MARINE AQUARIA 123 



Newly made artificial marine water ought not be used for several 

 days, but be given a little time to ripen. An occasional stirring helps the 

 process. 



Cleaning Marine Water. It is desirable to keep the marine aquarium 

 crystal-clear, both for the benefit of the inmates and the pleasure of the 

 observer. To this end several factors must be borne in mind. Start with 

 clear water. Do not overcrowd nor overfeed. Use only subdued light. 

 Quickly remove decaying plants, dead mussels, anemones, etc. Occa- 

 sionally siphon off the bottom (see page 228) and, after settling, pour 

 back the clear water or return through filter. Very little loss of water 

 is occasioned if the dregs are thrown away after water has settled, 

 particularly if a tall jar is used. The filter arrangement described on 

 page 233 is very desirable for the marine aquarium. 



Temperature. This matter depends very largely upon the climate 

 from which the aquarium inhabitants come. For this reason it is not well 

 to mix animals of tropical and temperate zones. Many of the tropical 

 fishes come north in summer and can successfully withstand a temperature 

 of 62° F., but in the confines of an aquarium they will not prosper in the 

 lower temperatures required by the fishes of our own climate. Tropical 

 fishes are happy in a temperature ranging from 68° to 75°. Some of them 

 can succeed when it is even warmer, but it becomes difficult to satisfac- 

 torily oxygenate the water. 



Fishes and other marine animals of the temperate zone prefer a range 

 from 55° to 68°. It will be noted that the tropicals and temperates meet 

 at 68°, so if the attempt is made to mix them, this is the temperature that 

 should be closely adhered to. 



Collecting Specimens. The best places for collecting a miscellan- 

 eous assortment of marine animals are the back bays, pools, pockets, 

 marshes and small streams where the ocean overflows at high tide and 

 recedes from at low. Rocky coasts furnish particularly fertile fields for 

 the aquatic hunter, and those of New England offer rich attractions in 

 varied and wonderfully beautiful vegetation. Wood's Hole is a particu- 

 larly famed point for all sorts of marine naturalists and collectors. How- 

 ever, anybody can go to the beach nearest home and gather material that 

 will well repay for the effort. Two persons in bathing suits operating a 

 seine 4 by 14 feet (see page 99) will be surprisingly successful right in 

 the surf anywhere. As before stated, the little sheltered places, pools 

 around breakwaters, piers and rocks should be thoroughly investigated by 

 hand and net. As with freshwater, let the collector not be too ambitious 

 for numbers. It is better to get a fezv good specimens home alive and 

 well than have a bucketful of dead and dying. Unfortunately for those 

 inland there is nobody at the present time in America making a commer- 



