112 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



groups according" to their height and 

 foliage, and to act as a screen from 

 excessive light with an open space in 

 the front and centre. 



The best light for plants and the 

 aquarium is a northern exposure, but 

 when this may not be had an eastern 

 light is satisfactory with say two hours 

 of not too strong sunlight in the 

 morning. 



The best scavengers are Japanese 

 and native snails, the Ram's-horn and 

 Potomac, pond mussels and frog tad- 

 poles. The Molluscs should have 

 their shells scrubbed and the plants 

 receive an antiseptic bath of two or 

 three minutes in a solution of two tea- 

 spoonsful of Creseptic to the gallon of 

 water before being placed in the 

 aquarium. 



A glass or other cover may be placed 

 on the aquarium, but it should not fit 

 so closely as to prevent the free cir- 

 culation of air, and had best be set 

 upon rubber buttons on the upper 

 frame. This will make the evaporation 

 less rapid and keep out dust and 

 foreign particles. 



The fishes should only be placed 

 into the aquarium after the plants are 

 rooted and are oxygenating the water. 

 A few small pieces of plaster of paris 

 are beneficial as they add lime and 

 neutralize the acidity of the water, 

 necessary for the development of the 

 bony structure of the fishes and shells 

 of the molluscs. 



A balance of plant and animal life 

 is necessary, which means that the con- 

 ditions be such that enough oxygen 

 is supplied to keep the fishes in comfort 

 and to prevent the need for their coming 

 to the surface to breathe the air direct. 

 A good rule is to have an abundance 

 of plant life and not over one inch of 

 fish body for each gallon of water 

 contained, excluding the tails ; one snail 

 to each fish and two or three mussels. 

 The molluscs should be closely watched 

 that they may not die and contaminate 

 the water. 



About once a week the humus col- 

 lecting at the lower level should be 

 removed. 



Feeding is so important a subject 



that it should be taken up in a separate 

 paper. Most of the prescribed foods 

 are too concentrated, that is, they have 

 too little bulk for the amount of con- 

 tained nutrition, and frequently cause 

 constipation. I approve of the follow- 

 ing as an aquarium food: 



i pound cornmeal flour. 



i pound Bethlehem oat-meal. 



y 2 pound shredded codfish. 



4 eggs. 



i tablespoonful of table salt, 

 i teaspoonful if epson salt. 



and sufficient water to make a paste, 

 thoroughly mixed and steamed for four 

 hours, then forced through a colander 

 or other strainer and dried at a low 

 heat. This should be occasionally 

 varied with other food, all sparingly 

 fed. It is a general practice to feed 

 entirely too much and too often — once 

 every other day in winter and daily in 

 the summer for six-months-old fishes; 

 younger fishes should be fed oftener 

 in smaller quantity. No food should 

 remain in the aquarium fifteen minutes 

 after it has been given. Some form 

 of feeding dish is a good method of 

 learning just how little will be suf- 

 ficient. Alw r ays avoid overfeeding. 



The natural small pond life, consist- 

 ing of the tiny w r ater animalculae is 

 the best fish food. 



Nets should be shallow, made of 

 bobbinet and handled carefully so as 

 not to injure the fishes. Scissors 

 should be used in trimming the plants 

 and a thermometer is necessary to 

 regulate the water temperature when 

 transfers are made from one water to 

 another. Fine breeds of goldfishes 

 should never suffer a sudden change of 

 more than four or five degrees i,n 

 temperature. 



In closing this general paper on 

 aquarium conditions, I wish to empha- 

 size severaj guiding points. 



Be clean with everything. Disinfect 

 all plants and animals before adding 

 them to the aquarium ; even quarantin- 

 ing a week or ten days all new inmates. 

 Have all the conditions as near nature 

 as possible, and feed sparingly, if you 

 wish to be assured of a fair measure 

 of success with the aquarium. 



