Evening star., 1945-06-07
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUeH.
ALABAMA AVENUE S.E

ALABAMA AVENUE S.E.
Dear Sir:
Il have tried to raise several varieties
OF tropical fish, but they died, so tried
guppies. Had one tank IA by by s
inches, bought one male and two fe-
males, two snailS and water weed, about
five years ago After year had to buy
another tank because of increases, and
giving away a considerable number.
Starting the tank. get some sand or
gravel on the bottom, put paper the
full length of tank and pour tepid
water on paper until the required
height, pull paper away smartly, and
put in fish, snails and weed.
Feeding, buy 90 guppy food for 10
cents, which lasts long time, put food
in a pepper shaker and give them three
shakes once day. If more is given the
tank will sour and you will have no
guppies. Have had to get fresh sup
ply because of this overfeeding After
feeding, have tight top to stop the
weevil from getting In and spelling.
Have a feeding ring into which shake
the food
Position: Two tanks facing southeast
windows. There is no heat in the house
in winter after am. and heat goes on
again at 6 pm. until II pm. Evapora
ton, have three half-pint glasses on
mantel full of water, which gives sup
ply at room temperature, and the tanks
act as humidifiers and take away odors
from the room. When needed, I hold
the glass up or 8 inches and pour in,
which puts oxygen and water in.
Cleansing, if the tanks go sour, and
tton rrIe RI
snails, and Shiny weed, catch the fish,
put in bowl, take tank outside, empty,
cleanse glass with soap pads and steel
wool and proceed as when first started
The tanks have gone over a year with
out changing water and I have gone
away on vacation for over a week and
they have been all right. They are very
amusing and very little trouble.
yours truly, E. r. D."
*
More persons might emulate this cor
respondent, rather than buy big dogs to
strain their ration points
Guppies are great deal of fun and
provide an amazing amount of interest
after one works up admiration for them.
The very word "guppy' has some
thing odd and amusing about it to most
listeners. This initial amusement must
be overcome before one admires the
little fish, but after that there is moth
ing to laugh about-the guppy is a
mighty little creature, and, as our cor
respondent has found out, nothing to
sneer at.
"Guppy" Is pronounced as If rhyming
with cup" not coop" r. J. Lechmere
Guppy,' president of the Scientific AS
socia ion of Trinidad, presented TIT
fish, in 1868, to the British Museu
A scientist of the museum named =
Girardinus guppyi.
It was later discovered that speci-
men had been previously named Poe
ella reticulata in 1859 by professor
of zoology at the University of Berlin.
Many years later the name containing
"guppyi" was dropped. and the old
name revived and modernized as Le-
bistes reticulatus, which is the present
scientific name.
This is big name for little fish.
Practically every one calls it "guppy,
which was about the only thing in the
old name which the average person
could pronounce, and then he didn't
pronounce it very well.
Guppy it is today, and guppy it prob
ably always will be.
1t can stand low temperatures-for
a tropical fish-thrives on little food
and multiplies in an amazing manner,
and does so in almost any bowl, much
to the establishment of most persons.
The human family of Guppies are
descended from the family of Guy
Pigli of Florence, family known to
the great Dante, and mentioned in his
Paradise" On migrating to France
the name became Goupil. When the
family sought shelter in England, after
the revocation of the edict of Nantes,
the name became Anglicized into
Guppy.
Guppy's son, P. Lechmere Guppy, once
said: Il find that Irishmen and per-
sons who do not speak English are
prone to pronounce Guppy in similar
manner to Goupil. The family here
and abroad all pronounce the name to
rhyme with cup, and my grandfather,
who died in Trinidad at the age of 81,
and my father also used this pronunci-
alton. have also been to the city OF
Bristol, where the former was born, and
1t Is thus pronounced by Bristoiaus."