APPENDIX 1 

 Hardy Exotic Fishes 



All things considered, the fishes coming under this heading will 

 prove better suited to the aquarium than freshly caught native 

 fishes. In the first place, they are the pick of the fishes of the world 

 in hardiness as well as beauty. In the second place, almost all exotic 

 fishes on the market have been aquarium raised for generations and 

 so have become aquarium-hardy by a process of selection. Further- 

 more, these preferred species will not disturb the plants which are 

 essential to keeping an aquarium in a state of biological balance. 



Since obviously fish obtained from a pet shop have been hand- 

 led, it is well to quarantine all of them for a week after purchas- 

 ing them. They should be placed in a clean aquarium well planted 

 in at least one end. During the quarantine period the water in the 

 tank should be treated with three drops of 2 per cent mercuro- 

 chrome per gallon of water (231 cubic inches), and the temper- 

 ature should remain at 75°-8o° F. They should be fed regularly 

 during this period. At the end of the period of quarantine, the 

 water should be siphoned off and replaced with water from another 

 aquarium or water which has been standing, preferably with plants 

 in it, for several days. The aquarist refers to this as "aged water" 

 and seldom considers using any other unless it comes from a clean 

 lake or stream. It is important that all water removed from an 

 aquarium should be replaced by water of the same temperature. 



Once new fish have passed through their period of quarantine 

 and have proved to be in good health, they may be placed with 

 other fish. It is best to add several to a tank, for sometimes the 

 original inhabitants will decide to drive off a single intruder. 



HARDY EXOTIC FISHES 



The Characins (Characidae) 



Copeina — {Copeina guttata) 75-100 mm. 

 Tet from Rio — (Hyphessobrycon flammeus) 40 mm. 

 One-line Tet — {Hemigrammus unilineatus) 50 mm. 

 Riddlei — (Prist ella riddlei) 45 mm. 



[98] 



