The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 109 



have to live. In a large aquarium, with 

 good and numerous hiding places for the de- 

 fenseless fishes, some carnivorous varieties 

 may be placed, but to secure peace and har- 

 mony, a sufficient amount of food should be 

 provided for them, and care should be taken 

 that the weaker and defenseless fishes are at 

 least equal in size with the others. It is 

 generally preferable, however, to keep car- 

 nivorous fishes and such as are born fighters 

 apart from the others. This done, the dam- 

 aging and crippling of the more delicate and 

 peaceful fishes by the voracious robbers is 

 made an impossibility. It is, as a rule, ad- 

 visable to stock the aquarium with fishes of 

 rather small size, as they will not only thrive 

 better than the larger ones, but will also 

 appear to better advantage, as they are more 

 in proportion to the size of the average 

 aquarium, than large specimens which often 

 become damaged by collision with sharp 

 stones or with the glass. A further advan- 

 tage is, that of the smaller fishes a greater 



