TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISHES 



Nature the food is scarce and difficult to get. Therefore the fish have 

 to exercise themselves in procuring it. In the small confines and artificial 

 conditions of the household aquarium, less food can be properly digested, 

 for fishes, like men, suffer from indigestion, but with quicker and more 

 fatal results. Fish should never, on any account be fed more than will 

 be consumed at once. (This does not apply in raising young fish.) If 

 any food is left after five minutes, they have been overfed and the surplus 

 should be removed with a dip-tube. (See Chapter on Aquarium Appli- 

 ances.) In summer or at any time when the water is at 60 degrees or 

 higher, it is allowable to feed daily. Should the water range from 55 

 degrees to 60 degrees, every other day is sufficient, and when it is from 

 40 degrees to 55 degrees, feedings separated by about three to six days, 

 will keep them in good condition. An exact scale is difficult to establish, 

 partly because fish, under one year of age, can assimilate more food than 

 old ones, and partly because the temperature in an aquarium varies at 

 different hours in the day. The foregoing scale will give a very good 

 working basis, to be followed with a certain amount of personal judg- 

 ment. Let it be said there is practically no danger of starving a fish, the 

 errors being almost altogether on the other side. A correspondent once 

 wrote the author that she kept a fish for seventeen years, and in that 

 time had fed it on rice wafers once a week only. The matter of feeding 

 fish is a difficult point to correctly impress on the mind of the general 

 public. When the fish swim coaxingly to the near side of the aquarium 

 it is a great temptation to feed them whether it is their meal time or not, 

 but those who love their pets will do them a far greater kindness by 

 depriving them until the usual feeding hour. 



Changing the Water. If for any reason it becomes necessary to 

 change the water, there is one very important thing to keep in mind — 

 do not subject the fishes to any sudden change of temperature, either 

 higher or lower. This is one of the most frequent causes of sickness and 

 eventual death. 



With the foregoing conditions carefully observed and carried out 

 there should be no need to change water except at rare intervals, when the 

 aquarium gets dingy looking or overcrowded with plants. Experienced 

 aquarists replant about once a year, occasionally adding water to make 

 up for evaporation. 



The fish are stimulated and probably benefited by changing a small 

 part of the water every few days. From one-fifth to one-tenth of the 

 total volume should be sufficient. If the aquarium is in proper condition 

 and not overcrowded, even this slight changing of water is not necessary. 

 However, it can do no harm and may do good. 



In cases of overcrowding, a partial change of water should be made 



