38 NEW YORK AQUARIUM NATURE SERIES 



room all such forms require food more or less regularly since 

 they remain active and so must keep up the necessary supply of 

 energy. If they are deprived of food they become weak and 

 emaciated, lose their vitality and become a ready prey to disease. 

 On the other hand, it may not hurt them or cause any serious 

 discomfort to go without food for a few days occasionally. It is 

 certain, also, that much of the trouble the tyro finds in balancing 

 the aquarium is due to overfeeding, especially w^hen unconsumed 

 food is allowed to remain and pollute the water by decaying. 



The amount of food a fish requires depends on the tempera- 

 ture. When this is above 60 degrees they may be fed once a day, 

 but if the temperature is lower than 60 degrees, once in two or 

 three days is sufficient. Ayiy food not consumed within a feiv 

 minutes should be removed at once. 



In the selection of food one must naturally be governed by 

 the needs of his animals — some species are partly or entirely 

 herbivorous while others are carnivorous. Practically all of our 

 native fishes are carnivorous and thrive best upon a meat diet of 

 some sort, while the goldfishes and carp are largely vegetarian. 

 Prepared fish foods of varying composition may be obtained 

 from the dealer in aquarium supplies, and he may be consulted 

 as to that best adapted to a particular species of fish. The 

 granular foods are in general better than the ordinary wafers 

 which tend to go to pieces too readily and cloud and contaminate 

 the water. In the case of carnivorous fishes, the prepared dry 

 food may be supplemented occasionally by the addition of meal- 

 worms, earthworms or fresh beef cut into small pieces according 

 to the size of the fish. Special care should be taken, however, 

 that such animal food is removed if not eaten, as it decays much 

 more readily than vegetable matter and causes greater danger of 

 pollution. 



To prevent the dry prepared food from becoming scattered 

 over the surface of the aquarium it is advisable to make use of a 

 floating glass ring which can be secured from a dealer. This not 

 only gives the surface of the aquarium a neater appearance after 

 feeding, but prevents the escape of smaller particles to contami- 

 nate the water. Care in the matter of feeding is of the utmost 

 importance in preserving the balance of the aquarium and keep- 

 ing the animals in good condition. It must be remembered that 

 the usual fault is that of overfeeding and the conditions should 

 be studied carefully. 



