70 WHOLESALE BREEDING 



Winter is the natural resting period of goldfishes and at this time 

 they do not require much warmth nor food. Their food at this time, 

 however, should receive careful attention. They need a certain 

 amount of fresh animal food, and as the usual form (daphnia and 

 earthworms) cannot generally be had in winter, substitutes are of 

 value. This is taken up in chapter on Fishfoods, page 130. 



Transparently-scaled \\'hite or nearly white fishes need more 

 \\-armth than the others, as cold causes swimming bladder trou- 

 ble in these more sensitive fishes, and once they sink to the bottom 

 they are a misery to themsehcs and then- owner. 



In outdoor ponds which do nut freeze to the bottom, where there 

 are plenty of dead leaves and soft dirt, the hardier varieties of gold- 

 fishes will survive the winter. The ice should be broken to admit air. 

 This air space also tends to prevent deeper freezing. If a few warm 

 spells occur it will do no harm to feed the fishes ver}- lightly when the 

 ice entirely melts. This should not be done oftener than once a week. 



COMMERCIAL BREEDING OF TROPICALS 



We would draw attentimi to the detailed descriptions of breed- 

 ing habits descril)e(l on pages 244 to 2hl which will gi\'e a practical 

 working basis for an^'one wishing to enter this attractive field com- 

 mercially. There are, liowe\'er, a few generalizations which ought to 

 be of value here. In Nature the fishes manage to reproduce them- 

 selves without the help of man. The three princijuil reasons are be- 

 cause they Irdxe water of the proper temperature, food of the right 

 character and plenty of opportunity for the young to hide. All of the 

 conditions can be produced artificially. The European breeders use 

 tubs, introduce a thick groA\th of plants, place in one or more pairs of 

 breeders as occasion demands, feed plenty of daphnia, mosquito larvte, 

 etc., and disturb the fishes as little as possible. In the absence of 

 greenhouses the tubs are sunk in the ground, covered with wire net- 

 ting in warm weather and with glass on cool nights or days. Quite 

 large tanks are sometimes used, placing different species with the same 

 breeding habits together, not attempting to sort out the various young 

 until fall. In the livebearing groups there is no likelihood of hybrid- 

 ization if males and females of the same species are Ijoth present. Some 

 fishes do not like plants and will tear them out (cichlide group, for 

 instance), but as a rule the young very early a]ipreciate their value and 

 quickly hide among them. The)' also hunt sloping, shallow edges 

 where the large fishes cannot follow, particularly if Salvinia or other 

 small floating plants are along the edge. 



