The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-21
FEEDING IN AQUIRIUMs.


Al fishes, including even the dullest and com-
monesi, are likely TO be shy when first brought
into captivity, as in aquariurns, and they are
very ap, nj .lrst to refuse food. Sometimes fish
refuse Professionally week after week, taking none
at all, and growing thinner and thinner and
weaker, until finally they die. Usually, however,
the fishes. with proper care, come TO feed, though
many of them may need TO be pampered and
nurscd along at first. Finally many of the
fishes, as they become accustomed to captivity,
get very tama, SO that they will take food from
The hand. Some of the fishes that will do this
are fishes that might not bu thought of as feed
ing in this manner. The goldfish, for instance.
Will come to the surface after IL has become used
10 captivity and take a strip of fish held down to
it in tho fingers, AZ the same time gulping in
with II n"lsii! Il Srcat mouthiu! OF air and water.
While there is AT first necessary for their wei,
fare not only he greatest care, but such food
only AS they have been accustomed 10 in nature,
or AS they lkr best, il is in most cases possible
later 10 switch the fishes of 10 other things, with
occasional return % their natural food. some
fishes, however, will sat only live :ood. and this
must always I've provided Tor them. Not infre-
qucntly the food. Whatever IL may he, must he
ted ia some special way, TO meet The require
methods employed are curious and interesting.
Fishes IN captivity have fewer opportunities.
oftencr they have none whatever. OF lying IN
ambush for their prey, and they have far less
room for sweep and action in pursuit. Killies
placed in a pool or tank as food Ior, larger, fishes
cvadc pursuit il they can. and seek the edges Of
the water, by the walls, or the surface. whittier
they are less likely TO be followed. Killies will
datnpcnnd moss or scawced. When first put back
into the water they are sluggish IN movement,
but they soon rcyover their natural activity.
In feeding live killies il is not unusual 10
keep them ont Of water for a time so
that they may be more easily captured by the
wise bc unable ia capture them al all, or which
might yet them only At the risk of doing injury
10 themselves by running into the walls of the
tank. Sometimes among the fishes brought 10
an aquarium !heEo may be one that. has lost an
eye. such a iish is particularly liable TO ipIury;
side; AM! to such fishes there are always fed
slow kiliics, end they are put into the water on
the side On which the fish can see.
There is al the Aquarium a hawksbill turtle
from The aYowl Islands. off the coast of New
Guinen; The hawksbill eats CLANS cut up into
pieces that ii can handle. II likes killics, but it
could moi begin To catch q live liillio in the quar-
tiers which il occupies. and at first i vas Aim,
were fed 10 il on The point Of a stick. II is
doubtful whether fishes suffer pain from any in
jury. but ii would have seemed like cruelty to
SesS killed by the very. simple but Z;
tIG the tiSor. "'T Ths greater Si 'H WEIGHT of 'H fSe fish Spp Is
towarH The head; that end naturally reaches the
floor ;.c.t. The Ash IS most sensitive at the nose.
The shock Killed the killie, and the freshly killed
food was then conveyed Iothc hawksbills mouth
when The turtle had set its beak in the food. Now
The hawkstill has become more accustomed TO
its quarters, and II eats well and is able to pick
up the killed kll!ics ont OF the water.
Sometimes nsh is cut up into strips, which,
floating Gown through the water, may be mis-
taken for live fish. Sometimes such strips are
carried down intoa tank upon the tip OF a rod
and moved about in tho water TO attract slow
feeding fish by their semblance TO live small fish.
There are many fishes that can swallow a fish us
big or nearly n big ms themselves: The sculpin
and the sea raven arc such fishes; They have very
lurge heads and proIortiOuutely large mouths.
When they are feeling well they will, like many
other lishcs,rIsr TO the top TO get the food AS soon
rs II is dropped into the water. Ii one sees a sea
raven or u sculpin rising straight up through the
water in this manner. with It's big mouth wide
| open, he can begin TO understand how it could
swallow Il fish ms big as itself, for it seems as
ii one could see inside of It clear TO its tail.
There are some iishes that have IA particular
fancy Tor worms. For these, II there is not a
supply al hand. fresh beef is cut into strips re-
seInbling worms.