St. Landry democrat., 1884-10-18

why the fish have been lying around
out of water for several hours and are
either dead or dying"
us there any danger of their starving
to death? Do you feed them, or do
they catch flies for a living?"
.'They must be fed some and the
water changed, as we do up here-ev-'
cry other day if the can or globe is
small; once week for tank. "
what do you feed them on-cracker
crumbs?"
No." replied the fish fancier," for,
unless the water is changed every day;
the flour will begin to ferment and
make the water sour. That the fish
can't stand. There comes special
food for them. made principally of rice
and-but of course you can't expect me
to give it away, you know. But this is
what it looks like, y opening box and
displaying a pile of thin wafer-like
sheets, white and about two inches
square. s.See how they go for it, :
crumbling a sheet of it over the tank,
and instantly every fish was at the sur
face greedily swallowing every fragment
within reach.
'DO Cney ever nght!
''Not a great deal, though sometimes
when new fish is put into the tank the
others set upon him, lash him with their
fins. chase him around, bite him and
finally kill him. But there is another
thing in regard to what goldfish eat.
They are very fond Of the fungus which
forms on the side of the tank and on
the shells and stones in an aquarium.
Ladies make great mistake in always
cleaning out their globes, polishing
them until they are as clear as crystal.
They do not give the fungus chance to
grow"
care goldfish long-livedP" was next
asked.
THAT depends upon several condi-
tions, such as the care and food they
get; but all being favorable. they will
live a long time. There is man oppo-
site who has had the same fish for seven
years; keeps them in small globe, too,
and they are as lively as when he first
got them.
"a most unsatisfactory kind of pet, ]
should imagine, said the reporter, who
had been watching the proprietor idly
dabbling his hand in the water, unno-
ticed by the fish. do you believe they
can be tamed?"
The storekeeper shook his head.
''Some people think" said he, that
when they stick finger in the water and
the fish come up and nibble at it, it's
sign they recognize their owner, but
that's all bosh. in my opinion. No mat
ter how long they live they're the same.
Ill tell you though when they do die
off, and that's when it rains. y
when it rainsPn repeated the puz
zled reporter.
Eyes, for after q heavy shower lime
is used to settle the water in the reser7
voir, and unless we filter the water very
carefully the lime in solution kills the
fish.
Gould the fish be raised in this coxa4-
try?" was the next query.
Eyes, why not? There's ChinamaD
above here who is breeding from several
pairs, one pair of which are each ten
inches long and for which he asks thirty
dollars, rather more, you see, than cur
price of twenty-five or fifty cents
apiece. !"
has ne a compIcated apparatus 10r
breeding purposes?'
mo, merely tank of water foored
with stones, and in it considerable of
such grass as this, pointing to spiked
variety of a fresh-water grass in his
aquarium. ''The spawn is scattered on
the stones and among the grass. He's
making the thing pay, too. San
FTn11ciScO Chronicle