Evening star., 1944-03-10
This and That
By Charles =. Trace,oeu. .
ARLINGTON, Va.

Dear Sir:
Recently noticed a pretty assort-
ment OF goldfish In local 1O-cent store.
purchased q pretty black fellow with
silver and cream on the bottom and
lower sides and another beautiful deem
gold one with deep black tail and dorsal
mn Tor Is cents each. Later In the week.
upon entering another dime store. thev
had an even more tempting assoctmert
Tor only cents each. AS am q woman.
the bargain couldn't be passed uo: 80
thought, Well, 10-gallon aquarium
ought to hold four more eaSily.' ID two
more black-and-gold combinations were
bought, stlver-colored f1sh and q calico
for 20 cents.
After few days the fish were swim.
ming around with their dorsal fi1s closed
shut and gasping for air on the ton. n.
though there was ample seaweed. Ffnal-
y, one after the other, two died. Some
thing had to be done, and I couldn't get
to town to purchase any Of that green
saltlike medicine pet stores sell and
which often brings new life to sick fish.
Then remembered reading some place
that q few drops of mercurochrome often
helped. This was tried, together with q
little salt, and after q week the four re-
naming fish all looked very happy.
swimming around with their top sails at
full mast, with the exception Of tho
calico.
&. While watching them very closely
this morning, I discovered something
moving mile minute near its tail, q
minute little spot the size of q small
pinhead. scooped the fish out and laid
1t on a piece Of cloth lying in little
water ina bowl With pair Of tweezers
I picked of what looked like a miniature
flounder. except that the moving effect
was given by four or so legs or paddles
protruding on each side from UNDER
meath the creature. It also had q tail
composed Of what looked to the naked
eye like two feathers, and two black
eyes could be plainly seen despite its
very small size. It swan around In a
Few drops OF water In glass. Have you
any idea what this was?
Cordially yours, E. L."
Our correspondents queer creature was
the Argulus, or fish louise.
Aquarium enthusiasts use many odd
words which do not mean exactly what
they say
Their fish louise is not louise, but
crustacean. Their water flea is not a
flea. 1t also is crustacean.
The fish louise is sometimes seen
hanging to goldfish, especially to the
fins or tail. 1t can be picked off with
tweezers, or can be made to loosen its
hold by being touched with q bit OF
cotton soaked In kerosene.
Many chemicals have been used by
enthusiasts in treating both goldfish
and tropical fish for various diseases
and parasites. Our experience is that
salt water Is the best and safest treat
ment The water must be raised to a
temperature of 80 degrees and kept
there. Two teaspoonfuls of salt to
gallon Of water are sufficient
This salt treatment should be carried
on in hospital tank where the patient
can be watched carefully before it is
put back into its own tank. In the
meantime the old tank should have
been entirely remade with fresh sand
and plants Both the sand and the
plants should be washed in many
/ changes of water before being used.
I The salt treatment will do for both
goldfish and tropical fish. In these
days of colder houses the humble gold
IlSn mas come llCO MS own again.
Among the tropical specimens only the
| guppy can stand a temperature of IS
degrees, and even he will do much
better at 10 degrees. 1t must be re-
membered that the German fanciers,
who in better days led the world in the
care and breeding OF small tropical
fishes, did not have warm houses as we
do-er, did. They kept their tropical
specimens alive and we'll at much lower
temperatures by giving them larger
tanks to live in, thus furnishing them
with more oxygen, and by feeding them
on daphnia, or water feas.
The home aquarium is an interesting
hobby, and one which has much to
commend 1t for the stay y-at-home in
wartime. 1t is relatively cheap and
can become absorbing enough to take
ones mind off the manifold woes of the
world, at least for a few precious mo-
ments of relief and release. Feeding
four-legged pets in times such as these
becomes quite problem, but thankful
of fishes may be fed for as little as
IS cents worth Of unrationed food for a
whole year. That, we submit. is some
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