June, i p i 6 
43 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
In contrast to the variegated yellowish white and jet black of 
her mate, the female Gambusia is of a modest olive green color 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
A good specimen of the male Veil-tail goldfish. Note the short, 
stocky body and highly developed fins. He would cost about $40 
phyllum ), Fa n w o rt 
(Cabomba aquatica ), 
common arrowhead 
(Sagittaria natans ), 
mud-plant (H ether an- 
them reniformis ) and 
Elodea densa are five 
of the very best and 
most ornamental 
plants for the aqua¬ 
rium. They are all 
rapid growers, and it 
is therefore advisable 
not to plant too dense¬ 
ly in the beginning. 
From three to six 
healthy stems should 
be fastened together 
with a strip of tinfoil 
and the whole tied 
loosely to a small stone or piece of crockery 
and planted in the gravel. Ample room 
should be given for development, and it is 
well not to plant within 2" of the sides of 
the aquarium, so that there will be room 
to clean the glass without disturbing the 
plants. 
When all the plants have been put in 
place, fill the aquarium with water very 
carefully so as not to disturb the bottom. 
This is best done by putting some small ves¬ 
sel, such as a cup or tumbler, in the aqua¬ 
rium. The water is then poured direct into 
this smaller vessel from which 
it flows gently over the edge. 
Fill to within about 2" of the 
top. 
The water used must not be 
too hard, or in other words must 
not contain much lime, iron or 
sulphur. Rain or river water or 
the ordinary soft drinking water 
as it runs from household fau¬ 
cets may be used, but well water 
is not suitable. 
When water and plants are in, 
it is a good plan to allow the 
aquarium to rest for a few days 
to give the plants a chance to 
root and to make some oxygen 
before stocking it with fish. 
This process of oxygen mak¬ 
ing is most interesting and if one 
watches when the sun shines 
through the glass walls he will 
see the small silver-like beads on 
the plants which are glob¬ 
ules of pure oxygen. 
Selecting the Fish 
The selection of fish for 
the aquarium must be 
largely a matter of indi¬ 
vidual taste, as there are 
some hundreds of suitable 
varieties, ranging from the 
common pond fish, such as 
perch, dace and shiner, to 
the gorgeous hued Para¬ 
dise fish and the marvelous 
developments of artificial 
breeding, the Comet-tail, 
the Celestial-telescope and 
the Japanese Fringe-tail 
goldfish. 
It is, however, a good 
plan for beginners to confine themselves to 
common goldfish of small size as being ex¬ 
tremely hardy; these will stand for much 
experimenting and are not costly to replace 
in the event of non-success. 
Care must he taken to avoid any over¬ 
crowding with its consequent danger to the 
fish, due to lack of sufficient oxygen. 
It will occasionally happen, especially be¬ 
fore the plants have firmly rooted, that the 
oxygen in the aquarium will become some¬ 
what exhausted, a condition which will be 
indicated at once by the fish constantly com¬ 
ing to the surface and 
trying to breathe the 
overhead atmosphere. 
This may be relieved 
by opening the win¬ 
dow and letting some 
fresh air blow over 
the surface, and then 
adding a few cupfuls 
of fresh water, pour¬ 
ing it from a height 
of about a foot or so. 
This will aerate the 
exhausted water 
enough to relieve con¬ 
ditions, which may be 
the result of not air¬ 
ing the room enough. 
A few fresh-water 
snails will be found 
useful, as they feed on the algae, of which 
every aquarium tends to produce much 
more than is desirable. There are two or 
three suitable varieties of these interesting 
molluscs, all of which thrive well, and even 
increase, in the aquarium. 
Some Other Accesories 
Water newts and other small amphibians 
can also be kept with advantage, and de¬ 
spite a popular belief to the contrary, will 
live in perfect peace and harmony with 
their fellow captives. Their reptile-like 
forms give them a strange fas¬ 
cination for most people, and 
whether resting lazily on the 
vegetation that floats on the sur¬ 
face, or lurking in strangely con¬ 
torted attitudes on the gravelly 
bottom, they are always among 
the first of the inmates to attract 
attention. 
The tadpole in the aquarium 
affords an opportunity to study 
at close range the wonderful 
process of frog development 
from perfect fish to lung breath¬ 
ing animal, and no study can be 
more instructive and entertain¬ 
ing. It is possible to take the 
spawn as it is found in the ponds 
and watch it hatch out into little 
wriggling tadpoles, just head 
and tail, pass from that into the 
more fish-like state, until finally 
the perfect frog developes. 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade 
The male Paradise fish, reddish brown with bluish stripes and 
fins, is a popular variety. This shows him about natural size 
Among the good aqua¬ 
rium plants is fanwort 
—Cabomba aquatica 
Elodea densa is differ¬ 
ent in form but no less 
desirable to use 
