Leisure and Hobbies

You took one look at that big, fluffy cockatoo and knew you had to have one of your own. Those chocolate brown eyes sparkling with intelligence and the way the bird cuddled up to its owner have convinced you that cockatoos are the only bird for you.

Conures are the charmers of the bird world. These gregarious, spunky little parrots are small enough to fit easily into most households and large enough to satisfy the desire of someone wanting to own a real parrot.

If you want a parrot that can talk, you may want to consider the African grey. This extremely intelligent parrot species is the best talker in the parrot family.

If you are going to be owning a bird for the first time, you may want to take a close look at the cockatiel. This family friendly bird is the perfect choice for beginners, since it is easy to care for and adaptable.

One of the biggest and brightest parrots is the macaw. The largest macaws are so big that their beaks are longer than a man’s hand. These vibrant, powerful birds are not a good choice for the beginning bird fancier.

There are nine lovebird species available, including the peachfaced, Fischer’s, masked, Abyssinian, Nyasa, black-cheeked, redfaced, black-collared and Madagascar lovebird.

If you have never owned a bird before, you may want to take a look at the parakeet. This little bird can be found in almost any pet store at a very reasonable price, which makes it a great choice for someone with a tight budget who is looking for a pet.

So, you want a parrot, but you’re concerned about all of the stories you’ve heard about aggressive, moody birds. Isn’t there a mild mannered, quiet parrot out there? Well, while each bird is an individual, overall the Pionus parrot is a sweet natured bird.

If you live in a warm climate, you may have noticed a big flock of noisy gray and green parrots flying about. These birds are Quaker parrots, a popular pet for many bird lovers.

If you want a bird that is playful, affectionate and colorful, you may want to take a close look at the Senegal parrot.

A good filter is probably the most important piece of equipment you can add to your aquarium. Aquarium filters usually provide biological, chemical or mechanical filtration. You might want to get a filter that provides all three kinds of filtration in one, as this will make your tank easier to maintain.

Adding plants to your aquarium is a good idea for several reasons. They are aesthetically pleasing and provide a healthier environment for fish, since they aid in creating an ecosystem within the aquarium.

Pond plants are such an important part of almost any pond. These plants add beauty to the pond and aid in maintaining a healthy environment for fish.

In order to maintain your aquarium, you may want to purchase a maintenance crew.

Bettas, also known as Japanese fighting fish, are so beautiful that they don’t look quite real.

The goldfish is probably one of the easiest fish species to care for. These fish can live for up to 50 years if they are well taken care of.

Your aquarium is set up and you’ve tested the water to be sure it is safe. Now, you are ready to run to the store and buy ten or fifteen colorful fish, right? Actually, if you want to have a happy, healthy environment for your fish, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Fish are fairly hardy overall, especially if they have the proper living conditions. However, sometimes, despite your best efforts, at least one of your fish will become ill, probably with one of the more common fish diseases.

If you are purchasing your first aquarium, you may want to consider a freshwater tank. There are several reasons you should maintain a freshwater tank before moving on to a saltwater tank.

Getting your first saltwater tank can be such an exciting event. However, it can also be frustrating and a bit overwhelming. What equipment do you need? Which fish are best for beginners? Here are some tips to help you start off right.

Finally, you have the pond of your dreams, but things aren’t quite as perfect as you wanted them to be. How do you keep your pond in good shape? Here are some common pond problems you may encounter and how you can solve them.

A saltwater tank filled with colorful, vibrant fish can be such a peaceful and enjoyable addition to your home. However, these tanks are more challenging to set up and maintain than freshwater tanks. You will need specialized equipment to successfully own a saltwater tank.

Having a water feature in your yard can be so enjoyable and soothing. Of course, you’ll have some hard work ahead of you before you finish installing that new pond, but once you’re done, you’ll be glad you took the time to add a pond to your garden.

You finally got that freshwater tank you’ve been wanting and brought it home. Now, you just dump in some water and some fish, right? Actually, there’s a bit more to the process of setting up a freshwater tank than that.

The most important thing in your fish’s environment is the water. If your fish tank has water that is too hot or cold, too acidic or alkaline, or unbalanced in any other way, your fish could die. In order to properly maintain your tank and keep your fish healthy and happy, you will need to test the tank’s water on a regular basis.

Koi are some of the most beautiful and graceful pond fish. These fish are quite intelligent and can become very tame over the years. With good care, they often live from 25 to 35 years and can live for as many as 200 years.

Just like any other type of yard maintenance, pond maintenance varies with each season. These tips on maintaining your pond will help you keep it running well from season to season.

If your tank walls are so covered in green gunk that you can’t see your fish, it may be time to remove the algae from your tank.

Suddenly, your crystal clear fish tank is looking a bit cloudy. In fact, you aren’t quite sure your fish are all still there, because the water isn’t clear enough for you to see them.

Stamp collecting has grown in just over 150 years from a hobby for children to a worldwide phenomenon for collectors and investors. Today, thousands of collectors spend time and money to obtain everything from a mundane 1840 One Penny Black for a few dollars to the $2.2 million 1855 Tre Skilling Banco Yellow.

Even the amateur has to employ the same terminology as the professional. For him or her, here’s the lingo of the trade.

Most stamps collected have been used as postage. Unlike uncirculated coins, that’s part of what makes them valuable, since they then acquire a history and often interesting cancellation or other marks.

Very early in his or her collecting efforts every stamp collector will need the guidance of several sources of information. Fellow collectors are helpful and there are many forums where helpful tips and enthusiasm can be shared. Dealers can help in the education process, and most are knowledgeable and honest. But the indispensable source of information about stamps remains the catalog.

How best to secure a stamp to a display medium is an ongoing debate. Hinges were used traditionally and many stamps have their value affected - up or down - by the size and nature of the ‘hinge marks’ on them.

Determining the value of a stamp can be a complex affair. It’s made more so by the existence of forgeries.

Once you’ve learned to prepare your stamps by careful soaking or other methods, you’ll want to store them safely and stylishly.

Like any collectible, the philatelic world has its champions - the rarest, the highest price paid at auction. Some of these have long and interesting histories apart from the price paid.

Part of the joy of collecting stamps is examining them - to discover their origin and history, or simply to enjoy them as works of art. Part of that process involves looking for and identifying watermarks.

Each individual will have his or her preferred way of preparing, mounting and storing stamps. But despite personal choices there are common tools that most collectors will find useful, regardless of his or her own way of working.

Part art, part science, part history lesson… but all adventure! That’s coin collecting.

Historians largely agree that the first coins were struck during the 7th century in Asia Minor, in an area that is now part of Turkey. ‘Struck’ is an appropriate term, since they were made by putting a blank metal piece between two die and striking the top with a hammer.

Many novice collectors begin by inheriting a small set of coins from a relative. The first question asked is invariably ‘How much are these worth?’ The first step in answering that question is to grade the coins.

There is a kind of Hippocratic Oath used implicitly among coin collectors: First, above all, do no harm.

Grading coins is both science and art. You may want to acquire this skill not for the purpose of becoming an expert, but simply to better deal with other collectors and dealers. Knowledge is power, if only the power of self-defense.

Though debates rage about whether and how to clean your coins, most serious collectors agree on some basic guidelines.

Before a collectible coin can be assigned a price, a dealer or collector will examine it closely. The first result will always be placing it into one of the obvious categories of denomination or type.

There are a host of factors that determine the market value of a collectible coin.

A proof is a coin made as a prototype to test a design. They are made in limited quantities and so, sometimes much later, become highly valuable.