THE CARE OF HOME AQUARIA 



59 



TUBULARIA AND ASTRANGIA, OR WHITE CORAL, EXPANDED. 



until the young hatch out, and often for a considerable period 

 after this. The adults may be removed, however, as soon as the 

 young have made their appearance and begin to swim about. 



As goldfishes are reared with much more frequency than any 

 other fish, it may be well to go into the matter a little more fully 

 with them. The sexes can be distinguished readily as breeding 

 time approaches by the fact that the belly of the female is greatly 

 distended with eggs, while the male is more slender. The dif- 

 ference in form is much more evident from the top than from 

 the side view. They can be distinguished also by watching their 

 actions, as the male tends to chase the female about the tank, and 

 becomes much more active in this a day or so before the time for 

 egg laying. If there is an abundance of vegetation in the tank, 

 and if the aquarist is not particularly anxious to secure the very 

 best results, he may allow nature to take its course, in which cas( 

 some of the eggs will be attached to the plants during oviposition, 

 while others will fall to the bottom, probably to be lost. Am 

 fishes not engaged in the processes of egg-laying or fertilizatioi 

 may also occupy themselves in eating some of the eggs. At an: 

 rate, after the eggs are laid, all the adults should be removed t( 

 another tank, for if they are left with the eggs they may eat 

 large portion of them and also devour the young fishes after the: 

 emerge. 



