Evening star., 1935-07-26

the old fetch Of the tropical fish en-
thusiast, "old water" must be disre-
garded.
Many old-time keepers saved every
bit OF water. filtered 1t. put 1t back In
the tank, This was absurd, to put 1t
mildly. It Is not realized by many pis-
catorial enthusiasts that the urinary
functions Of fishes are even more con-
stant and hearty than the digestive
The difference Is that one cannot see
the former waste products.
Many old-timers kept tanks which,
though clear, were practically clear
urine. 1t could be noted by the yellow
color and camphorish odor. While
fishes, amazingly enough, can live in this
type Of water. being gifted by Nature
with great adaptability, it was and
cannot be good for them.
When such q tank was made over,
all at once, usually half the fishes died
as q result Of the too sudden change.
Additions Of fresh water, therefore,
must be the first measure in Summer
care, because all the life processes Of
fishes, especially food consumption and
elimination, are at a peak point.
The need for some sort of artificial
aeration is evident in many cases.
This is best supplied electrically, but
q hand bulb and stone will do in a pinch
II the user is not afraid to apply a
little elbow grease.
This will supplement the regular addi-
tions OF water, for nothing but move
ment In the water can bulge the heavy
gases and induce them to come to the
surface, there to be dissipated. Even
fresh water won't do that.
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The next step in hot-weather care is
feeding. The swimmers should be fed
oftener and more il they will take 1t,
and usually they will. Fishes live at
an increased rate when it is warmer.
They slow down the colder their water
becomes.
More than usual care must be taken,
however, to see that no surplus is left
and that such dried foods as are used
do not easily shower down from the
surface and do not dissolve too readily
in water Fine dust particles should be
removed before feeding.
Contrary to some old beliefs, we hold
for plenty of plants in Summer. Espe-
cially anacharis This must be COM
bined. though. with q leSsening of the
number of fishes in each tank.
do not overcrowd" is golden maxim
in Summer. More tank troubles are
caused by its violation than anything
else.
The fine line between fuSSing over a
tank and taking adequate care of it
must be drawn carefully at this time
Of year.
While the fishes should not be wor-
ried by too much intrusion into their
element, they should have such care as
they need as outlined above.
1t Is fortunate that amateur fish
keepers have two instruments, the dip
tube, so-called, and the siphon. One
supplements the other in the care of
the tank bottom. Where waste matter
is concentrated the dip tube is best
used. and no water need be added.
When the waste material is more or less
over the entire bottom the siphon will
do. q better job and remove water up
to one-third of the total. Fresh water
of the same temperature as that in the
tank may then be added to bring the
water level to the proper height. We
prefer about an inch from the top of
the tank Use OF a glass cover on
tropical aquaria should not be discon-
tinued in hot weather. 1t Is preferably
elevated about quarter OF an inch at
each corner. Glass is good insulating
medium and prevents the water from
going too high. Tanks should be shielded
from too much afternoon SUM-