Puppycom Dog Microchiping Day, Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur

More than 30 dogs, mixed and pure breed dogs, were microchiped last weekend at Taman Desa. More dogs are expected to be microchiped in the near future. The new microchiping service offer by Puppy.com.my are meant for all dogs, mixed or pure breed, that has not been microchipped. Each chip that are implanted into the dogs beneath their skin carry a unique identification number which can be read by a microchip scanner. Puppy.com.my will maintain the database of all dogs microchip at Puppy.com.my’s facilities. Price of microchip is extremely affordable at RM 18.00 for the chip and RM 10.00 for implantation by a qualified vet.


Microchip on dogs and K9

Microchip on dogs and K9

Microchip on dogs and K9

Microchip on dogs and K9

More information on dog microchipping can be viewed at http://www.puppy.com.my/ob/microchip.html

New Chagois

With the water quality improving after the installation of Vortex Filter, 2 new Chagois were added to my pond. Both at about 10″ length purchased at RM 300 a piece. With my 5ft deep pond, the Chagois will have no problem growing to a length of 70cm in 1.5 years.

Chagoi

Chagois will be netted from the pond and measure every two months to monitor their grow.

Microsoft Domains at Live.com

Just signed up at http://domains.live.com

Have us host e-mail and IM for you in a domain you already own.

Create up to 20 e-mail accounts within your domain
Get a 250 MB inbox for each account*
Check your e-mail from any Web-enabled PC
Junk e-mail filter protection using Microsoft SmartScreen technology
Virus scanning and cleaning of e-mail
Seamless access with MSN Messenger, MSN Spaces, etc.

Sign up process was pretty easy with the following steps :-

  1. Choose a domain name own by you
  2. Change the MX record of the domain to point to hotmail server. You need to
    host your own DNS
  3. Verify MX Record
  4. Once that is done, you can begin to add users to the domain
  5. Users can log into hotmail.com to start using email
  6. Only 2MB of email space is given upon sign up. 250MB may or may not come
    later 🙂
  7. The process took about 15 minutes to complete.

Hence it will be AD supported via hotmail.com. 2MB space is definitely grossly insufficient that render the box created useless unless 250MB space is given.

Training Teneal, our pug for Intermediate exercise of Dog Obedience Training

We are begining to train our pug for some exercise of the Intermediate Competition Class of Dog Obedience Training.

Two of the exercises we are training Teneal on are fetching of dumbbell and remote control. We started the training to get Teneal to hold the light timber dumbbell in her mouth and release it willingly on command. All is done with food training and we are able to achieve it in about two weeks. Once Teneal master the hold and release of dumbbell, we proceeded with throwing the dumbbell and get Teneal to fetch it. Again training with food is effective as Teneal has high drive for food and treats :-). Once we are done with that, Teneal is now being to train to master the send command where she is only suppose to go for the fetching of dumbbell on our command.

We have also trained Teneal to hold and release heavier plastic dumbbell. The aim is trying to get her to get used to dumbbell of different weight and size. As pug has short and wide muzzle, we had hard time to get suitable dumbbell of appropriate size. Those are wide enough are normally also heavier.

Fetching dumbbell

Fetching dumbbell

Fetching dumbbell

Fetching dumbbell
Plastic Dumbbell

Fetching dumbbell
Wooden Dumbbell

In addition to dumbbell training, we have also started to work Teneal on remote control with hand signal to direct her to Sit, Stand and Down.

More information of Purina Puppycom Dog Obedience Training is available at
http://www.puppy.com.my/ob/

Use of Sand Filter in Koi Pond System

Sand Filter is commonly used for swimming pool for keeping the pool water clean and clear. There are some koi pond owners use Sand Filter in the final stage of filtration process to polish their pond water. In my ten years of keeping koi, I have also installed a sand filter for my pond system but I have merely ran it for six months. The sand filter and the centrifugal pump that is required to feed the sand filter has since idled.

I must agree that Sand Filter is excellent in polishing the pond water and the end result is a crystal clear pond water which allow me to see the base of my 5ft deep pond easily. The sand filter that I used was filled with sand and some zeolite and to push the water through the filter, a 1HP centrifugal pump is used to pump the water from the last stage of filtration and the water return to the pond after the polishing process.

1 Horse Power or 750watt equal to the power consumption of 5 Tsurumi pump and that is a lot. The use of Sand Filter immediately pump up my electricity bill substantially and that is one main reason that discourage me from using it further.

After using the Sand Fitler for one day, you will notice that the presure built up in the piping system leading to the sand filter increased substantially and there is always a need to backwash the filter once a day to clear the clog and reduce pumping presure. Having to do that is quite troublesome and in the process of backwashing, you will lost quite a lot of pond water as well.

Overall, the Sand Filter is easy to install. The PVC pipe require for the installation are that of greater thickness that are able to withstand high operating presure of the sand filter.

After using the sand filter for a few months, you will notice that the backwash action will not reduce operating pressure very much and that indicate that the sand has clog up quite alot and there is a need to open up the sand filter chamber to clean the sand inside.

