~ “*UT@TON OF FISHES 540 o—= ‘LONAL MUSEUM PRICE, TEN CENTS sats so = Aose & icist ISSUED IN EEE-INTERESTS OF THE STUDY, CARE AND BREEDING OF AQUATIC LIFE POGOe en ns fin sm rant ® 4 Se cs RED-BELLIED DACE Chrosomus Erythrogastei One of the most brilliantly colored and generally satisfactory aquarium fishes. Fins, light yellow; base of dorsal fin, red; top of head and back, olive speckled black; top stripe, b'ack; next stripe, light shade of metallic gold; stripe running through eye and into tail, black; belly and lower jaw, briiliant red; gill plates, white_ usev PUBLISHED AT PHILADELPHIA, PA. BY THE AQUARIUM SOCIETIES == 08 CRE-CITES-OF Es NEW YORK «: BROOKLYN CHICAGO : PHILADELPHIA WILLIAM (Aes ee AQUARIST Phone, 9635 Riverside BIRD SPECIALIST 102 West 106th Street, New York City Goldfish Dead? Plants Decayed? There’s a Reason! A helping hand to the amateur aquarist and a little profit to ourselves. We take the time to answer questions. What is your trouble? Full instructions for balancing your aquarium for year without change of water, 35 cents copy, postpaid. We buy, sell, exchange, import and breed the rarest Chinese scale- less dragon- eyed goldfish and Japanese ae fantail and fringetails. Snails, beautiful aquarium plants. oldfish shipped anywhere in United States, guaranteed safely. ‘‘Golden Dragon,’’ the fish food that saves the lives of your fine fish, and makes them fat an happy, 20 cents box, postpaid. Don’t experiment—feed the Im- perial Food of Old Japan. Contains dried daphnia, laxatives and cereals, etc. Pair fine young Japanese fantails, $1.50. Big bunch aquarium plants, 25 cents, postpaid. The Criental Goldfish Co., 924 Gates Av., Brooklyn, N.Y. S. Chichester Lloyd, Manager F. G. KUHLKIN H. A. BOIES THE DAT RE SELOP Our Spectalties All varieties of fish for the aquarium Self-sustaining aquaria K. B. Fish Food—a perfect balanced food Guaranteed singing and talking birds The Shop worth visiting—Broadway Subway to our door 579 W. 181st STREET, Susway Bxipe. Terminal Pet Shop Importers, Breeders and Dealers in Japanese Goldfish and Tropical Fish Fish foods, plants and aquaria Pets of every description _ Birds, seeds and cages Burnett’s Japanese Fish Food Booth No. 18 Concourse HUDSON TERMINAL BUILDING NEW YORK Prices cheerfully furnished for special sized aquariums AQUARIA SUPPLIES Birds, Cages, Seeds, Etc. KAEMPFER’S BIRD STORE 114 N. State Street CHICAGO, ILL. Write for Price List Aquarium Book Herman T. Wolf’s work ‘“‘Goldfish Breeds and Other Aquarium Fishes’”’ is the standard authority. Tells all about breeding fancy goldfish and treats in a practical way on all aquarium and terrarium subjects. 240 beautiful illustrations. Price, postage prepaid by us, $3.00 INNES & SONS Twelfth Street, Corner Cherry, Philadelphia, Pa. For" FISHY" Thi t bie that areNEW ce my "Ad" in nd whatever r-J ave nine Price-Lis! Sent to you! RIND. 5 k\ Shs 4 ‘BL, .W. (85.SE. New Yor THE NEXT NUMBER OF THE AQUARIUM will appear in September Notices of change of address should be sent to Innes & Sons, 12th and Cherry Sts., Phila. The American Museum Journal for May contains an illustrated article by Bashford Dean on “The Exhibition of Fishes” in the American Museum, in which modern mu- seum methods for exhibiting fishes are in- The old method of showing specimens in bottles is being dis- terestingly described. placed by the more rational one of making casts of the them as in life, placing them in groups and objects and, after coloring in imitation of their natural surroundings. This is in keeping with the groups of mam- mal and bird life. The young Milwaukee Society sends its birthday greetings to its four elder sisters. On behalf of the latter, we welcome Mil- waukee to the ranks. How soon will Boston follow? The Fourth Estate, New York, of June 8, 1912, announces us thus: FISH RAISING “Tue Aquarium,” a magazine devoted to the interests of the study, care and breed- ing of aquatic life, has just been established. It is issued monthly at Philadelphia, except during July and August, by the Aquarium Societies of New York, Brooklyn, Chicago and Philadelphia. Eugene Smith of Ho- boken, N.J., is the editor-in-chief. Document No. 110 of the Bureau of Fish- eries, Washington, “Methods of Studying the Habits of Fishes, &c.,” by Prof. Jacob Reighard, of the University of Michigan, was read at the Fourth International Fish- eries Congress, held in September, 1908, at Washington, and was awarded the prize for the best method of observing the habits and recording the life histories of fishes, with an illustrative example. ‘The