932 PARKS 



if the aquarium be located on the seashore. Experience has shown that the 

 water supply must be maintained in uniformly good condition, unaffected 

 by storms, changes in salinity, winter and summer temperatures, and the 

 impurities of harbors. Unfavorable variations in the water supply cannot 

 be avoided where water is pumped directly from the sea. 



The prime requisite for the keeping of aquatic animals in captivity is 

 a plentiful supply of their natural element, to which everything else is 

 subordinated. No completeness of mechanical equipment can make up for 

 deficiencies in this respect. The water supply must be pure and abundant, 

 whether for marine or fresh-water exhibits. The fresh-water supply of most 

 cities is good enough for aquarium purposes as it comes from the pipes, 

 but during long continued rains or necessary alterations of the system by 

 the city from time to time, the water may become murky and remain so 

 for weeks. Suitable filters are therefore necessary to ensure the clearness 

 of water desirable for exhibition purposes. Filters for fresh water are 

 installed to receive the water before it is delivered to exhibition tanks. In 

 the case of permanently stored sea water, filters are also necessary, but 

 they are so installed as to receive the drainage of the exhibition tanks and 

 return the water to the reservoir clear and free from the impurities created 

 by the feeding of animals. Fecal matter from fish tanks is less injurious 

 to the water supply than bits of unconsumed food. All visible wastes should 

 be siphoned from the tanks before any disintegration takes place. Stored 

 sea water, like the freely flowing fresh water, must be kept in motion; this 

 renders necessary the continuous operation of pumps. 



The distribution of water throughout the building must be so arranged 

 that it can be supplied to exhibition tanks in considerable volume if neces- 

 sary. Some species of fishes require a stronger flow than others, and all 

 crowded tanks will need it. The supply to each tank can easily be reduced 

 by means of valves to suit the demand, and might not be sufficient if the 

 distributing line of pipe were too small. 



The reservoir for the supply of salt water should be located under- 

 neath or adjacent to the aquarium building. It should be of sufficient 

 capacity to hold at least four times the quantity contained in the entire 

 series of exhibition tanks which it serves. The larger it is made, the better, 

 the supply as a whole being circulated at a slower rate and the body of 

 water in the reservoir given more opportunity for precipitating its finer 

 sediment, which will seldom be apparent until the annual cleaning of the 

 reservoir. Stored sea water is kept in the dark to prevent the growth of 

 marine algae. The reservoir of the New York Aquarium was filled eight 

 years ago with one hundred thousand gallons of pure sea water brought in 

 from the open sea, and has been in use ever since. 