A filter that require too much maintenance is not fun in koi keeping hobby and finally I gave up the use of sand filter after only six months of use.

‘Ugly dog’ Sam dies at 14

SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) — Sam, the dog whose ugliness earned him TV appearances, limousine rides and even a meeting with millionaire Donald Trump, has died, the Santa Barbara News-Press reported Tuesday.

The pooch with the hairless body, crooked teeth and sparse tuft of hair atop his knobby head died Friday, just short of his 15th birthday, said his owner, Susie Lockheed.

“I don’t think there’ll ever be another Sam,” she said, adding wryly, “Some people would think that’s a good thing.”

Sam became an international celebrity after winning the ugliest animal contest at the 2003 Sonoma-Marin Fair in California — a victory he twice repeated. The purebred Chinese crested hairless made appearances on TV in Japan, radio in New Zealand and in Britain’s Daily Mirror tabloid, stayed in luxury hotels and met Trump on a talk show set.

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Trickle Tower for Aquarium

While Trickle Tower has been widely used for Koi Pond, many have also included a trickle tower in large aquarium where the water is overflow through a trickle tower to a bio filter located below the aquarium. I have however installed a simple Trickle Tower for my small aquarium and it is equally as effective as it cousin that we used for koi pond. The rule is again to have the water trickle slowly. Some of the pictures are as below:-

trickle tower

trickle tower

trickle tower

Previous post on Trickle Tower for Koi Pond :-
https://www.khoo.name.my/2005/11/21/removal-of-nitrate-from-pond-water-system-koi-pond/

Increase use of Portable Music Player / MP3 Player may caused hearing damage

While many had their hearing ability impaired after working in hazardous condition for years, many young generation today are suffering premature hearing damage after exposing to prolonged high volume of portal music player. Apple Ipod for example can produce up to 104db of sound and those who play such music player in noisy surrounding may need to turn up the volume to drown the external noise in street condition or in public transport. According to H.E.A.R., maximum exposure to 105db should be limited to 1 hour. Hence owner of MP3 players are cautioned on turning down the volume when listening to music via ear set and limit the length of each hearing session.

Link to H.E.A.R as below :

http://www.hearnet.com/at_risk/risk_aboutloss.shtml

Google Analytics has been such a Hits

I have installed Google Analytics code in several of my sites and found the reports to be fantastic. Since it is a free service, you will expect a lot of webmasters will sign up and install the code.

Google Analytics

Hence demand must be so great that I notice that I am no longer able to add additional profile today. Just checked on new sign up page noticed that Google has also suspended new sign up while they work to increase capacity. Reporting on the newly added sites has been slow due to great demand. No complaint so far as it is really a good service from Google.

Google Analytics has experienced extremely strong demand, and as a result, we have temporarily limited the number of new signups as we increase capacity. In the meantime, please submit your name and email address and we will notify you as soon as we are ready to add new accounts. Thank you for your patience.

Removal of Nitrate from Pond Water System – Koi Pond

Any bio filter in a koi pond system that is matured after been colonized by nitrifying bacteria will sure produce a lot of nitrate in the pond water system as a result of the following process:-

Fish Waste (Ammonia) => Nitrite => Nitrate

While Nitrite and Ammonia are very toxic to fishes, Koi are able to tolerate Nitrate to a certain extend but nevertheless, it is still very important to remove Nitrate from the Koi Pond system to ensure overall health of Koi Fish and no green water.

Generally, Nitrate level in the Koi Pond can be reduced by the following methods:-

1) Regular water change
2) Installing vegetable filter
3) Installing Trickle Filter

Of all the three methods mentioned above, the easiest way to remove Nitrate is by regular water change. Rule of thumb is to change at least 20 ~ 30% of pond water weekly. For small koi pond, this method can be implemented effectively and economically. For larger koi pond, this method will turn out to be very costly to pond owner as substantial volume of water replacement is required.

The 2nd method is to install a vegetable filter. Pond water that passed through the bio filter can be lead to a series of long water way planted with water plant. The purpose of the water plant is to absorb nitrate from pond water as fertilizer. This method require a lot of space for the construction of water way and the plant need to be maintained regularly as you will see that the plant will grow very fast with plenty of nitrate to absorb. To save space, I once planted a yam tree in the final stage of my filter system and mind you, the yam tree grow extremely fast and a lot of trimming is needed at very close interval.

Yam Tree

To me, the best , method is to install a Trickle Tower as it require very little maintenance and yet it is extremely effective. A simple diagram showing the trickle tower is as below:-

Trickle Tower
Drawing taken from Koi Kichi, a popular book on Koi by Mr. Peter Waddington

bio ball

I have constructed my trickle tower using plastic tray and with a lot of small holes drilled at the base of the tray so that water can drip down to the next tray.

Bio Ball Tray

Four trays are stacked together in the vertical position to form the trickle tower. Water from the last stage of filtration are pumped into the top of the tower at very slow flow rate so that water can trickle slowly through the tower. The water that are collected at the bottom tray are then diverted back to the first stage of filtration.

We have tested the trickle tower with different flow rate and found that slow flow rate tend to be much more effective and efficient.

