AQUARIUM FISHES 333 



Daphnia, which can be secured in any pond, especially if 

 there are no fishes there. ,Care must be taken, however, not 

 to place these creatures in the tank until the fishes are large 

 enough to eat them, as otherwise the operation will be 

 reversed. The fry should be induced to take dry food as 

 soon as possible, and from then on there is little difficulty. 

 Certain individuals will grow much faster than others, and 

 as they develop should be sorted out. If the fishes are of 

 the more valuable varieties, the better ones may be deter- 

 mined at an early age, and should be segregated and given 

 special attention. 



Native Fishes 



A great variety of undomesticated fishes are available for 

 the aquarium, and generally are far more interesting than 

 the sluggish goldfish. Many are perfectly hardy, while 

 others require special care and should not be attempted by 

 the inexperienced. Let us first consider the inhabitants of 

 our own ponds and brooks. 



The minnows, or the " minnies " of childhood, are the 

 most numerous, and include many attractive aquarium fishes. 

 They belong to the carp family (Cyprinid^) and abound 

 in fresh waters throughout the north temperate zone, about 

 two hundred and twenty-five American species being known. 

 Of these the Shiner (Abramis chrysoleucus) is one of 

 the hardiest and handsomest. It is found in quiet water 

 everywhere east of the Rockies. The Shiner is a brilliant 

 silvery fish, the male becoming more brightly colored during 

 the breeding season. It lives in schools, and several indi- 

 viduals should be kept together in a fair-sized tank. It 

 will eat dry fish food, small bits of scraped raw meat, earth- 

 worms and insects, and may be kept safely with goldfishes. 



The Black-nosed Dace (Rhinichthys cataractce) is a 

 smaller fish than the preceding, and easily distinguished by 



