348 CARE AND FEEDING OF LABORATORY HSH 



PLANTS SUITABLE FOR FISH AOUARIA 



*Anachris; dark green foliage with heavy stems. 



Australian under water clover. 



Bladderwort; do not use with fry since it is carnivorous. 



Cabomba; red or green; somewhat floating, glossy green, fan-like leaves. 



Cellophane plant from Honduras; excellent for oxygenation. 



Duckweed; floating, small plant sometimes used as accessory food by fish. 



Elodea; survival value not good unless abundant light. 



Ludwigia; colorful, foliage green above and pink below. 

 *MyriophyIlum; feathery and therefore excellent for female Bettas or fry to hide in. 

 *NiteIIa gracilis; excellent, grows well in aquarium. 



Riccia salvinia; floating, excellent surface plant. 

 *Sagittaria; species natans, pusilla or microfolia. Excellent both as decorative and 

 oxygen producing. Strong growing plants. 



Salvinia; floating plant excellent as cover for fry. 



Spatterdock; broad light green leaves, quite ornamental, excellent plant. 



Vallisineria; long ribbon-like leaves, plant in back of aquarium. 

 *Utricularia; species vulgaris or minor: good for fry to hide in, highly decorative. 



Water lettuce, floating. 



Water hyacinth, floating. 



Also inside or outside filters using charcoal or plastic wool (Superfleece, West- 

 chester Aquarium Supply, White Plains, N. Y. ) 



THE FEEDING OF FISH: 



"Overfeeding kills fish more frequently than underfeeding. " It should be remembered 

 that fish are cold-blooded animals (even the tropicals!) and that most of them can sur- 

 vive for considerable periods without any food whatsoever. There are several simple 

 rules that should be stated: 



1. See that there is variety in the food. Alternate between living and dry food, or 

 between different mixtures of dry food. 



2. The food particles must be small enough for the fish to digest. Uningested food 

 simply leads to contamination of the tank, and should be removed daily. 



3. Feed frequently rather than too much. Tropicals should be fed more often than 

 other fish, some fanciers feeding small amounts 3 times each day. 



4. The amount of food varies with the 



a. Species 



b. Season (temperature and activity). Feed less in winter than in summer. 



c. Breeding or non-breeding . 



d. Stage of development (fry to adult). 



The oft-stated rules that you should "feed what they can eat in 5 minutes" or 

 "feed only as much as they can catch before it hits the bottom of the tank" are 

 too general to be of value. One should study different species, under various 

 conditions, and observe the amount ingested prior to apparent, even though tem- 

 porary, satisfaction. An adult Oryzias or Platy will do well on two worms (Tub- 

 ifex or Enchytrea) per day, alternated with a small pinch of dry food. 



There are many specific foods recommended, each fancier devising his own formula. 

 This should indicate the wide latitude of fish tolerance of foods. The most common foods 

 will be listed below. 



Living Foods : 



1. Plant material - fish need their "salads" too. Algae, Duckweed, and Water 

 lettuce are occasionally eaten by fish. 



* The most satisfactory plants for laboratory aquaria. 