example selected was the Horned Dace (Semotilus atromaculatus). We recommend this paper as a model for such work and suggest to those intent on studying life histories of fishes to write the Fish Commiission for a copy of Document No. 110. In early numbers we hope to publish sev- eral articles by noted naturalists; articles on live-bcaring fishes, a series on labyrinth fishes, and a continuation of the series on plants started in this number. Those who read German have a rich field of literature on aquatic topics at their dis- posal. We hope from time to time to bring some of it to the notice of our readers. The “Moscow Society of Lovers of Aqua- ria and House Plants” is an old established Russian Society which issues a_ bi-monthly magazine from which we shall publish some articles in the future. FILL IN, CUT OUT AND MAIL imMmNGLOSE $1.00 jor ONE: YEARS SUBSCRIPTION 0 THE AQUARIUM hO COMMENCE WITH THE Make checks payable to THE AQUARIUM and mail to W. F. DeVoe, P. O. Box 383, Baldwin, L. I. POSSESSES EOI EISELE IESE SES GEIS EVES VESICLES i FRANKLIN BARRETT } 4815 D Street, Olney, Philadelphia, Pa. + Largest Greenhouses in the World Devoted to the Breeding of Fancy, Chinese and Japanese Goldfish and Propagation of Aquarium Plants WHOLESALE AND RETAIL FISHES PLANTS COMMON | CABOMBA SCALED MYRIOPHYLLUM SCALELESS ANACHARIS eee Sic: SO VALLISNERIA FRINGETAIL HORNWORT TELESCOPES POTAMOGETON CELESTIALS SNOW FLAKE LION’S HEADS WATER POPPY SHUBUNKINS WATER HYACINTH PARADISE SALVINIA i 6 i : Hy I" q Q 4 i A Q GOLDEN-ORFES WATER FERNS OE ENe WATER LETTUCE ! GAMBUSIA-AFFINIS § Q i 2 + q i q q " q Q i i Q q q "] i H + STICKLE-BACKS UMBRELLA PALMS CYPERUS PAPYRUS CY PERUS SNAILS ALTERNIFOLIUS ornenors GRACILIS LAXUS FOLVA RAM’S HORN VARIEGATED POTOMAC B BOSTON FERNS AFRICAN Drawine sy H. T. WOLF PTERIS FERNS JAPANESE WATER LILIES Submerged and Semi-Submerged Plants FOR PONDS ON ESTATES Manufacturer of the Celebrated “‘SUPERIOR’’ AQUARIUMS Rustless corner pieces. Marbleized slate bottoms. Made in galvanized sheet iron, wrought iron and brass nickel plated. Manufacturer of the Celebrated ‘““AMERJAP’’ FISH FOOD Made from the purest of materials. For fish only. Keeps your fish in good condition, keeps your aquarium pure and sweet and does not injure the plants in the aquarium. Eaten by the fish with avidity. Once tried, always used, We carry the finest line of aquarium ornaments in the country. No rough, sharp edges to injure and maim the fish, but every ornament glazed with a smooth and beautiful finish, and in harmonious colors, creating an artistic effect in the aquarium. Globes, Nets, Pebbles, Sand, Foods, Etc. Everything Pertaining to the Aquarium and Pond Send for Price Lists SS ee et ee et SESE Eee 3 SSeS VOLUME I Chrosomus Erythrogaster (Rafinesque) (Red-Bellied Dace Wo. Kopp Chicago (Based upon “Natural History Survey of Illinois’’) This beautiful species, one of the most showy in our waters, is found in northern Outside the State it has been re- ported from Maine and New Brunswick to North rom Michigan and the Ohio Valley gen- Illinois. Carolina and northern Alabama. erally to the streams of Kansas tributary to the Missouri. It is commonly found only in small clear streams. “The minute seales, 77 to 91, in the lateral line, and the two long longitudinal stripes of dark color upon the sides, will readily distinguish the present species from all other species of Cyprinide found within our range. Length, 2 to 3 inches; body ob- long, moderately compressd, tapering about equally each way from middle of body; color above brownish olive, with a broad vertebral streak of dusky and dark spots forming an indistinct row on upper part of each side; sides marked with two black stripes (faint in females), the upper and narrower one extending from upper corner of gill-cleft nearly straight backward fin, breaking up into spots of oblique bars to base of - caudal sometimes on caudal peduncle; the lower stripe broader, extending from snout through eye and along lower portion of sides to end of caudal penducle, followed by a black spot at base of caudal rays; the interspace between lateral bands a bright silvery or satiny cream, tinged THE AQUARIUM “JUNE, 1912 19 NuMBER 3 with brassy to crimson in males; belly white, overlaid with silvery; females much more obscurely marked than males which in spring coloration have the _ belly, breast, and chin bright scarlet, and the fins a bright lemon yellow, the -dorsal with a blotch of bright at base and the body everywhere minutely large searlet its tuberculate. Head rather pointed, nose ewe