Evening star., 1933-11-03
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

pleasant fragrance Of growing plants,
that delightful scent which nature dis
tills in the woods and streams, IN the
fields and gardens Of the world.
II some Of this water is raised In q
white cup 1t will be found to be clear
and practically colorless. with a slight
on, a sort of amber which appears to
advantage against the green wall Of
algae which gathers on the insides Of
the tank If there is sufficient light. espe-
cially enough sunlight.
Despite the vast amount of writing
about home aquaria, the average writ
Ing still gives the reader. especially the
The truth is that no aquarium Is
right unless it builds up this delightful
inner gleenneSS, which serves both as
food to certain fishes and as back
ground. It is, above all, perfectly nat
healthy natural things are
The amateur aQuar1St may be sure
that he will have some sort of algae,
the question Is merely which sort he
will have, and whether he can keep it
under control. Strong light, and espe-
good green type.
No matter how finely balanced an
come q time in its life when that
balance is destroyed, when the life
processes become too much for the life
processes, although there may be few
evidences Of it.
When this point Is reached. however,
the owner should take immediate steps
to change the water, record or no rec
ord. Fortunately Washington and
nearby suburbs possess fine water in
every respect, as good for fishes as for
human beings.
1t is not often that one in this vicin-
ity will have to fear replacing old water
with fresh, so long as he takes the es-
sential precaution to see that the new
water is exactly the same temperature
as the old.
Stubborn retention of old water.
after it has begun to go backward, is
the worst sort Of foolishness, in pis-
catorial sense.
Especially should attention be given
at this season to the aquarium which
went through the Summer with flying
colors, and now stands as triumph of
which the owner Is properly proud.
He should beware!
Most home aquaria, with particular
reference to those in which tropical
fishes are kept, are very much over
crowded. The temptation to keep as
many fishes as possible in given body
of water is one which the average hob
byist seems unable to resist.
The tank which has come through
the hot months without loss of a fish
Is perhaps in a worse condition than
there IS any visible sign Of The water
may be clear, but close inspection will
reveal, in all probability, that the tinge
has deepened, and there may be a slight
odor as Of camphor.
Signs to watch out for are the death
Of two fishes and a certain Thickness
Of eating. If one fish dies in an aqua
rum 1t may mean nothing except that
fishes, as men, suffer illness and NOR
tality. But if two die within a few
weeks one should become suspicious,
especially after a tank has run for to
IL months. A sudden change in eating
habits, particularly lack Of appetite
on the part of fishes which have been
eating heartily. Is a very sure sign of
old water which has become bad water.
Do not hesitate to clean the whole thing
out and put the old fishes in fresh
water, new water, as the aquarist calls
1t. II the aquarist Is one who feels that
sure death Is the fate of his fishes
when so changed he will be amazed at
the increased appetite Of his charges
and their evident enjoyment Of the new
water, provided he has used the ther-
mometer as he should.