Kaytee - Koi's Choice Food!

It's nearly pond season...  and Uncle Bill's offers a nice selection of pond supplies and fish food, with this month's feature being focused on Kaytee Koi's Choice food! Koi's Choice formula is a highly digestible, floating food that is suitable for all seasons. It provides the necessary animal / vegetable proteins and essential nutrients required for optimal growth, color, health and longevity.

 (new packaging too!) -->Unlike Tetra's koi food this formula's first ingredient is fish meal rather than wheat starch, contains L-lysine, and it has the stabilized Vitamin C (L-Ascorbyl-2 Polyphosphate) higher up in the ingredients list than Tetra. This is the vitamin C that will last for up to a year in the feed, and your fish will benefit most from this ingredient. This food is also highly digestible for less waste and improved pond water clarity, with a minimum protein content of 35%! 

You may be asking, since this food is for all seasons, does the changing of temperatures also alter feeding for your pond fish? It certainly does! As temperatures drop in the later months, during Fall and Winter, pond fish will eat less and eventually stop eating until the water temperature warms up. When the temperatures get colder, fish enter a hibernation-like state and will live off of their body fat reserves until warmer months. Once water temperatures are above 50°F, you can start your feedings again.

 For reference, good rules of thumb for this would be:
*Warm water (above 60°F) - Feed 1 to 5 times daily, increasing the number of feedings as temperature rises or to achieve desired results.
*Cool water (50° - 60°F) - Feed 1 or 2 times daily.
*Cold water (below 50°F) - Feed every other day.
*Do not feed below 40°F.

Nutritionally complete, this formula is great for Koi, goldfish, and many other pond fish.
Now through 5/3/26, you can save 20% OFF Kaytee's Koi's Choice Food with your Uncle Bill's Extra Value Card!

Vampire Crabs!

Geosesarma spp., also known as vampire crabs, are nifty little creatures!  They are quite colorful, and their names normally refer to their glowing yellow eyes and nocturnal behavior. A semi-terrestrial species native to SE Asia, they ideally require an 80% land to 20% water enclosure - such as a Paludarium or Front-Opening Terrarium that can hold water! 

A minimum of a 10 gallon tank is suggested for a small group of 2-4 crabs for beginners. They spend the majority of their time on the land, but water is ever important for some of their other natural habits like molting. These unique invertebrates enjoy soft substrate to explore such as coconut coir, sphagnum moss, and other organic soils/sands suitable for burrowing. Just be sure to have a tight-fitting lid for your enclosure since these little ones are fantastic at climbing and expert escape artists otherwise!

 While these omnivorous critters may not be "blood-suckers" like their name implies, they are scavengers and actually eat a wide variety of foods - from pellet diets to blanched vegetables, bloodworms, and even leaf litter. On the other hand, due to being both predator and prey in the wild, they are generally a bit shy and skittish. Being quick to hide for safety and comfort, it's best to give them lots of hiding places such as rocks/lairs, driftwood, and densely planted areas. 

Although it is best to keep Vampire Crabs in a species-specific tank for the most part, even avoiding mixing of colors or different Geosesarma species, you can incorporate other fun additions that are equally rewarding to observe - like springtails and isopods or small freshwater snails and shrimp! Isopods and springtails act as a sort of "clean-up crew" in bioactive habitats, and shrimp or snails can also be kept - but be warned they may be opportunistically eaten by the vampire crabs on occasion! However, they can be beneficial to the overall environment of the enclosure too. 

 Now at Uncle Bill's Pet Centers, you can take home your very own Black & Purple Vampire Crabs (perfect for complimenting an enclosure full of greenery!) for only $7.99 each - PLUS, we have several BioActive supplies on sale now such as ZooMed Labs Sphagnum Moss, ReptiSoil, & BioActive Kits and Exo Terra Hides & Foggers - today through 3/29/26 with your Extra Value Card!