40 



Aquatic JLite 



Harry H. Mills, William D. Sargent, 

 Edgar S. Colden, William J. Hodges, 

 James Boyd, George Jann and Louis J. 

 Staunton. 



The next meeting, Wednesday even- 

 ing, November 15th, will be devoted to 

 a competition for broadtail Japs, scaled 

 and transparently scaled, more than one 

 year old. A cup and three ribbons will 

 be awarded in each class. — Fred Richard- 

 son, Secretary. 



Mr. James E. Benedict, Jr., has be- 

 come secretary of the Washington 

 Aquarium Society, succeeding Mr. J. 

 Henri Wagner, who resigned. Mr. Bene- 

 dict, who is a son of Dr. J. E. Benedict, 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, is thor- 

 oughly familiar with the local vertebrate 

 fauna, and as secretary should be an ex- 

 ceptionally helpful worker. 



Los Angeles News 



When a member of the Chicago Fish 

 Fanciers' Club I had quite a collection of 

 domestic and exotic fishes, a number of 

 tanks, and some of them very well bal- 

 anced. Out here it is very difficult to 

 get anything whatsoever, and I have a 

 hard time to get an aquarium even fairly 

 established. The water contains so much 

 lime and other mineral substances that 

 the plants fail to thrive. It seems diffi- 

 cult to place the tanks in the proper situ- 

 ation, as the light here is so intense. 

 Direct sunlight, even for but a couple 

 of hours during early morning or after- 

 noon, promotes a tremendous growth of 

 algae, which in a week or so will com- 

 pletely fill the aquarium and make the 

 water resemble a mass of green jelly. 

 Some of this algae not only grows on the 

 glass, but attacks the plants, retards their 

 growth, and causes decay. 



To get fish here is well-nigh impossible, 

 that is, other than goldfish, in which I am 

 litle interested. About four months ago 



I was able to secure a pair of Gambusia 

 holbrooki, and now have about fifteen 

 youngsters of various ages living hap- 

 pily in an all-glass aquarium. I wish I 

 could get a few pairs of H emichromis 

 bimaculata and Cichlasoma. nigrofascia- 

 tum. I am especially fond of Hemichro- 

 mis. I think it is the most beautiful and 

 interesting of our aquarium fishes, and 

 very easily bred in captivity. 



Several of the moving picture stars out 

 here are fish fanciers, including: Bill Far- 



Gambusia affinis holbrooki 



(From "Domesticated Fish" by courtesy of Author, W. L. Brind) 



num. Francis X. Bushman and Carter 

 De Haven. They talk fish every time 

 we meet. — G. P. von Harleman in a let- 

 ter to the editor. 



Young fishes vary in rapidity of 

 growth ; some will be vigorous and grow 

 quickly, while others will be puny. Judg- 

 ment must be used in caring for the tardy 

 ones. They naturally suffer in competi- 

 tion in the same tank with their more 

 iUisky brethren. It is advisable to sep- 

 arate the fishes according to size as 

 closely as available tanks will permit. 

 Perhaps it will be just as well to do away 

 with the weaklings. 



As one of the steps in a local cam- 

 paign to insure the humane treatment 

 and proper care of goldfish and other 

 aquatic animals, Mr. J. Henri Wagner. 



