TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISHES 59 



or codfish as described on page 129 can be added to the oatmeal to 

 advantage. 



Whether fed on living or prepared food, young goldfish should be 

 fed very liberally. This is essential to securing large strong fish of good 

 constitution. They eat almost constantly. It is better to feed several 

 times daily than to put in a whole day's supply at one time. With pre- 

 pared food it is liable to foul the water with long standing and too many 

 daphnia introduced at one time exhaust the oxygen in the water. This 

 lack of oxygen retards growth and may produce suffocation. 



As the fry develop in size the more nearly perfect specimens should 

 be selected from the others, given more room and the best of the food. 

 It is much better to concentrate on raising a few fine specimens, and to 

 succeed in this requires plenty of room for each fish. This point cannot 

 be dwelled upon too strongly. Even many expert fanciers fail to get 

 the best results on account of trying to raise too many young in a given 

 space. At the age of six weeks they should have at least one gallon per 

 fish, three gallons at nine weeks and six gallons at twelve weeks and 

 over. This rule is for fishes which are growing. Small fry should be 

 dipped out with a spoon and never poured. Rough handling kills them 

 almost instantly. 



For some unknown reason certain individual fishes grow very much 

 more rapidly than others. These larger ones monopolize the food and 

 sometimes eat the smaller. They should therefore be sorted according 

 to size several times in a season. 



WINTERING GOLDFISHES 



In outdoor ponds where there are plenty of dead leaves and soft 

 dirt, the hardier varieties of goldfish will survive the winter. The ice 

 should be broken to admit air. This air space also tends to prevent 

 deeper freezing. If a few warm spells occur it will do no harm to feed 

 the fishes very lightly when the ice entirely melts. This should not be 

 done oftener than once a week. 



If one has insufficient aquarium or indoor pool space to keep the 

 stock of fine fishes over winter, tubs will be found good, especially those 

 of papier mache. Occasional partial changes of water will prove bene- 

 ficial, particularly in concrete tanks. 



Winter is the natural resting period of goldfishes and at this time 

 they do not require much warmth nor food. Their food at this time, 

 however, should receive careful attention. They need a certain amount of 

 fresh animal food, and as the usual form (Daphnia) cannot generally be 



