140 © 
Aquatic Lite 
is accelerated if the water be agitated, or 
if air be passed into it, a proceeding 
known as aeration. 
If the water is not artificially aerated 
the upper layer only can act as an actual 
absorber, whence the oxygen is diffused 
throughout. Under conditions of oxygen 
starvation (due to heating, or too many 
animal breathers), the surface layer re- 
mains richest in oxygen, and the fishes 
crowd to the top, not to breathe atmos- 
pheric air, as many imagine, but to ex- 
tract the dissolved oxygen, where it 1s 
most abundant. 
In the goldfish-globe days, and unhap- 
pily they are not wholly a thing of the 
past, the assembling of the gasping fish 
at the surface was taken as an indication 
that the water “wanted changing,” but 
the often fair and tender-hearted fancier 
did not realize that until this change was 
effected, the little fishes were undergoing 
torture comparable to that inflicted on the 
poor wretches of the historic “black-hole 
of Calcutta.” 
Nowadays we make good the with- 
drawal of oxygen from the water by the 
introduction of aquatic plants, and the 
use of the term “balanced aquaria” often 
leads people to suppose that an actual 
and delicate balance, between the amount 
of plant and animal life, must be main- 
tained for the successful conduct of an 
aquarium. 
Not so, the secret of success is plenty 
of plants, if they give off more oxygen 
than the water can absorb it simply 
passes into the air, and as more oxygen 
is required in warmer weather to coun- 
terbalance the feebler absorptive power 
of the water, the plants automatically de- 
velop increased energy and so supply it. 
The accompanying photographs illus- 
trate a similar condition, but on a pro- 
digious scale. A large area of submerged 
land was being reclaimed, and the fishes, 
mostly gold carp, formerly spread over 
acres, were, by pumping out the water, 
confined to a deep drain. As the water 
was still further reduced it provided in- 
sufficient oxygen for the tens of thou- 
sands of carp, a few of which were pho- 
tographed, all gasping at the surface. 
This drain was over a mile in length, and 
the fishes were gathered from the pump- 
intake pool at the rate of five tons daily 
for a whole week.—Abstracted from the 
writer's inaugural address to the SoutTu 
AUSTRALIAN AQUARIUM SOCIETY. 
On Memorial Day a number of mem- 
bers of The Aquarium Society, New 
York City, held an outing along the 
Morris Canal, Little Falls, New Jersey, 
under the leadership of Mr. Richard 
Dorn. Many specimens of fishes, turtles 
and plants were secured. 
No regular meetings of the Society will 
be held during July and August.—Hugo 
C. Nelles. 
ATR AB 
The Aquarium Stock Company has ac- 
cepted the agency for “Art Aquaria,” 
and are now displaying these unique 
tanks in their New York salesrooms. 
One of the several styles, a hexagonal 
form, with a superimposed fern recep- 
table, is quite an improvement over the 
usual six-sided tank. From another type 
the corner cones may be removed without 
disturbing the tank when it becomes 
necessary to have them replated. Art 
aquaria are furnished in nickel, enamel 
and aluminum, and will appeal to those 
who want small tanks that are out of the 
ordinary. 
——— 
An ingenious Spaniard says that rivers 
and the inhabitants of the water element 
were made for wise men to contemplate, 
and fools to pass by without considera- 
tion.—Walton. 
