Evening star., 1933-02-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRACEWELL.

The need for sunshine on and In the
home aquarium, as advocated in this
| column recently, is based not alone or
the necessity for plenty Of oxygen, even
for tropical fishes
There are several other good reasons
why nothing in the management of the
amateur fish tank is more essential than
plenty Of sunlight.
Sun makes plants grow, and these in
turn give forth the life-giving gas
needed by all breathing creatures, but
that is not all it does.
In the first place, sunshine directly
applied to the very body Of the finny
animal increases its spirits, its very zest
for living.
This happy effect it shares with the
human family, whose addiction to the
open air Of the seashore is testimo-
nial to the happiness and pleasure tc
be derived from exposure of the body
to the effects of sunshine.
There is no more reason to deny the
tiny prisoners of the aquarium this
benefit than to deprive human beings
of it.
In either case there is distinct loss
Something has been made of the idea
that fishes, in Nature, do not live in
| glass houses, as it were, and that the
sunlight in their native haunts has no
chance of penetrating the waters in
which they live, at least in such strength
| as through a tank or 10 inches in
width.
Some persons even have gone to the
extent of advocating a complete cover
age of the back and sides of the home
aquarium with opaque paper, usually OF
green shade, with only the front wall
left free for looking purposes.
This, we are solemnly assured, is "du-
plicating Nature"
IT one will look at a modern aqua
| rum, however, one will see at once that
in sense, it is not very natural, after
all, in that 1t is but a segment Of Ma
ture, lacking the vitality Of the outdoors
and the movement of native places.
Even the best balanced aquarium is a
body Of practically non-moving water,
condition which is seldom found in
| Nature, especially in the places where
most of the so-called "tropicals" thrive
This fact alone takes the aquarium
completely out of the class of natural
objects, at least in so far as whether
sunshine is beneficial or not.
If home tank were natural" and
completely so, some such arrangement
as hooded sides and back might be de-
sirable, but since it is only an imita-
tion Of nature, even If a very charm
Ing and successful one, it requires actual
sunshine to keep it in good condition
Just strong light" won't do, at least
not as well, according to our observa-
tions, extended over some 10 months.
Strong light Is better than dull light
but 1t cannot take the place of the
actual rays of the sun itself, penetrat-
ing and flooding everything with which
they come in touch.
What human being would be content
to lie all the time under big umbrella
at the beach, when he might bake him
self in the sunshine?
The fact that the sunshine "fad," as
some call 1t, may be abused, is nothing
against it.
Perhaps the first effect (even before
burning) is certain elation of the
spirits. Every one who has ever been
on beach is familiar with this phe-
nomenon.
1t is all very well to explain" it with
| large words about "vitamin," and so on
but behind all that there is the effect
and this is mixture of things physical
and psychic, there can be little doubt
Of it.
Metabolism Is increased. This is
another of the secondary effects upon
aquarium fishes. This means that the
life processes of the inmates function
better, with increased vigor, and espe-
cially with zest.
No one who has watched beautiful
aquarium containing really contentec
| fishes would attempt to deny that these