6]
- Skimmer nets can be purchased from DIY stores.
- If cats or birds are approaching your pond, cover the pond with netting to protect the koi. Use a piece of netting that is large enough to cover the pond and secure it down with heavy rocks.
- Feed your koi 4 times per day while you are trying to breed them. Increase your chances of the koi breeding by keeping them well fed for the month before you breed them. Feed the koi as much as they can finish in 5 minutes. Wholemeal bread, oranges and whole lettuces are nutritional food options.[7]
- Increase the amount of protein you feed your koi, as this helps support their bodies for breeding. Protein supplements can be purchased from a pet store. Follow the feeding instructions on the back of the packet.[8]
- Place a fry mat in the pond. This is a flat and sticky mat that gives the koi a place to lay their eggs. If koi can't find a place to lay their eggs, they won't always mate. Place the mat in an obvious place at the bottom of the pond.[9]
- Purchase a fry mat from a pet store or a specialty fish shop.
- Prepare a separate tank for the adult koi. If you want to breed a large number of koi it is important to remove the adult koi as they will eat many of the eggs. Make sure that the koi tank is clean and has a filter system.[10]
- If you are wanting to breed a small number of koi, leave the adults in the pond.
- Purchase a koi tank from a pet shop. For 2 koi, you will need an aquarium that is at least 100 gallons (380 L).[11]
- Leave the koi to mate. This process can happen immediately or can take a few weeks. Don't worry if the koi don't look interested in each other initially. A storm, full moon or change in air temperature can help encourage the koi to mate, so be patient and let nature take it's course.[12]
- Once the koi have mated, you will see a froth appear on the top of the water and their eggs will be visible on the fry mat.
EditCaring for Young Koi - Look for froth or scum appearing on the top of the water. This indicates that the spawn has been released. The spawn is immediately fertilized by the male koi and eggs are formed.[13]
- The eggs will hatch after about 4 days.
- If you are breeding the koi for profit, remove the parents out of the pond as soon as you notice the eggs or the presence of froth on the water.
- Feed the baby koi powdered koi pellets after 10 days. Crush up koi pellets using a blender or mortar and pestle until they are in a fine powder. Sprinkle the powder over the pond. Pour in enough powder to last the fish about 5 minutes. Feed the koi 4 times per day.[14]
- Continue to feed the baby koi powdered food until they are 4 weeks.
- Over time, you will learn how much food the baby koi will eat during each 5-minute feeding session.
- It can take a few days for the koi to get used to eating the powdered food.
- Feed the fish 10 days after you notice the eggs.
- Increase the size of the food once the koi are 1 month old. Start to introduce crumb size pellet pieces once the koi are 4 weeks old. You will still need to crush the pellets but they no longer need to be in a fine powder.[15]
- Cull any weak fish if you are breeding for profit. If you have a small pond and want to breed the koi for profit, you will need to cull some of the fish. Identify the koi that are very small, have physical disabilities or aren't the color patterns you are looking for.[16]
- Make sure that the koi are culled humanely.
- You don't necessarily need to dispose of the koi. Consider giving them away to friends or family members if they are healthy.
- Koi can be culled at any age, although, it is best to wait until their patterns emerge so that you can choose to keep the koi with your favorite colorings.
- Reintroduce parent koi once the baby koi are long. Once the baby koi start to get bigger, the parent koi become friendly with their offspring. If you have removed the parents from the pond, this is a safe time to reintroduce them.[17]
- Baby koi take approximately 3 months to reach .
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| How to Pack a Tent Inside a Backpack Posted: 03 Sep 2018 05:00 PM PDT Whether you're going camping or hiking, chances are you'll be doing a lot of walking with a heavy backpack. In order to make those long treks easier, you should know how the ideal ways to pack one of the heaviest items you'll have, the tent. Packing your backpack the wrong way can lead to injury and back strain. Once you pack your tent the correct way, you'll find your next outdoors experience much more enjoyable. EditPacking the Tent Inside the Backpack - Choose a backpack with an internal frame. Backpacks with an internal frame have more room than backpacks with an external frame. This extra space makes packing tents inside the backpack much easier. [1]
- Take into account the size of your tent when picking the backpack. Bigger tents will need bigger backpacks and vice versa.
- If you've already bought your backpack and you're worried that your tent is too big, look into getting a compression bag. These bags will help you pack the tent as tightly as possible.
