Evening star., 1935-10-01

Aquarium pets offer problems in feed
ing not encountered with other animals.
The water in which they live may d.
solve their food.
This gives rise to a whole chain Of
troubles and diseases, or at least to the
possibilities of them, and it is against
these that the keeper must be eternally
Wgilant.
Feeding of animals which live in air,
or the atmosphere, as we know 1t, is
comparatively easy.
Not much must be considered except
the food and the creatures to eat it.
If any is left over it is removed later.
The difficulty with fishes, as animals
to be fed is that the very element in
which they live and from which they
must, with few exceptions, extract their
vital oxygen is the universal diSsolving
medium.
Any nitrogenous material which will
please the fish appetite probably will
dissolve in the water If too much OF it
is put in the aquarium and If it is in
fine enough form to be readily soluble.
This is not ALL however, by any means.
Water has the power also OF causing
foods in which carbohydrates, or
starches, predominant. to fungus, ap-
pearing covered all over with fine white
hairs.
Many persons who have discovered
these in their fish tanks do not know
what they are, never once realizing that
the round little white balls are bits OF
food undergoing natural processes.
In addition, water is an excellent me-
dium for the creation of small white
worms, tiny creatures not more than
one-sixteenth of an inch, which Nature
brings irto being if a surplus of very
finely powdered foods exists in the
water.
Nature has few more tricks in her
bag. She can produce infusorians in
infinite variety. These are microscopic
creatures which are created merely by
the juXtaposition of vegetable matter in
water. A few wisps Of hay placed in
jar of water will bring into existence
thousands upon thousands of these
forms of animal life, properly called
protozoa. 1t is no wonder that the an
clients talked about spontaneous genera
ton. 1t seemed spontaneous enough to
them. and who can blame them?
Even today the infinite variety of life
forms which come into existence in water
are as mysterious as ever. Many of
them are dried and blown about by the
wind. Some enter an aquarium in water
used to replace that which has evap-
grated.
Minute forms of plant life. too. come
into existence in fish tanks under the
influence of strong light and plenty of
protein food in pulverized form.
Bacteria of various sorts work cease
lessly.
1t may be realized. therefore, that
water in q comparatively limited eXpanse
is veritable soup. no matter how clear
it may appear to the famous naked eye.
1t must hold the microscopic scufhngs
from the stems and leaves Of the plants,
as we'll as the various excretia of the
animals and the snails, if any of the
latter are present.
The wonder then it not that the fish
tank often or occasionally goes bad, but
that it is ever good.
Yet any one who has visited the home
of a tropical fish enthusiast knows that
small aquarium may be as crystal
clear as plate glass.
How is it done?
BY adilerance to good tank manage
ment. as worked out by endless expert
mentation, common sense and close OBJ
servation, in cooperation with Natures
laws.
Everybody talks about her laws, but
very few ever get down close enough
to observe them in operation.
That is one of the finest features of
keeping fishes in an aquarium, that life