Evening star., 1933-06-17
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

them comrades, not rivals, in Q most
royal sport. Out Of their popular in
terest will come the scientists Of the
future.
Now that Summer is here many
amateur fish fans Of Washington are
wondering If there Is any different ne
cessity for successful aquarium man
agement at this time of the year.
The answer is: No, the old rules
still hold good. The floating ther-
mometer must be handy, as always, In
order to take care Of the days and
nights when sudden changes threaten to
lower aquarium temperatures. We no
longer need artificial heating except oc-
casionally, as when the weather turns
unseasonably cold, as it did a few days
ago. At such times, watch must be kept
50 that the water at no time goes below
70 degrees, but q minimum of "a, in our
opinion, Is better. Too high Is not as
dangerous as too low.
Some amateurs have read that
thunderstorms may damage the in
mates Of certain tanks. A we'll known
Georgetown breeder was consulted
about this, and he says that there is
nothing to it: 1t is an old, exploded
notion, he said Glass covers may be
Summer management is much the
same as at any other time of the year
the practices for success in aquarium
keeping do not change, but are always
the same. A variety of foods, not just
one food, no matter how good; plenty
Of light; good plant growth; cleanli-
ness: plenty Of free oxygen in the wa
ter, no matter how secured; attention
to signs of possible inimical tank con-
ditions-these are a few of the requi-
sites, now as always.
x x \
Those who are thinking of taking the
initial plunge into tropicals should
know that this is one of the very best
times of the year, because the purchaser
need not worry about getting his new
pets home. There is no problem In
keeping them warm in transit. The
weather attends to that for him. At
home no difficulty is met in keeping
Nature handles that, too.
Thus the newcomer is saved one OF
the great perplexities Of amateurs. He
does not have to bother much with won
dering whether his water Is at the right
temperature"
He should begin, however, by setting
up his tank first, not getting fishes
There is always plenty Of time for them
but it is difficult to make the newcomer
realize this. II you become interested
In tropicals, study them carefully, slowly
day by day, until you become somewhat
familiar with them.
In the meantime, get the home aqua
rum set up, with some two inches Of
sand, properly planted, and filled with
water. Then let it stand SO for at least
a week before putting any fishes into it.
and then only a pair, waiting several
days before introducing others. The
reason for this is we'll known to the
experienced aquarist, but the newcomer
must learn from experience, II he VIII
not listen. A new tank builds up Ger
tain bacteria. which must clean up the
water and then disappear through lack
Of the right bacteria foods. If fishes are
put in, together with foods for the pets
the two furnish the bacteria with ade-
quate sustenance for their unwanted
continuance. Cloudy water thus re-
suits, often filled with white specks.
Reports come In Of local enthusiasts
who moved their tropicals from indoor
aquaria to outdoor pools last month
and whose fishes have suffered no harm
because Of drops Of temperature down
into the upper 40s, owing to the more
natural conditions prevailing. This
should lure no one into feeling that
the matter of temperature is negligent
in Summer; indoor tanks must be kept
up to the mark at all times. Water
at rs degrees Fahrenheit Is not very
warm, after all; to the human hand, 1t
feels distinctly cool Right food, right
temperature, and right water; keep
these and you will keep your fishes.