- Lay your tent on the ground in a long, flat shape. With the tent poles in their bag, line the bag up along the side of the tent, not in the center. The poles help form support for the tent as you pack it away.[2]
- Roll the tent. Make sure that the pole bag stays in line with the side it's on. This will make sure the tent is rolled up as straight as possible and the pole bag will provide support and a base for the tent.
- After a few rolls, lay the tent peg bag in a similar position. The goal here is to provide more support for the tent. Keep rolling the tent up.
- Open the tent's bag and stuff the tent into it. The pole and peg bags in the middle make this much easier by providing a central support.
- You should only pack the tent when it's dry. Packing a wet tent is very difficult and the tent weighs more, which can make walking with it a lot harder than walking with a dry tent.
- Place the heavier items at the bottom of the backpack and lighter items at the top. Hiking involves a lot of walking, so it's important to only pack around 30% of your body weight in your backpack. The lighter items should be at the top of your backpack with the heavier items further down.[3]
- Pack your tent in the middle of the backpack. Your sleeping bag should always be at the bottom of the pack as it can be quite heavy and it's always the last item to be taken out of the bag. The tent should be placed either immediately above the sleeping bag or as close to the middle as possible.[4]
- Packing the tent in the middle means one of your heaviest items is not putting too much strain on your back.
- Consider whether you want to pack the tent vertically or horizontally. Vertically can make the tent more accessible when you need to take it out, while horizontal placement may make packing other items on top of the tent easier.
EditAttaching the Tent to the Outside of the Backpack - Use a backpack with an external frame for best results. While you can definitely use an internal frame backpack, the external frame is specifically built to hold the tent and other items on the exterior.
- Understand the risks of packing the tent on the outside. While there are numerous advantages to packing the tent outside the backpack, there's also some significant downsides to it.
- The biggest disadvantage is the risk of snagging the tent. With the tent on the outside, it's much more vulnerable to damage from branches and other sharp objects. If the tent snags on a branch, the branch could cut the tent and it might ruin it.
- Another risk of packing the tent outside is it may fall off of the backpack. With the tent on the inside, you can have peace of mind knowing that it's safe. But with the tent on the outside, there's always the chance that it could become disconnected and you could be left without a tent.
- Ensure the tent is protected in case of rain. While tents are waterproof, if any water gets into the tent while it's packed up, it could spell bad news for you and your tent.
- Use a zip lock bag or another waterproof bag to store the tent for extra protection from the elements.
- Test your backpack to see if it's suitable for exterior packing. An external frame backpack or an internal frame backpack with plenty of compression straps will both be perfect for attaching the tent to the outside.
- Make sure the compression straps and/or the frame are in good working condition before attaching your tent.[5]
- Use closed loop ties on your backpack for outside packing. These loops are threaded through closed loops on both ends, so if your tent happens to slide off, it'll still be attached to your pack.
- By using this type of loop, you can at least have peace of mind that you won't lose your tent in the middle of nowhere.
- While closed loop ties work best, any secure knot should be enough to do the job.
- Attach the tent to the bottom of the backpack. It's best to pack the tent at the bottom of the pack for outside packing.
- This will reduce your chances of injuring yourself by putting less strain on your back.[6]
- Placing the tent at the bottom of the pack will make it much easier to walk with than if it was attached at the top, which would make walking and moving with the backpack very awkward.
- Practice packing the tent at home beforehand, especially if you're going to be packing it on the outside. Test the tent if it's on the outside to see if it'll stay in place.
- The tent in the pack is a great idea as it allows so much more room on the outside for other equipment such as trekking poles and water bottles among other things.
- It needs to be stressed that the tent is much more vulnerable on the outside of the tent. Rain and branches pose a much greater threat to the tent than if it were on the inside of the backpack.
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| How to Handle Failure at Work Posted: 03 Sep 2018 09:00 AM PDT Feeling like you failed at work can be crushing. It's important to remember, though, that failure happens to everyone, and everyone has to handle its aftermath. Understanding that failure happens, owning your mistake, and framing your failure as a chance to learn will help you not only handle your failure, but grow from it and come out stronger on the other side. EditSample Reactions to Failure EditAccepting Failure - Tell your supervisor directly. Telling your boss you didn't meet expectations or made a big mistake is nerve-racking. Letting them find out from someone else will ultimately make things much worse, though. As soon as you know something is wrong, talk to your boss directly. Briefly explain the situation, apologize to them, and assure them it will never happen again.[1]
- If other parties were involved, you may need to discuss this with your boss. Avoid throwing others under the bus, though. This makes you look afraid and unreliable.