Koi Kichi

Sons save mom overseas with webcam

OSLO, Norway (AP) — A Web camera in a Norwegian artist’s living room in California allowed her sons in Norway and the Philippines to see that she had collapsed and call for help, one of the sons said Friday.

Karin Jordal, 69, collapsed Thursday in her living room in Pinon Hills, California, and was motionless on a couch when her son Tore in the Philippines checked in through the Internet.

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Lijiang Old Town, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Despite the highways, the airport, and the brand-new buildings, the city of Lijiang still feels a lot like the legendary lost paradise. Set on a beautiful lake, surrounded by ancient villages, and inhabited by the Naxi people, the essence of this corner of Yunnan province has barely changed in the past century. Lijiang has becomes China’s biggest cultural attraction

This picturesque town is the historical capital of the Naxi civilization, a Chinese minority that numbers 300,000.

Lijiang is at about 2,000 m above sea level. Local resident are darker as they are exposed to more UV light than those staying near the sea level. I was at Lijiang sometime back for 2 days travelled from Dali. Journey from Dali to Lijiang by road was about 200km but it took nearly four hours through mountainous winding road.

The main attraction at Lijiang was no doubt the visit to the old town of Lijiang which as more 800 years of history. In this old town, everything was kept old style. The narrow road meant for only pedestrian was made of cobblestone. No cars, bike and just pedestrains.

Walking through the old town require at least half a day. At 2000 m above sea level, weather was cooling and I enjoyed so much here as there are so much to learn about this city and especially the culture of the chinese minority of Naxi people.

At the top of the hill is a park with a fancy pagoda and lots of big trees. I was told that pagoda is the tallest pogado in China erected totally with 100% of wooden material and stand at 33m high.

There are three old town at Lijiang and only one is opened to visitors and tourist.

I was at the old town the who of one afternoon and after dinner, I went back to the old town again and enjoy the night view of the area. Red lanterns hang everywhere and they are so beautiful at night.

“Old Town of Lijiang” was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List in 1997

I would love to be back to Lijiang in the future and hopefully have a chance to visit the Mosuo minority and pay a visit to the nearly Shangri La.

Some of the pictures taken during the visit to Lijiang are as follow:-


Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang, Yunnan, China, Lijiang Old Town

All pictures were taken with a Canon G6 Digital Camera.

‘It was the most humane option’

‘It was the most humane option’
Malay Mail, 15 Nov 2005

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 On Nov 11, The Malay Mail front-paged a report that the SPCA put to sleep a cat and four kittens belonging to 12-year-old Anis Aliff Lam and her sister Adlinor, four days after the siblings sent them to the shelter.

The girls’ father, Aliff Lam Abdullah, claimed he was never informed by the officer-in-charge about the time frame for the cats to be put to sleep if no one adopted them.

However, an SPCA spokesman insisted that they had clearly laid down the terms and conditions contained in the surrender form to him.

SPCA animal inspector Sabrina Yeap told The Malay Mail that euthanasia was the most humane option. “The animals do not feel any pain. They are merely given a specific dose of anesthetic and drift off to a painless sleep. “If there was any other option, we would definitely have pursued it. But as of now, we have no choice as there is a severe lack of resources and space,” she said

As a large number of animals are sent to its premises, the SPCA puts 800 to 1,000 animals to sleep each month. She said there was a lack of resources and space at their premises.

Each year, a lot of cats and dogs surrendered to SPCA had to put to sleep due to lack of space and resources. The number of unwanted cats and dogs sent to SPCA far exceed the number adopted. The best to reduce the number of unwanted cats and dogs is the cut down unnecessary breeding and this can be achieved by spaying and nuetering your dogs and cats.

Klinik Kembiri operated by DBKL and SPCA offer spaying and neutering services at a very affordable rate. For dogs, the cost is only RM 90.00.

Tsurumi Water Pump – simply the best submersible pump for koi pond

My pond will turn 10 years old soon and during the last 10 years, I have used a total of 3 Tsurumi pump for my koi pond. 2 of the three pumps have since retired from service but third one is still going strong serving my Vortex Filter

Tsurumi Pump

I must say that the Tsurumi pump is extremely lasting and as long as you ensure that the pump is submerged all the time, it should last you for 7 or 8 years without any problem, serving you 24 hours a day. The best feature of the Tsurumi is its low power consumption of only 150watt and that ensure low power bill even running two pump at the same time. The original pump installed by my pond contractor was the DAB pump with 375watt rating and I soon replaced that with Tsurumi pump.

Quick facts om Tsurumi pump :-

The most dependable, longest lasting pumps! Designed for 60,000 hours of
continuous operation – that’s almost seven years without ever shutting off!

  • High efficiency, air filled motors – operates at lower temperature which
    extends motor life.
  • Double mechanical seals – protects against water leakage which shorts out
    motor.
  • Constructed of stainless steel and space-resins for superior strength.
  • Less Clogging comes from a vortex designed impeller
  • Fits in most skimmer boxes
  • Built in Thermal Protection
  • 2 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty