Evening star., 1933-11-08
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

cover on the aquarium at all times
except when feeding. With some fishes,
such as the Copeina guttata, the lid
must be slapped back on as soon as
food is placed on the water, else they
will leap out in their effort to get at
the dinner.
The glass lid, always a mystery to
those acquainted with goldflshes only,
not only prevents the fishes from leap
ing out, but keeps the water heat in,
where it is wanted, and the dust out.
Tropical fishes need very little oxygen,
compared with the trusty goldfish. Ex-
pertS declare that there is always
enough in the air between water sur
face and lid to supply them, along with
what is in the water itself, as supplied
by growing plants.
No one need fear, therefore, to use a
lid which fits down tightly. If one
feels doubtful, however, it is possible
TO raise the lid on small pads at the
four corners, perhaps as much as an
eighth of an inch. This makes the
| average owner feel better, even If il
has no particular effect on the fishes!
*k*
Another way exotic pets die in the
aquarium by accident is that of fighting
1LG uuHdIy dlIldlGuI WIlO 1ldppcIlS "
buy two Siamese fighting fishes, or
Bettas, Of the male persuasion, will lose
one of them, in all likelihood
Larger fishes, such as full-grown
specimens Of the king of the aquarium
the so-called Angel fish, or Scalare,
will sometimes bite off the heads of
smaller fish if put upon too sparse ra-
tionS.
A local fancier recently cleaned out
a tank, after it had been running sue
cessfully for year, and decided to &C
easy on feeding the inmates for time
In order to permit the water to estab-
liSh itself.
His Angel fish, however, did not think
much of this restriction, and the largest
one promptly proceeded to show its
d1sapproval by swapping of the head
| OF a full-grown Zebra fish, which ii
devoured with great relish. Ordinarily
these fishes are peaceful enough.
If there Is such a thing as accidental
death in the aquarium from feeding toe
little, surely there Is from feeding toe
much, although it is not always classi-
fed under that heading.
Too much food Is a real risk, as every
one knows, but it seldom manifests it
self in the way depicted in the popular
story about goldf1shes, that they have
been known to eat so much that they
! burst"
Too much food, however, sometimes
results In dropsy, which gives the fish
the appearance of being about to burst
It results in other ways which turn
out in the end to seem accidents. Prob
ably the Zebra fish mentioned above
| had become run down through too
much food and fell an easy victim to
the hungry Angel in its reversion to
| the wild for a second.
Too much cold, too, must be regarded
| as another accidental way for death
reaching the small aquarium. Nc
| keeper of small fishes intends them to
disappear by the cold route, but unless
one Is extremely careful, a small drop
in temperature may end their existence
There are plenty of tall tales" about
tropical fishes being kept in cold water
but one seldom hears the sequel, that
| they died some time later from the
so-called 'ich," brought about by the
| cold. Proper aquatic management will
ubviate most accidental deaths, but the
| amateur should never forget that his
small charges are children Of Nature,
| and are subject to the provisions OF
Nature. II the great Shedd Aquarium,
with Its latest equipment, finds 1e
months the average life of its inmates
the amateur aquariSt must not expect
that his fishes will find fountain OF
perpetual youth in small home tank