BELDT’S AQUARIUM, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
AQUARIUM 
Never use gravel or too many shells for the bottom of an aquarium. 
Food and refuse will accumulate among them, because fish and 
scavengers have no access to it. It will cause the water to spoil and 
roots of plants to get black, and acid conditions resulting in the death 
of your pets. Use only clean river sand, one that is not too fine, 
yet not too coarse. Never place the fish in fresh water, it contains too 
much oxygen, also too many chemicals. After aging water for about 
a week, it is much safer than fresh water. A positive prevention against 
disease is to heat the water and let it age for about a week. All danger 
of ich can in this way be eliminated. Never keep the water in any 
kind of metal containers. Green water is caused by excessive sunlight 
or insufficient plant life. Two or three hours of direct sunlight per day 
is not too much. If the aquarium gets green it will clear up if covered 
with brown paper. Also floating plants help keep it clear. If you can 
not provide an eastern or southern exposure get an electric reflector 
and let it burn at least two hours in the evening; it stimulates plant 
growth. Bad smelling water is the result of either too much food or 
the wrong kind. Do not underestimate the value of sufficient plants 
and some scavengers. When cleaning your aquarium try to save as 
much of the old water as possible. Strain it through a towel and use 
it over as it is much safer than too much new water. As a rule one- 
third new water never gives any ill effects even if it has not been 
aged, just so it is tempered properly. Occasionally syphon off the 
dirt on the bottom and replace it with fresh tempered water; this is 
more beneficial than harmful. It is best to keep two aquariums, one 
to use for quarantine purposes of newly purchased fish. Observe them 
for a week before placing them with your valued stock. When you 
get fish via express save all the water in which they come, and add 
old water to same. This will minimize the difference in chemical 
contents of the water. It also is a good precaution to add two drops 
of fungus remedy to the water. Good clear water in an aquarium 
is very essential. It contains more oxygen and creates a better plant 
life. Plants absorb the impurities which create carbonic acid gas and 
throw off oxygen which the fish require. Therefore, a balanced con¬ 
dition can be created by keeping a certain amount of plants and fish 
life in an aquarium, and such an aquarium does not have to be cleaned 
more often than once in six months to one year. Science has made 
aquarium keeping extremely simple. Automatically controlled aquar¬ 
ium heaters are perhaps the greatest benefit ever devised for the 
MANAGEMENT 
tropical aquarium. The proper temperature is from 72 to 80 degrees F. 
Chemical aquarium testing kits will help you determine the exact acid 
or alkaline conditions and the chemicals coming with these kits help 
you to neutralize the water. Unless one intends to go in for breeding, 
scientifically prepared foods usually cover a most complete diet. Medi¬ 
cated aquarium balls will help to prevent acid conditions. Feed as much 
food as the fish will consume in about thirty minutes. Use the dip 
tube to remove excess foods and refuse from the bottom occasionally. 
The glass may be kept clean with fine steel wool; small pieces of 
steel wool which may drop in the water are not injurious, but rather 
beneficial. Air pumps are a great aid for large community tanks. 
Many more fish may be kept in an artificially aereated tank than 
if you only depend on the function of plant life. Glass feeding rings 
are more necessary than most fanciers realize. Flow would you like 
your dinner spread all over the table? Feeding rings help keep the 
aquarium clean. Glass covers are necessary on all heated aquariums, 
they help to retain the heat; many tropicals also like to jump out. 
A few bushy floating plants such as Utricularia minor (Bladderwort) 
or potomogeton densus in which newly born fish may hide prove one 
of the best paying investments. Do not be pennywise and pound 
foolish. Before investing a dime in fish, secure the proper equipment 
to keep them. Too many beginners make the mistake and invest $3.00 
in a cheap tank and heater and seven dollars in fish. If this invest¬ 
ment were reversed, you would profit in the end. Do not try to start 
the fish hobby without first reading a reliable book on this subject. 
Investigate before you invest. 
Patronize Your Local Dealer 
Many dealers carry our supplies, such as foods, aquariums, fish, 
plants, and supplies. If your dealer does not stock them, demand 
them, and he will be only too glad to stock them for you. 
Don’t patronize a dealer who sells cheaper than anyone else. 
Good quality never goes begging and is never cheap. A cheap 20- 
gallon aquarium weighs no more than a good 10-gallon aquarium. You 
only get what you pay for. Don’t patronize a dealer that knocks a 
competitor, because a select product, properly grown, with a view of 
quality, does not require such poor salesmanship. If you have a sur¬ 
plus stock of fish, do not sell them for less than you paid for them. 
Unscrupulous dealers will offer you so little. Rather give them away 
to friends who appreciate them much more. 
OZARK CORAL 
Ozark Coral is of volcanic origin and com¬ 
posed mostly of molten sand and tiff, the 
hollow spaces are filled with ocre, it is the 
removal of this ocre that gives the rock its 
natural and beautiful forms. True lovers of 
nature hesitate to use castles on account of 
being too artificial. Ozark Coral gives the 
desired natural effect in ornamentation. 
4 in. long, 3 in. high, each 
6 in. long, 4 in. high, each 
7 in. long, 4 Zz in. high, each 
9 in. long, 7 in. high, each 
Extra fancy and beautiful formations, 
up to, each 3.00 
Ozark Coral is heavy and prices quoted 
to slight variations. 
MERAMEC SAND FOR AQUARIUMS 
It is very important to use the right kind of sand for the 
bottom of an aquarium. Meramec sand answers this purpose. 
White sand packs too tight and does not allow the roots of 
plants to grow right, on the other hand, if sand is too coarse, 
fish food and refuse collect among same, causing water to 
decompose and getting cloudy. Meramec sand is put up in 
the following size packages: 
Size Each 
10-lb. sack $0.50 
25-lb. sack .75 
50-lb. sack 1.20 
100-lb. sack 2.00 
Prices F. O. B. St. Louis 
We can ship Meramec sand via freight only if freight 
charges are remitted with order, as we cannot make C. O. D. 
charges for freight; however, we can ship Meramec sand via 
Express, Express charges collect. 
Special sizes furnished on request. All sizes quoted are subject 
FISH LICE TABLETS 
A newly discovered remedy that destroys hydra and 
fish lice. Use one tablet for each 8 gallons of water. 
Gambusia affinis, a small fish sold at 50c per pair, can 
also be used to destroy fishlice in outdoor pools, they are 
fond of them and eat them. Price of Tablets, 10c each; per 
dozen 75c; per 100, $5.00. 
Gambusia affinis: A small cold water, live bearing fish, 
also eats fishlice. When placing about 6 pair of them in a 
pool the lice soon disappear. They are hardy same as goldfish. 
Pair $0.50 3 pair $1.00 Dozen $1.50 
Shipping cans 35c extra 
Potassium Permanganate: Destroys algea and clarifies 
green water in aquariums and outdoor pools. Also a good 
remedy for tailrot on goldfish. Complete directions with every 
bottle. 4-oz. bottles $0.35 Postpaid 
Turks Island Salt: A solution of two level tablespoonfuls 
of Turks Island Salt per gallon of water makes a tonic which 
is beneficial to all minor ills. Fish should be left in this bath 
for several days. Per pint ctns., $0.35; Per quart ctns., $0.50. 
are F. O. B. St. Louis. 
