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Many lovers of things aquatic content 
themselves with beautifying their aquaria 
and with such pleasure as is obtained by 
watching the inhabitants and caring for 
them. ‘The reward is great, as all aqua- 
rians know, but nothing compared to the 
joys of actually breeding and rearing 
fishes. Some have been deterred by the 
thought that they have lacked and could 
not readily acquire the necessary facili- 
ties. There is no limit, of course, to the 
extent to which one may go in this re- 
spect, from the single aquarium and a 
couple of dishpans to the elaborate con- 
servatories of the wealthy or the spe- 
cially constructed houses and outdoor 
tanks of the professional fish culturist, 
but much fun and knowledge may be 
gained with a few simple necessities, 
even in a city apartment. An aquarium 
of medium size, not much smaller than 
twenty gallons, a dishpan or two, and a 
tub or another aquarium, represents 
about the minimum in equipment, but 
this will successfully care for one spawn- 
ing 1f the undesirables are weeded out 
at an early age. 
It is not absolutely necessary to start 
There 
is much to be learned that only experi- 
with high-priced breeding fishes. 
ence can teach, and this knowledge can 
be just as well gained from fish that are 
“just fish” as from costly exhibition 
specimens. But don’t misunderstand me. 
I am not deriding the advantages of 
breeding from good stock, but, on the 
contrary, advise getting as good as the 
purse will permit. The mere fact that 
one’s means are limited is no reason to 
| Breeding the Goldfish 
GEORGE A. SCHENK 
of 
6 Od Pa Es Od Os Ps 9 Ss 9 5s Ps a 
Good 
breeding fish may be obtained for a few 
dollars each, or one may find rare and 
beautiful specimens actually worth any 
price the fancy of the owner may dictate. 
The person who has never bred fish 
will naturally ask how to go about it, and 
forego the pleasures of breeding. 
A Gravid Female Telescope Goldfish 
what steps to take to induce the fish to 
spawn. The instinct to reproduce its kind 
is just as strong in the goldfish as in 
other living things, so all that is neces- 
sary is fair-sized quarters, proper feed- 
ing, well oxygenated water and fish of 
the opposite sex. 
The males, when in condition to breed, 
bear small, white dots or tubercles on the 
gill covers and along the first ray of the 
pectoral fins. In gravid females the roes 
seldom develop evenly, making one side 
