276 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



supplies the animal life with air to breathe. The animal life exhales carbonic acid 

 gas, which is what the plants need to make them live and thrive, but they can absorb 

 only a small amount ; therefore care must be exercised not to have too much animal 

 life in the aquarium. About once a week add fresh water to supply that lost by 

 evaporation. 



Mow to C3fart and Maintain a FresI) Wafer balanced Acparmm. 



Place over the bottom of the aquarium, gravel of about the size of '' bird gravel," 

 of sufficient depth to cover the roots of the plants ; to prevent them from floating 

 wind narrow strips of sheet lead loosely around the lower end of the clusters of 

 stalks and place them in the gravel, having a sufficient quantity of plants in position, 

 and if you choose, two or three small pieces of rock for artistic effect laid on the 

 gravel. You are ready to fill the aquarium with water. I should not place any 

 animal life in it for a day or two ; this will allow time for proper aeration of the water. 

 The next step is stocking with animal life. In many of the streams and ponds of 

 the country can be collected aquatic plants suitable for the aquarium, or they can be 

 purchased from dealers; and from the same sources can be procured the animal life 

 needed. One of the most useful plants is Sagittaria ; it will increase quite rapidly, 

 and is an all-the-year plant. 



There are several species of the Fontinalis ; all are very pretty. Valisnaria spiralis 

 and Sagittaria are much alike in appearance ; both resemble " eel grass." A common 

 plant is Anacharis ca?iadensis and is found over a wide range of country. Cabomba 

 carolinensis is a nice plant and does well. For floating plants I prefer Riccia natans 

 and Naias flex His ; they grow well and are very pretty. There are many other kinds 

 of aquatic plants that are useful if one wishes to use them. In the selection of ani- 

 mals choose quite small ones, certainly of fishes ; gold fish thrive and live longest. 

 The short-eared sunfish or " pumpkin seed " and the black-banded sunfish are nice 

 fishes and live pretty well ; also very small catfish, and mud minnows ; the five-spined 

 stickleback, one of the nest builders, you will take great pleasure in watching them.. 

 Of amphibians the cute little newt is the most interesting of the family. The frog 

 tadpoles are easy to procure and are also interesting. Snails are useful as scavengers. 

 The Physce is the best, and under favorable conditions will propagate rapidly. For 

 crustaceans I would use the so-called fresh water shrimp or Gammarus. 



Always use caution in stocking your aquarium with animal life; never crowd it, 

 but use plants plentifully ; they, as stated before, supply oxygen. If the weather 

 should be cloudy for several successive days, you can aerate the aquarium two or 

 three times each day, by dipping up some of the water, raising the dipper several 



