FISH DISEASES 151 



very best medicine is real sea water, properly diluted. The next best 

 is Turk's Island salt, which is the residue from evaporated sea water. 

 Where the fish shows a tendency to constipation, one-quarter of the 

 salt content may be Epsom salts. Some writers recommend this addi- 

 tion in all cases. 



Strength of Salt Solution. Common practice among the unin- 

 formed is to throw a sick fish into a strong brine solution, leaving it 

 there a few minutes until it shows signs of expiring. This treatment is 

 perhaps better than none at all, but is unnecessarily severe and is not 

 so successful as milder solutions. In fact, the strong salt takes the pro- 

 tective slime off the fish and leaves it in a condition where it is liable 

 to be quickly again infected, and in a weakened condition where 

 treatment is not likely to again be effectual. The usual practice of 

 the author is to make a solution in which salt is just discernible to the 

 taste. As the sense of taste varies in individuals, this is not a very 

 accurate rule to give others. A suitable proportion is one ounce of 

 salt (approximately two heaping teaspoonfuls) to each gallon of 

 water. 



Methods of Treatment. Nearly all sick fishes do best in shallow 

 water and out of bright light. A shallow enamel tray is very good, 

 or a well-seasoned tub filled to a few inches is suitable. In placing the 

 patient in the medicated water, see that there is no considerable 

 change in temperature. In warm weather a change to very slightly 

 cooler water is stimulating and probably does no harm. In winter, 

 when a fish is generally run down, the temperature during treatment 

 should be gradually brought up to about 68 degrees. Except for the 

 air-breathing species (Paradise fish, etc.), a sudden change to sev- 

 eral degrees warmer water is liable to produce suffocation, warm 

 water holding less free oxygen than cool. Aquarium fishes can live 

 indefinitely in the solution described, but in two days a salt solution 

 begins to smell stale and needs to be changed. A daily change is bet- 

 ter; Should the patient not show signs of improvement in four days, 

 gradually increase the strength of salt solution for two or three days 

 until it is up to two ounces (four heaping teaspoonfuls) to each gallon 

 of water. After remaining in this for two days the salt proportion is 

 slowly weakened down again to the first formula. 



Ammonia Treatment. A popular treatment among European fish 

 culturists for fungoid diseases is the ammonia method. This has not 

 been generally accepted in the United States, but has been tried with 

 remarkable success in some instances where other treatments have 

 failed. We feel, however, that it should only be tried as a last resort. 

 To one gallon of clean water add ten drops of ordinary household 