chort, pointed, jaws about equal; scales very small.” Its food is evidently obtained by nib- bling or sucking the surface slime from stones and other objects on the bottom. It consists mainly of mud containing alge. In captivity the dace should be fed: once a day on fish food and small scraps of raw beef alternately; earth worms chopped up being really better than the beef. The breeding season falls in May and June, at which time the colors of the male reach their most gorgeous development. While not especially hardy, this species lives well in the aquarium, where it is in- deed a most beautiful object. Notr—This fish is not found in the Atlantic Coast drain- age, except in the headwaters of some of the rivers.—Epir. RED-BELLIED DACH Chrosomus Erythrog aster Aquatic Plants Worth Cultivating W. A. Poyser Hammond, Indiana 1. THe Froatine Fern. Ceratopteris thalictroides, the floating or water-fern, is an anomaly among ferns and one of the few truly aquatic or hydrophytic species. A plant of quiet waters of the tropics, it extends around the world, occurring in the United States in Florida and Louisiana. The plant is usually a rosette of simple (in young specimens) or deeply lobed or divided, more or less bluntly triangular, or del- toid leaves or fronds; the blade is suc- culent in texture with a thick stem filled with air-cells; the fertile or spore-bear- ing leaf is erect, longer and more divided into narrow segments, the leaf tissue being sacrificed to spore-production. Aside from propagation by means of spores, the species produces new plants freely from proliferous buds at the edges or occasionally on the surface of the leaves, depending more upon this method than upon the more uncertain sexual proc- Phe ually of new plants by gemmae, bulblets ess. viviparous production, asex- or buds is not uncommon among plants of the lower orders. In cultivation the float- ing-fern seldom produces fertile or spore- bearing fronds or leaves, probably be- cause it is usually grown in water too deep to permit the roots to reach the soil. While as an oxygenator the floating- fern is of no value to the aquarist, as a surface plant it forms a pleasing addition to a collection. Given a sunny position in a warm room, it responds with a wealth of cheerful light green, and multiplies rap- idly. tentment with such a surface covering, The fish seem to find a certain con- and vegetarian species are not averse to an occasional nip at the succulent leaves. 2. Tue Duckweebs. Upwards of two thousand years ago there liyed in Greece a certain philoso- 20 pher, who, like Pliny and Aristotle, de- voted a portion of his time and talent to the study of nature. The savant to whom I refer was Theophrastus, who wrote a treatise on plants somewhere about B. C. 300. with an aquatic plant to which he gave This same Greek was acquainted the name Lemna. The name was _ possi- bly suggested to him by the little island of Lemnos, in the A*gean Sea, apparently Tisig now uncertain as to what the precise plant floating on the water like a leaf. was to which he gave the name, it might have been a “duckweed” or something else. More recently this name has been given to a group of aquatic plants known to every one who wanders by puddles or ponds. Several species of duckweed are com- mon to both United States and Europe. There are no real stems and no real leaves, but the whole plant consists of little green fronds which look like leaves and of which one alone constitutes a plant or two or three adhering together, with one or two thread-like rootlets the underside. The fronds multiply by young ones growing from the edges of those hanging from that are mature. The flowers, very sim- ple and minute and rare, are produced from cracks or fissures in the edge of the frond. all our local species except Wolffia Co- In general this description covers lumbiana. The Lesser Duckweed (Lemna minor) is our most common species and consists of a tiny oval or round frond, two to five diameter, with a single millimeters in rootlet. Lemna perpusilla too has a sin- gle rootlet, but the frond is smaller, aver- aging about the size of that of the small- est Lemna The attractive species, as well as the largest, is Lemna The are oblong and pointed, growing at right angles in two The Greater Duckweed, Lemna since minor. most trisulca. fronds planes. polyrhiza of Linneus, has long been placed in a separate genus of the family and is now called Spirodela poly- rhiza. This species has dise-like fronds or thalli that may reach a diameter of eight millimeters and has several root- letse