Evening star., 1934-09-14

The proper feeding OF small aqua
rum, fishes In the home is still .
problem. and much scientific and
practical research must be done be-
fore It can be settled. To throw IN
. little dry food every day and forget
about II IL not to settle 1t at AL, despite
the fact that the fishes may seem
10 be getting along very well.
Swimming bladder disease, dropsy
and other ailments are plainly caused
by improper diet, but there are many
more piscatorial diseases which re-
suit from the failure Of the aquarist
to feed his charges properly.
It Il necessary to keep the same
fishes for at least year before one
realizes Just what right food may
mean to . fish. just - 1t does to q
human being.
Food deficiencies and food def
cheney diseases are not easily traced
to their source. They take so long
to come into being, Is result Of
foods lacking in vital elements, that
the average person is utterly unable
to put two and two together"
\ H< 4
There are two basic types of food
being fed aquarium fishes today.
One Is live food. the other is dry
food.
It Il significant that breeders who
depend for their living upon produc-
ing every year plenty Of small exotic
fishes, and keeping these in fine trim
until sold, invariably use live food.
One of the country's most success
full breeders Of Scalare, or angel fish,
as they are popularity called, gets up
every morning at dawn and goes to
nearby pools to collect daphnia, or
water fleas.
He does this eight months of the
year, when such material Is to be
gathered. Each day what he does not
feed to his fishes or sell to others to
feed to fishes is thrown down the
sewer. It must be fresh.
He says, and he says rightly, that
few persons will 60 to this trouble.
Hence the vogue for dried foods.
These, If fed in some variety, will do
. very good job Of keeping aquarium
fishes In health, but it Is the expert
ence Of many that no such foods or
combination Of them will keep aqua
rum fishes in complete health more
than certain length Of time.
r Il 4
just what this length Of time is no
one can say. Here one deals with
life, notoriously hard to define in set
terms.
Two creatures may look exactly
alike, and be swimming around brisk
", but one win be dead in q month,
and the other will live for two years
longer.
The convenience Of dried foods
makes them popular with aquarists
Of al types. They have their draw
backs. however, just a. the live foods
have.
It Is q common belief among ANA
teur fish culturists that q varied diet
Of dry foods, with supplemental feed
ings Of some sort Of live food at least
twice . week, viii keep their fishes
In as good health % possible.
Food, after al, u only one factor
In . successful life, either in air or
water.
There are seven main sources of
live food which are practical for feed
ing fishes In the home. They are:
Enchytrae. or white worms; small
earth worms; daphnia; mosquito lar
vac: blood worms':: brine shrimp;
very small fishes.
The use Of mosquito larvae in the
home Is not very practical, for such
larvae - may, not be consumed are
very likely to turn into full l-nedged
mosquitoes. So 1t may be realized
that Thousands Of aquarists, who
may admit the value OF them Is fish
food, nevertheless are not at all will
ing to take them into their homes.
And who can blame them?
= 4 = y
Enchytrae, or white worms, are
easily maintained in humus, and are