ft 



THE 



AQUARIUM 



15 



The Aquarium. 



A Series of Articles on the Construction, Equipment 



and Maintenance of Aquaria, and the 



Breeding of Goldfish. 



C. G. B. SCHENK, Milwaukee. 



IV. Selecting Goldfishes. 

 "V¥ 7"HEN considering the goldfishes, 



" ™ the beginner should choose the 

 ordinary kinds. Very pretty fishes can 

 be had at twenty-five cents to one dollar 

 each. These are generally the scaled 

 Japanese fish, quantities of which are 

 imported from Japan. If you cannot 

 find an assortment in your own city, 

 write to the dealers who advertise in 

 The Aquarium. Most of them are 

 breeders of the highest type of fish, and 

 have good stock at reasonable prices. 

 Fringetails with short, round bodies 

 and trypod tails can be purchased for 

 about thirty-five cents. These are 

 entirely different from the straight- 

 bodied, single-tailed, common goldfish, 

 and are hardy. 



It is astonishing the amount of abuse 

 a healthy goldfish will stand. Generally 

 speaking, there is no excuse for fishes 

 dying, if ordinary common sense is used. 

 If you expose your canary to drafts, and 

 give it harmful foods, you can look for 

 colds, sickness and death. Likewise, 

 judgement should be used in guarding 

 against any sudden or excessive change 

 in the temperature of the water in your 

 tank. The ordinary goldfish can stand 

 a very high temperature and a great 

 deal of cold, but a sudden change must 

 be avoided. If you, for any reason, 

 find it necessary to change the water, 

 be sure that the new water is of the 

 same temperature as the old. 



Coming back to the selection of the 

 fishes, note the general appearance of 

 the fish you intend purchasing. See that 

 it looks healthy — not puny or thin. A 



weak fish sometimes has a "sunken in" 

 appearance. The dorsal fin (back fin) 

 does not stand erect and the fish is 

 "listless". A goldfish is not lively, but 

 when well is most active in the daytime, 

 the fins stand out well, the dorsal is 

 erect — the fish looks healthy. Make 

 careful observation for fungus. See that 

 there are no white blotches or spots on 

 the body or fins. Fungus and other 

 disease spots may be only as large as a 

 pin-point, usually pure white, or, may 

 completely encircle the body giving it a 

 feathery appearance. When the disease 

 has advanced that far, the fish is soon 

 sufficated. The fins and tails should 

 not be split or ragged. While such a 

 condition does not necessarily mean that 

 the fish is diseased, the novice should 

 not take chances. Such a fish may have 

 "tail-rot", the worst ailment it can con- 

 tract and very contagious. 



If all my "caution" has a tendency to 

 frighten the reader, my advice is to leave 

 the selection to the dealer. The manage- 

 ment will vouch for the reliability of its 

 advertisers, and if you leave your 

 selection to them, you can depend upon 

 fair treatment. Of course, losses, though 

 usually insignificant, will occur in ship- 

 ment, and should not be laid at the door 

 of the breeder, who has every reason to 

 want the fish to reach you in perfect 

 condition. Shipments can be made by 

 express from the Atlantic to the Pacific 

 with absolute success in favorable 

 weather. Mid-summer and mid-winter 

 are not good shipping months. 



(To be continued.) 



The next article will discuss goldfish foods and 

 feeding. 



"Things which are beautiful in them- 

 selves, independently of all association, 

 will necessarily at all times be beautiful". 



Anonymous. 



