32 



THE AQUAEIUM, JANUARY, 1893. 



out one lamp, as one is generally suffi- 

 cient to keep up this temperature 

 during the daytime when the room is 

 heated by a stove or open fire. At night, 

 however, when the tire is out, and in 

 severely cold weather, also in the day- 

 time, the two lamps are necessary. We 

 have kept the water of an eight gallon 

 aquarium at 70'' F. without difficulty 

 when the thermometer outside stood 

 ^3° F. below zero, and the temperature 

 of the room could not be raised above 

 60° F. The expense for oil will amount 

 to about five cents a week. 



rTS 



Queries. 



We cheerfully answer, at once, all 

 queries made in regard to Aquariums 

 •or Window Gardening if return jiostage 

 '.s enclosed, and publish only such an- 

 swers in this column as may be of gen- 

 eral interest. 



Miss L. — We advise you to leave the 

 *'odd little crawfish" out of your aqua- 

 rium, as they are very destructive to 

 plants, and in case one should die, will 

 poison the water in a few hours time. 

 You can keep them by themselves in a 

 glass jar, but don't forget to feed them 

 with a small piece of beef occasionally, 

 otherwise they will eat each other. 



Mrs. W. — Geraniums can be win- 

 tered over in a damp cellar successfully 

 by hanging them up by the roots. If 

 the plants are in pots, they can be 

 hung up with the pot, in the same 

 manner, 



Mrs, W.— Ed — We would put those 

 beautiful sea-shells on the mantlepiece 



and admire them there. Sea-shells do 

 not belong into a fresh- water aquarium; 

 it is not natural. 



Miss Emily S. — A floating island 

 for an aquarium is constructed as 

 follows : Take a piece of rough cork 

 bark, as it can be bought at any drug 

 store, say of about two and a half by six 

 inches. Mix common garden soil with 

 watercress and canary seed, and with 

 this mixture fill up the cracks on the 

 rough side of the cork wood. Now 

 l^lace it on the water, the rough side 

 upward. In a very short time the seeds 

 will grow and pres'Mit a charming 

 appearance, especially when the water- 

 cress is large enough to droop over the 

 edge of the "island" and hang into the 

 water. The effect can be improved by 

 placing a miniature fisher-hut or a swan- 

 house on the island. 



P. — Small bullfrogs will prove 

 in an aquarium, A small frog 



J. S 

 fatal 



which we raised from a tadpole, swal- 

 lowed a goldfish of fully twice its own 

 size; the tail part stuck out of its mouth, 

 hence the discovery. Frogs are only 

 good for aquaria in their tadpole state, 

 and after that should be inhabitants of 

 the terrarium. 



MissB. E. — You are right ; it is the 

 canary bird that causes your trouble. 

 A bird in a cage over an aquarium will 

 never do. We would hang a basket of 

 plants in its place. 



In the Spring . 

 Aquarium, which 

 the first part of Mar 

 a series of papers on 

 tive Characteristics of 

 Salamanders and their 

 Aquatic Plants in their 

 and Garden Topics. 



Number of The 

 will appear in 

 ch, we will begin 

 the Denomina- 

 American Fishes, 

 Breeding Habits, 

 Homes and Ours, 



