AQUARIUM. 



in 



the next the Japanese fringetail, fan- 

 tail, comet and nymph goldfishes ; a 

 third the telescopic-eyed Chinese 

 Mottled and Moor goldfishes, a fourth 

 the Indian Paradise fishes, a fifth the 

 Golden Ide, a sixth the Green and 

 Golden tenches ; and so on to the 

 minnows, sunfishes, dace, killifishes, 

 catfishes and eels, perch, trout, etc. ; or 

 a number of these which live in amity, 

 together in one compartment ; oppor- 

 tunity being- offered for the display of 

 any of the native and exotic fishes of 

 freshwater in almost natural surround- 

 ings, free from the artificialities and 

 restraint of the aquarium or fish tank, 

 a vivarium in its broadest sense. 



By this arrangement all necessity 

 for a change of water would be dis- 

 pensed with and except about twice a 

 year, when considerable new water 

 should be added, filling in as much as 

 has evaporated would suffice for the 

 maintenance of this pond-garden in 

 perfect condition ; as the growing 

 plants would liberate sufficient 

 oxygen for the fishes, and the fishes 

 sufficient carbonic acid gas required 

 by the plants in their growth ; in other 

 words, the balanced aquarium on a 

 gigantic scale. The diagram No. 2 

 shows a further development of the 

 thought, an artificial pond entirely en- 

 closed in a greenhouse and thereby 

 protected from inclement weather, ice 

 and snow, an admirable arrangement 

 for the studv of all forms of fluvial 

 life. 



Can the reader form an adequate 

 mental picture of the great beauty of 

 an aquatic garden such as this sug- 

 gests? 1 Its maintenance would be sim- 

 plicity itself, when once installed; and 

 would not require even a modicum of 

 the attention necessary to operate a 

 greenhouse for plants. Has anyone 

 the desire to venture this new thing 

 of beauty? The Guide to Nature 

 would aid by advise and council and 

 heartily endorse the attempt. 



The Household Aquarium. 



BY SAMUEL MC CLARY III. M. D., MEMBER 

 AQUARIUM SOCIETY OE PHILADELPHIA. 



At this season of the year the house- 

 hold aquarium is an important subject 



for consideration ; and at the society's 

 request, 1 am pleased to offer the 

 following observations and suggestions. 



The best size of the aquarium for the 

 dwelling is one containing about thirty 

 to eighty gallons, larger ones may be 

 dangerous on account of their weight 

 and smaller ones will require too fre- 

 quent cleaning. 



The frames should be of metal, those 

 of brass make more effective adorn- 

 ments than gilding or paint over iron 

 frames. It should be constructed to 

 have a large surface, at least as wide 

 as high and not over twenty inches 

 deep, as fishes thrive better in shallow 

 water. The base should be of slate 

 and the sides of heavy plate glass, so 

 joined that very little cement comes 

 into contact with the water. 



A good aquarium cement is corn- 

 posed of one part red lead, one part 

 litharge, twelve parts glazier's putty 

 mixed to a thick paste with boiled 

 linseed oil and a little ivory black. 



The best medium in which to root 

 the plants is a lower layer of small 

 pebbles and a covering of clean coarse 

 sand ; the pebbles permitting an easy 

 spreading of the roots, and the sand 

 preventing too much of the residuum, 

 particles of food etc. becoming mixed 

 with this covering to possibly contami- 

 nate the water and over this a thin 

 layer of small pebbles. 



The best aquarium plants are the 

 ribbon-leaved Sagittarias (Arrow- 

 heads) Cabomba (fanwort) Vallisneria 

 (eelgrass) Ludwigia (loosestrife) 

 Potamogeton ( channelweed ) and 

 Anacharis (pondweed) as these best 

 perform the necessary functions of 

 liberating oxygen and absorbing the 

 carbonic acid gas given off by living 

 creatures. The most of these will 

 thrive set directly into the pebbles 

 and sand, but the}- may be planted in 

 small pots in clean soil covered with 

 pebbles and the layer of sand ; which 

 latter should not be level but arranged 

 with a depression in the centre or in 

 one corner where the humus or pre- 

 cipitates may collect for easy removal 

 with the lifting tube or a siphon. 



The plants may be arranged in 