- This ultimately shows your boss that you understand the gravity of the situation, that you aren't afraid of accountability, and that you want to work to move past problems rather than covering them up.
- Remind yourself that failure happens to everyone. Stand in front of the mirror, look yourself in the eyes, and say, "Everyone fails sometimes." When you first experience a failure, it can feel crushing. The truth is, though, that most people fail multiple times over the course of their careers. Understanding that can help you redirect your focus from your negative feelings.[2]
- Don't let a setback define you as a failure to yourself. You may not have succeeded at this goal or task, but that doesn't mean you're doomed to fail at everything for the rest of your life.
- If you're feeling stuck or finding it difficult to move on after a failure, talk to a mentor or a professional counselor. They may have advice about how to cope.
- Break down why the failure happened. It's easy to blame yourself, but failure is rarely personal. Whether you failed to successfully complete a project or got passed over for your dream job, there was a reason you didn't succeed. Write down the reasons you think you failed, then brainstorm any potential root causes or contributing factors for those reason.[3]
- If, for example, you got passed over for a promotion, the reason may be that the company wants someone with 5-7 years of experience, and you only have 2.
- The root cause for your company wanting someone with more experience may be because your industry has a high turnover rate, and they don't want to invest time in an employee that will leave the company soon thereafter. It's not you, it's just the nature of your industry.
- Conversely, if you were let go from your job because you were routinely late and failed to complete your job duties, the root cause is that you were not meeting the expectations of the position.
- Take a break from the task or assignment. If you can, take a little time to focus on other things. This helps refocus your attention on something constructive, and may help make dealing with a problem or mistake easier overall.[4]
- If work seems overwhelming in the immediate moment, get away from your desk. Go for a quick walk around the block, grab a cup of coffee, or take an early lunch.
- You could also excuse yourself to make a quick personal call if you feel like you need to vent. Call a friend, a family member, or anyone else that offers you emotional comfort. Just be sure not to take more than 5-10 minutes away from your workstation.
EditMoving Forward - Reframe your failure as a chance to grow. A lack of success doesn't have to be the same thing as failure. Look at a moment where you were not successful as a chance to learn and grow as an employee. Instead of saying, "I failed to write a high-quality report," tell yourself, "I learned that I need do more research into report writing and formatting for my industry."[5]
- Ask for additional training or mentorship. In some cases, hard work might be enough to move forward. In others, though, it's perfectly okay to ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for more job training in areas where you aren't as strong.[6]
- If your sense of failure is caused by struggling to break into or stay relevant in your industry, consider looking for a mentor to help you. Look into business mentoring programs and professional associations in your area to find someone who can help you break through.
- Focus on what you can control. You can't go back in time or change your actions. It's not worth your time or energy to focus on things like this that you can't control. Instead, move forward by focusing on what you can control, including how you handle the aftermath of your failure.[7]
- If a client presentation went wrong, for example, something you can control might be your follow-up to your client. Do you need to apologize? Should you try to schedule a follow-up meeting or a new presentation?
- Address your failure with your team. Whether you're a manager or an employee, your failure will impact your team as well. If you're a manager, set up a time to talk to your team about what happened, and how your project or team goals may need to shift. If you're a team member, ask your team leader about how they want you to talk to the rest of your team.[8]
- You shouldn't address your team with fear or shame. Your team members have likely experienced job failure before, too. Letting them know what happened directly, though, shows your respect for your teammates and allows you to move forward as a cohesive unit.
EditLearning from Past Failure - Commit only to what you can deliver. Pushing yourself is good, but committing to more than you can reasonably do can break your career. Use your past failures as a gauge for what you can and cannot reasonably accomplish, and only commit to what you can do completely, correctly, and on-time.[9]
- Remember that it's completely normal to not be able to do everything. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and everyone will have a different workload. If you don't have the technical skills or time available to complete a task, let your boss know before you take on that work.
- Re-evaluate your approach to new projects. As you take on new projects or challenges, ask yourself if there is anything you would do different having learned from your past failures. If you're struggling to find a job, for example, consider reviewing and re-writing your resume and cover letter, or setting up mock interviews to help you practice your interview skills.[10]
- Build on your current skills. Doing only what you're good at won't lead to any growth as a worker or leader. However, jumping unprepared into a project or activity where you don't have any background or skills won't help you, either. Instead, try to position yourself to move toward new skills or join new projects by offering up that which you can do well.[11]
- If, for example, you're a great technical writer but you want to get into the marketing side of your field, volunteer to write some copy for your ad team. This can give you exposure to other aspects of marketing while still drawing on your skills.
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