MANAGEMENT OF AQUAEIUMS 245 



between the surface of the water and the top 

 of the aquarium, or the top of the aquarium 

 must be covered with wire netting, otherwise 

 the owner will likely find a dead fish on the 

 floor some morning. Such precautions are also 

 advisable if cats are household pets, since they 

 love fish, and are expert fishermen. 



One requisite for the successful care of fish 

 in an aquarium is to avoid coddling them too 

 much. Never handle them except when ab- 

 solutely necessary, and then only with the wet 

 hands or with a small net. Above all things 

 never overfeed aquarium fish. It is safer to 

 give them a fair allowance every other day, 

 rather than to supply them with food daily; 

 but under no circumstances should they be 

 given more than they will eat in a few minutes. 

 If there is any food left uneaten at the end of 

 five minutes, the fish are, generally speaking, 

 given too much. Probably the safest food is 

 the manufactured fish-food purchased from a 

 dealer; and the granulated foods are more de- 

 sirable than the foods that come in sheet form. 

 A couple of pinches will be enough for half a 

 dozen every day. Tiny fragments of bread 



