THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1895. 



191 



For the small sum of fifty cents in advance, 

 "Which pays for a year's subscription to The 

 Aquaeium, you are entitled to ask informa- 

 tion on any point regarding the aquarium or 

 the window garden. We offer no other prem- 

 ium to our subscribers than that of putting 

 over 25 years of practical experience in these 

 branches at their disposal. Ask as man}' 

 questions as you please, but plea-e (o enclose 

 postage for reply. All questions are answered 

 by mail, and we publish only such in these 

 columns as are of general interest. 



Will correspondents of this department 

 please co-operate with us by reporting to 

 the Editor the results obtained from advice 

 given in these columns ? Such informa- 

 tion would be a great benefit to others in 

 want of similar information. 



C. K. — B. — Aquarium plants should be 

 planted on the same principle as one plants 

 garden plants, but they should be handled 

 very carefully in order not to break or bruise 

 them. Eemove all water from the tank, 

 leaving only the sand on the bottom, which 

 should cover the latter to a depth of H to 

 2 inches. In this jon make little dents, 

 large enough to admit spreading of the 

 roots of the plants, and these— the roots— 

 you cover carefully and well with wet sand, 

 finally covering the latter with a few peb- 

 bles of the size of a walnut. This done, 

 the tank may be refilled with water. 



The answer to the qviestion, how often 

 the water should be changed in an aquari- 

 um, is a very simple one : As often as it be- 

 comes necessary. How frequent this will be 

 depends on : 



1. The number of fish contained in the 

 tank. 



2. Their size. 



3. Their kinds. 



4. Season of the year. 



5. Position (location) of the tank and its 

 surroundings: 



((. The temperature of the room. 



b. The use made of this. 



c. What exposure. 



d. How far from the window. 



You will see that your question refpiires 

 an, apparenth", complicated answer, which, 

 however, may be condensed in the follow- 

 ing : 



The best light for an aquarium is a north- 

 ern or eastern exposure. An aquarium 

 should have as much light as possible, but 

 no sun, in order to encourage the growth 

 of the plants. Fish should be regularly 

 fed, but (ill unconsumed food at once re- 

 moved from the water. 



If the air in the room is pure, and the 

 fish come to and remain near the surface of 

 the water, gasping atmospheric air, it indi- 

 cates that they suffer from want of oxygen. 

 Some fish must be removed from the tank 

 in such a case, or, more or difierent kinds 

 of plants must be introduced to the collec- 

 tion. 



If it becomes necessary to change the 

 water of an aquarium at all, it proves that 

 the principles indicated above are not 

 understood, or are overlooked. 



To manage an aquarium successfully is 

 not at all hard, but it will take some time 

 and experience- for anyone to study the 

 "why's" and " what-for's V " but just this 

 fact makes an acpiarium so interesting, and 

 removes it out of the "toy " sphere. 



A. E. S. — The disease j'ou describe in 

 your letter is a new one to us. It may have 

 been caused by over-feeding, or impure 

 water. Too frequent meat tliet is very in- 

 jurious to goldfish, and frequently is the 

 cause of bloody streaks or spots in their 

 fins. 



As with all diseases, it is a great deal 

 easier to prevent them than it is to cure 

 them. Keep your fish, sick or not sick, 

 under proper conditions, and disease will 

 be an unknown guest to you. In a special 

 case, as the one described in j'our letter, 

 we would leave the fish in health}- surround- 

 ings, isolated of course, to its fate. This 

 treatment has many points in its favor. 



G. A. S. — Aquarium plants grow best in 

 shiirp river or sea sand. Soil is too unclean 



