Aquatic JUtt 



17 



out she crawls again and begins to push 

 the earth over her treasures through any 

 movement of which she is capable, some- 

 times crowding it in front of her until it 

 tumbles into the cavity, or working it in 

 through a sidelong motion. After the 

 eggs are all safely covered, she will pass 

 again and again over the place until she 

 appears to feel quite satisfied that she 

 has made it appear as natural as pos- 

 sible. Beyond this fact, however, we 

 stand much in need of a whole lot more 

 information on this subject, especially 

 as to the time of incubation, how the 

 tiny young find their way to water, and 

 many other points. 



February Pointers 



Nature knows no fiscal year, but the 

 aquarist must know the "fishal year." 

 During this month of short and dull 

 days we are aware that the oxygen 

 released by the plants is almost nil. It is 

 beneficial, therefore, to occasionally add 

 fresh water to the self-sustaining aqua- 

 rium. In thus proceeding, syphon the 

 water from the bottom, taking with it the 

 accumulation of sediment, and replace 

 with water of the same temperature 

 drawn several hours before. 



If fishes incline to mate, either sepa- 

 rate the sexes or lower the temperature. 

 Vitality to produce strong, healthy off- 

 spring is lacking at this season and 

 breeding should ordinarily be discour- 

 aged until later when it is possible to pro- 

 vide abundant live foods. 



Food-rings eliminate guess work and 

 over-feeding. The rings may be of glass, 

 cork or paraffin. One of the latter ma- 

 terial may be made by pouring it while 

 hot into a tin-box cover. When cool 

 remove the centre of the disc with a 

 pointed knife. Surplus food produces 

 noxious gases and otherwise fouls the 

 water. Guard against it. If you can 



secure daphne, or have propagating 

 boxes of enchytraeids and angle worms, 

 they may be fed to great advantage. 

 Scraped raw beef is a good substitute. 



Roots of plants should not be disturbed 

 this month. Growth is slow and the 

 plants do not readily overcome lost 

 energy incidental to bruised roots and 

 leaves which will speedily decay. 



Specimens brought from outdoors 

 must be gradually acclimated to the 

 greater warmth of the house and quar- 

 antined. At no other time of the year 

 are parasites introduced on the new arri- 

 vals so apt to make their presence known. 



The greatest danger of the winter 

 months is in the often rapid changes of 

 temperature, affecting small aquaria 

 more so than larger ones. The vitality 

 of the fishes is comparatively low, mak- 

 ing them very susceptible to disease and 

 parasites. While the "white pest,'' Ich- 

 thyopthirius multifilius, may infest fishes 

 at any time, we know it best from its 

 ravages during the cold months. Many 

 schemes to combat this pest have been 

 devised, but the best general plan is to 

 gradually raise the temperature of the 

 aquarium and feed live food as much 

 as possible. If convenient, mechanical 

 aeration may be used. Two or three 

 times daily syphon a little water from 

 the bottom of the tank, replacing with 

 fresh, warm water. Make a solution of 

 sheep manure and warm water and add 

 a little twice daily to the aquarium, con- 

 tinuing until the water in the aquarium 

 takes on a darker color. — Chicago Aqua- 

 rium Society. 



A lot of problems solve themselves if 

 let alone. 



A man never finds the ideal woman 

 until he locates one who believes every- 

 thing he tells her. 



