246 ARTIFICIAL SEA-WATER. 
THE ARTIFICIAL SEA-WATER AT THE 
ASTON AQUARIUM.* 
BY WILLIAM SOUTHALL, F.L.S. 
To Philip Henry Gosse, the eminently well-known Naturalist, who, 
with his pen and pencil, has made so many of us familiar with the 
wondrous beauty of the inhabitants of the sea, belongs the credit of the 
introduction of the Marine Aquarium. In the second edition of his 
excellent book, ‘‘ The Aquarium,” published in 1856, he gave the world 
the benefit of his thoughts and experiments, by publishing a formula for 
producing easily and cheaply a supply of artificial sea-water such as had 
been found sufficient for the purposes of small aquaria. Many other 
formule have since been suggested, and nearly all, like that of Gosse, 
have been based on the analysis of Brighton sea-water, published by Dr. 
Schweitzer in the ‘‘ Philosophical Magazine” for July, 1839. However 
much such made-up water has answered the purposes required, 
theoretically it has been at fault, inasmuch as in chemical composition 
it has not been identical with real sea-water, and on this account, 
perhaps, many Naturalists have been unable to keep certain animals 
alive in such water, and have affirmed that made-up sea-water is so 
lacking in certain elements or properties as to be unfit for the main- 
tenance of marine animals in a state of health. Opinions being thus 
divided, the boldness of the directors of the Aston Lower Grounds 
Company, in deciding to use none other than artificial sea-water in their 
magnificent Aquarium, is to be admired; and Naturalists all over the 
country are looking with interest upon the scheme now carried out for 
the first time in England on a really great scale. The following tabular 
statement of the composition of the concocted sea-water may, therefore, 
be deemed interesting. In the first place, it may be stated that 
the fine series of tanks and the underground reservoirs are capable 
of holding, in the aggregate, 300,000 gallons, and sufficient water has 
been made to fill the whole of the show and reserved tanks, 
and to nearly fill the reservoirs, enough space only being left to accommo- 
date the contents of a few tanks in case leakages should occur. My 
firm (Southall Bros. and Barclay) was appointed to manufacture the 
water, and about fifty tons of chemical substances have been used. 
Each ingredient was subjected to analysis, and allowance made in every 
case for water of crystallisation, hygroscopic moisture and impurities, 
and the various coustituents of the well-water used were also allowed 
for in calculating the working formula. The analysis of Dr. Schweitzer 
was taken as a basis, supplemented by our own analysis of water recently 
taken near Brighton, a mile from the shore; and from the latter the 
data necessary for the required amounts of iodine, &c., were obtained, 
As a result, the water in use in the Aquarium contains the following 
a 
* Read before the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society 
September 23rd, 1879, 
a 
