100 



Aquatic fLitt 



have been bred and studied by the 

 aquarist. 



My adult fish are about six inches in 

 length. The back is a dark bottle green, 

 ending in broad points on the sides, these 

 being outlined clearly by conspicuous 

 silver dots, which are also otherwise dis- 

 tributed over the head, abdomen and fins. 

 The body is long and flexible but not 

 eel-like. 



I have not been able to observe the de- 

 position of eggs, but three times have 

 discovered them floating free at the sur- 

 face of the water. It would seem that 

 they are deposited during the night. The 

 eggs are larger than those of the gold- 

 fish, but are more difficult to see on ac- 

 count of their transparency. Each batch 

 was made noticeable by the milky, infer- 

 tile ones, which averaged rather high- 

 fifty per cent. Incubation takes about 

 four days at temperatures from 80 to 

 85 degrees, Fahrenheit. The larvae ap- 

 pear as minute, helpless, black tadpoles 

 for several days. For the first two weeks 

 they were given Daphnia, and then plac- 

 ed on a diet of scrambled eggs, which has 

 been the principal food of all my fishes 

 and reptiles this year. The young grew 

 rapidly and at the end of four months 

 had attained a length of about three 

 inches. If kept in small aquaria and not 

 fed heavily I believe they can be matured 

 at this size. 



For food for the adults I was advised 

 to use live fish, but this was quite an un- 

 dertaking, so I decided to first try earth- 

 worms. These they took greedily. I 

 soon discovered they would relisb any 

 animal food or prepared foods in which 

 there was a flavoring of animal matter. 

 Their mouths are capacious and they like 

 large chunks. 



While rearing the young many disap- 

 peared, and 1 was led to suspect cannibal- 

 ism, but I later found their dried remains 



on the floor, which was tangible proof 

 that they had been leaping out of the 

 shallow tray. While I do not consider 

 them at all quarrelsome or vicious, I do 

 not doubt they would swallow a much 

 smaller fish if afforded the opportunity. 

 With one lot I raised young goldfish 

 which were not molested. The adults pay 

 no attention to eggs and fry. 



(The photograph of Channel fasciata, 

 showing an adult and a youngster, which 

 appears on the preceding page, was taken 

 by Mr. Lines for the forthcoming edition 

 of his "Goldfish Varieties and Tropical 

 Aquarium Fishes." This .'s the first pho- 

 tograph of the species, which has appar- 

 ently not been figured since it was first 

 described. — Ed. ) 



Christian J. Heede 



Too late for mention in the August 

 number came the sad news that our old 

 friend and contributor. Christian Julius 

 Heede, of Brooklyn, had passed away 

 after a long and useful life. Mr. Heede 

 was well known through his frequent 

 contributions to aquarian literature, hav- 

 ing had many papers published in The 

 Aquarium Magazine, The Aquarium 

 Bulletin and in Aquatic Life. His inter- 

 est in biology began many years ago, per- 

 haps almost half a century, while still in 

 Denmark, the land of his birth, and his 

 studies were pursued with added vigor 

 when he became a resident of the United 

 States. He combined the characteristics 

 of the naturalist with those of the 

 fancier, and his original research work- 

 coupled with an extensive first-hand 

 knowledge of the literature of the sub- 

 ject in several languages, placed him in 

 the front rank among aquarists. He will 

 be remembered as a lovable and generous 

 man, ever ready to share his great store 

 of knowledge — and fishes and plants — 

 with his friends. 



