Evening star., 1934-05-25

Home aquarium enthusiasts during
the past two years have tended tc
frown upon the humble snail, in any
OF its varieties, as an inmate Of the
tropical fish tank.
Its ability as a scavenger, they say
has been vastly overrated. Some
varieties eat plants and all like the
spawn of the egg-laying fishes.
The snail is slow worker, there
Is nothing dramatic about it, as an
adornment of the small aquarium
but perhaps more can be said fol
1t than Is commonly said.
The truth is that it is a useful
addition to any tank, If properly en-
ployed. The fact that this statement
is made by one who has repeatedly
voiced a warning against them per-
haps makes it all the more worth
needing.
One fine thing about the aquarium
hobby is that something is always
coming up to teach an enthusiast
that he does not know it all-yet.
Every one who takes up this avoca-
ton comes, and sometimes very
shortly, to very decided opinions In
connection with every feature of it.
He knows it all-or thinks he does
which is perhaps the same thing
more or less.
The value or non-value Of the
various scavengers, for instance
every aquatic fan" in time comes tc
have a decided opinion about these
Small tropical catf1shes, weather
fishes, snails-these are the usual
ones, but even the so-called fairy
shrimp has it's stanch advocates.
Everything and anything. in fact
which will help relieve the aquarist
of some portion of tank care.
1t is quite "the thing" in the writ
ings concerning this hobby, to make
out that an aquarium is really nc
trouble at all, that just few min
utes day, including the time devoted
to feeding. are all that are required
to maintain perfect miniature
ocean.
1t is a pretty picture. and partly
u WILL cOlllC OdL AlOl NlIAi
all, and no provision has been made
in it for the hundred and one things
which come up," from time to time
to confound the most experienced
lover of the water world.
If plants grow, as they should
they will soon outgrow a tank, and
then some of the best of them must
be taken out, cut off and their tips
reset. In fact, the best grower Of all
anachariS, the best suited to the
amateur, requires constant resetting
The idea of the scavenger is to
keep the tank clean. That is what
he is kept for, even in the case OF
the small tropical cat. which. in any
of its varieties, is an interesting fish
in it's own right.
But the catfish kicks up the mulm,
or bottom sediment, something
awful; the weather fish, a small
eel-like creature. is, generally speak
ing, a disturbing element in an
aquarium, to say nothing of the fact
that it soon comes to be exceedingly
fond of fish food
This leaves the snail.
The best of these, for the purpose.
are Planorbis corneus, variety rubrum,
and the Physa. or pond snail.
The red snail, as it is commonly
called, often enough is not red at
all, but brown, or even black. Even
when they are red, they will not stay
red.
Red. black or brown, they are good
scavengers, but one must not expect
miracles of them They cannot do
the impossible; even the possible they
accomplish very slowly.
The red fellow is the present popular
favorite. He will do two things-he
will keep the water clear, and the
floor of the aquarium clean.
His first grand reason for being, as