The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-08-04
SICK FISH.


the best known goldfish emporiums in
the city, land mother wants you to
come and see it right away"
The fish-dealer smiled 1T the girl 5
excitement.
What seems to be the matter with
it?" he asked.
"It's sick. It won't eat anything.
and it is turning white. and won't
swim around any more"
''All right; / will be there presently. !"
and the little girl. apparently satisfied,
took her departure.
SIS doctoring fishes part of your
regular busineSS?" asked the surprised
enquirer.
.'Yes, indeed. In fact, l might say
that / have a goldfish hospital here at
my place of business just now. All of
/ those tanks on the south side of the
room contain sick fishes. The gold
/ fish is naturally hardy animal-much
more apt to live for years in aquaria
! than the common pond varieties, be-
cause life in captivity has become sec
! ond nature with the race. But people
will not give their goldfish half q
! chance. They feed them too mRch.
/ Every case of disease in the tanks is
/ directly traceable TO overlooking. But
| do not misunderstood me, please; the
! fish do not eat too much, they are
merely given too much to eat"
That seems to be distinction with
out difference"
Not at all. Unlike human being.
goldfish will not eat more than is
good for it, and when too much food is
placed in the tank it putrifies. tainting
the water, and very often breeding
parasites, which fasten upon the fish
and eventually kill it. One meal day
is enough for goldfish. 1t should con-
sist of flies or prepared tish-foOd, and
no more should be put into the aqua
rum then will be it once eaten up.
"A good idea is to keep two or three
tadpoles and snails in the tank. and If
the owner should chance 70 provide
fiv or two more than the fish will eat
they will take care of it. They are first
class scavengers, and you may make
note of the fact that the parlOr aquar-
ium which does not contain tadpoles
or snails is sure, sooner or later. 70
need a visit from the tiSh-dOctor.
Now, let me show you fish suffering
with consumption"
At the extreme right of the row of
hospital tanks was one mounted on an
| iron frame, and containing about two
gallons of water. 1t contained
single fish, which was resting near the
bottom of the tank. with its head held
much lower than its tail. To an I'M
practiced eye it was evidently very
sick fish. Its body, instead of being
plump and of an even contour. was a
emaciated as dried herring and the rich
vermiliion color OF the average gold
fish had faded into a sickly pink. Its
fins were half drawn in toward the
fish's body, and seemed to be glued in
to fixed position by gummy, Shiny
substance which covered them.
DO you see it cough?" asked the
| fish dealer.
"No."
'Well, watch it closely for minute
or two, and YOU will see what mean"
The fish began moving about slowly
and feebly. occasionally stopping to
brush it's gills against the stalk of a
plant growing in the water, as though
endeavoring TO brush away some OBJ
struction. At these pauses a cOnvul-
sion sometimes shook the fish from
head to tail. and this the dealer de-
clared to be occasioned BY a cough.
There is no cure for that fish," he
said. Il keep it here more as a warn
ing to my customers than anything
else. After telling them plainly just
how much food and fresh water to give
their fish, / bring them back here and
let them see the effects of disregarding
what l say. Impure water affects the
creatures gills first. The gills. you
know, are the fish's lungs, and, while
disease of the gills is not always con-
sumption, it is always fatal unless
checked.
sin the next tank we have n couple
of common goldfish in the first stages
of asphyxia, which is perhaps the most
common form of disease, and one most
easily treated if taken in time. But
most people are so obtuse that they
have no idea their fish is sick until the
case Is 100 Tar gone Tor cure; anu even
if they do discover the illness in time
and call me in they fail to follow my
directions to the letter. and in conse-
Quence the fish dies. 1t was on account
of this last fact that l originated nv
goldfish hospital. Now when / am
called to a sick fish, instead of pre-
scribing for it, if the case is durable,
Immediately dip it out of the aquari.
um, place it in my bucket and carry il
here to the hospital. where it receive:
what it needs, which is plenty of pure
water and sunlight.
1.-The pair in this tank came to me
yesterday. The only evidence of dis
ease was the fact that they were losing
color and appetite. The trouble was
brought on BY sudden change in tenn
perature in the water of the aquarium
in which they lived. The only thing to