The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-08-22
SALT BATHS FOR FISH.
Sickly Black Bass Cnder Treatment at the
Castle Garden Aquarium.


Castle Garden Aquarium.
A dozen small-mouthed black bass
were recently received at the New
York aquarium at Castle Garden. They
were handsome fish, ranging from
eight to fourteen inches in length and
from three-quarters of pound to two
pounds in weight. They were divided
between two tanks to give them plenty
of room. Soon one of the larger bass
developed tendency to bully the
smaller fish in its tank, chasing them
about and biting at them if they didn't
get out of its way. The smaller fish
were therefore removed to another
tank. One of them turned out to be
fighter, and it was put back into one
of the tanks of larger bass. This ex-
perience shows one of the difficulties
encountered in keeping black bass in
an aquarium While it may be over
bearing among its kind it is neverthe-
less shy, sensitive and easily fright
ened, and, naturally very active, it is
a fish to which captivity is extremely
irksome. 1t is difficult to give ito in
captivity the variety of food to which
it has been accustomed and the exer-
else which it needs, and which in its
native element it would get in its
search for food. Under such conditions
it is especially liable to disease. 1t is
often attacked by infusoria, minnie
parasitic animals which get into the
skin of the bass and cause inhamma-
ton. Fungus also generally attacks
fish that have been injured in some
way. though it may attack sound and
healthy fish as we'll 1t grows from a
spore which floats in the water, set
ties upon the fish, and then grows rap
idly. 1t may throw out filaments or
threads or it may grow in tufts. 1T is
generally short, fine, cottony mass.
Some of the bass at the aquarium
had infusoria when they were received,
and several had fungus on the dorsal
fin. After week or so they all devel-
opcd infusoria to a greater or less ex-
tent. All were therefore subjected to
salt water treatment, the recognized
cure in such cases. The bass are in
tanks in which a constant circulation
is maintained. When the treatment is
given the flow of fresh water from the
regular intake is cut of entirely and
the flow of salt water is started. Salt
and fresh water being of different
densities and not mixing readily, the
gradually expanding body of inhowing
salt water is for some minutes
easily discernible, as though it
were fine smooth oil. 1t appears
slightly darker in color than the
surrounding body of fresh water,
though a tank of undiluted salt water
would be made whittier than a similar
tank of fresh water. All the time
stream of fresh water is kept flowing
into the tank at the top from hose
raised a few inches above the surface.
The water is thus aerated, and it helps
slightly to aerate the waters of the
tank. The inflow of salt water is con-
tinued for about an hour and half.
At the rate at which. it flows in this is
sufficient to make the water about
half salt The water is more salty at
the bottom than at the top When the
salt water is cut off the fresls~water
intake is reopened, and the tank then
returns to it's ordinary condition of
circulating tank. The fresh water in
take is twice as large as the salt water,
and, lin from half to three-quarters of an
hour the water in the tank is again
practically fresh, The salt water
treatment is given usually every other
day.
The bass that are taking the salt
water treatment show no aversion to
the salt water, though they are fresh
water fish. They swim slowly and
easily through it, often close to the
hose that supplies it, as though they
We're letting the salty bath wash their
backs. One or two of the bass have
had inflammation of the gills These
open their gills in the healing water as
though they realized the benefits to be
derived from it. AS the water becomes
more salty below the bass are likely to
seek the top, where it is fresher. They
are also influenced in this doubtless by
the incoming there of the little aerat-
ing stream.
The saltwater treatment has proved
beneficial. The day after taking their
first salt bath the bass having fungus
looked cleaner and brighter; they were
more active, and they showed more in
clination to rub themselves against the
gravel to remove foreign substances in
that manner. One bass that had fun
gus is now entirely free from it. There
are now upon the bass fewer marks of
the infusoria, and from one the affec-
ton has wholly disappeared. The fish
are lively and their general condition
has improved.-N. Y. Sun.