32 



Aquatic ILitt 



Ichthyopthirius 



(Concluded from page 30) 



parasites will all be washed away within 

 two weeks. 



Contact poisons or chemicals are use- 

 less to destroy the parasite. A chemical 

 strong enough to eat through the cyst 

 would likewise destroy the fish. The par- 

 asites within the water, or on the bottom, 

 may be destroyed in several way. A i 

 per cent, solution of lime is said to be 

 effective. A 10 per cent, to 20 per cent, 

 solution of common salt is also recom- 

 mended. One writer prefers a weak 

 solution of the salts of copper. But of 

 course these methods are only employed 

 to eliminate the parasite from the water 

 and the bottom of the aquarium. The 

 fishes should be removed before intro- 

 ducing the substance employed. 



In order to rid the fish of the parasite, 

 Mr. Van Cott advises the use of a large 

 aquarium, filled with clean water. This 

 tank is provided with a heater, made by 

 fitting an electric light bulb inside a fruit 

 jar, and anchoring it in the water. Sev- 

 eral clean glass jars are also necessary. 

 ( )ne of these jars is filled two-thirds full 

 of clean, old water of the same temper- 

 ature as that from which the sick fish 

 is taken. A teaspoonful of sea salt is 

 added. This jar, with the fish in it, is 

 floated in the big aquarium, and the tem- 

 perature slowly raised to 100 F. and 

 maintained there. To retain the heat the 

 tank is well covered at night with a thick 

 blanket. In the morning, fill a second jar 

 with water of the same temperature. 

 change the fish to it and place in the 

 large aquarium as before. Discard the 

 water in the first jar, and sterilize thor- 

 oughly with hot water. Do this at least 

 twin- daily for several days. 



A method employed with success by 

 several members of the Chicago Aqua- 



rium Society is both simple and seem- 

 ingly effective. As soon as the first symp- 

 toms of infection appear, a sack made of 

 cheesecloth is filled with sheep manure 

 and suspended in the tank, the tempera- 

 ture of the water being slowly raised and 

 thereafter maintained at an even degree. 

 The only objection to this method is the 

 unsightly color of the water and an inci- 

 dental rapid growth of filamentous algae, 

 but its frequent effectiveness and its stim- 

 ulation of plant-life within the aquarium 

 makes it well worthy of a trial. It is the 

 least bothersome of all the methods. 



When the pest occurs, the treatment 

 should be prompt, painstaking and car- 

 ried out faithfully until the parasite is 

 eliminated. If the tank is not a valued 

 one, it is best to remove all plants, boil 

 the sand thoroughly and carefully clean 

 the tank, using new plants when reset- 

 ting. If the tank is a prized one, change 

 the water a number of times by syphon- 

 ing, taking care to remove all water and 

 sediment, and the top layer of sand. It 

 should be allowed to stand a month 

 before stocking with fishes. 



A wise aquarist will spare no pains to 

 maintain his tanks at a temperature suf- 

 ficient to keep the fishes in comfort and 

 health. Fluctuating temperature, and 

 especially chill, will reduce the vitality of 

 a fish and frequently lead to this disease. 

 A single infested fish will communicate 

 the parasite to others, and within a few 

 days a large tank of fine fishes may be 

 reduced to a sorry state. 



While some men practice what they 

 preach, the majority would be ashamed 

 to preach half they practice. 



According to Professor Agassi z the 



jaws of the young snapping turtle snap 

 while the animal is still within the e^. 