se hese. Inttle apologies for roots, “Duckmeats” with perpetuating their species by branching and separation from the parent, seem far from the accepted idea of a flowering plant, but neverthe- less the extremely tiny Wolffia Columbi- ana is the last word in this direction. The plant consists of a minute green globule about one millimeter in diameter, floating just below the surface of the water. It is considered rare, but that may be due to its size and the proneness of the unfa- miliar to think it a tiny green seed. The Duckweeds plants known to botanists. are the smallest flowering The great abundance of some of the the aquarist to exercise any concern about species render it unnecessary for “wintering” his plants, but, without much trouble, a few can be carried over to se- cure a start in advance of Nature out- doors. Of course, if one secures the rarer or more attractive trisulca, he may well go to some trouble. Microscopic life is, of course, present on the rootlets and under side of the fronds. the fish, which may be seen to take a plant This is well known to in their mouths and, in a moment or so, disgorge it. (To BE ConciupED) Note on Hearing of Fishes J. T. Nicos New York Dr. G. H. Parker, of Harvard Univer- sity, has been experimenting with the He finds that sounds in the air usually cannot be heard well under hearing of fishes. water, and that sounds under water usually cannot be heard well in the air. Many fishes show certain proof of distinctly hear- ing under water sounds. Dr. Parker’s article is Doc. No. 755, Bureau of Fisheries, Wash., “Sound as a Directing Influence in the Movements of Fishes.” 21 A Surgical Case W. F. DeVore Brooklyn On a certain occasion I happened to stop in the store of one of our local fish dealers, and in looking over his stock, saw a gold- fish swimming about with its head down. At the first glance, I thought the fish was affected with bladder trouble, as this is one of the symptoms of that disease. Upon closer examination, however, I found that there was a sack projecting from the lower part of the jaw, and out of curiosity I The sack felt hard to the touch and I was in- removed the fish and examined it. clined to believe that it was due to an abnormal growth. However, as a further experiment, I took a pen-knife from my pocket and proceeded to open the sack, and to my great surprise, there dropped out several pieces of gravel, some fully one-eighth inch in diameter. On placing the fish in the tank, it almost immediately righted itself and swam about in a nor- mal manner. Upon inquiring at the store a week later, I found the fish apparently in good health and no trace of its former dis- ability. was held downward by the weight of the It seems conclusive that this fish gravel, but the mystery was how did the gravel happen to lodge in the fish’s mouth in such a manner, particularly, as it was We all know the propensity of goldfish to suck entirely covered with the growth. gravel into the mouth, but they usually eject the same immediately after doing so. According to habitat, fishes fall into two main groups, marine and freshwater, with an intermediary group inhabiting the trans- The last group can live either in salt or fresh water or become adapted to either, or ition region of brackish water. some species may be strictly confined to areas of certain degrees of density or sal nity. THE AQUARIUM Issued in the Interests of the Study, Care and Breeding of Aquatic Life Published m. nthly except July and August at 12th Street, cor. of Cherry, Philadelphia, by th: Aquarium Societies of Brooklyn, Chicago, New York and _ Philadelphia Send all manuscripts, exchanges, books for review, etc , direct to the Editor-in-chief; all other matter to the Business Manager Epiror-1n-Cuier, EUGENE SMITH Bank for Savings Building, Hoboken, N.]. Business Manacer, W. F, DEVOE Box 383, Baldwin, Long Island, N. Y. SUBSCRIPTIONS, $1 SINGLE Copies, 10c Advertising Rates upon Application JUNE, 1912 Vou. I No. 3 Ordinarily the mention of the word aquarium suggests to the hearer a “‘glass fish simple a definition as one can get from the case with in’ and this is about as uninitiated. While this is true, of course, and in a measure a definition for the be- ginner, still it is only a partial truth, as after having exhausted all fish possibilities, the thorough aquarist has only begun his work. 'There.is the life of the insect world, the crustacea, the mollusks, and all the minute forms of life, including that of the micro-organisms, not to speak of the other half of the organic world, that of. the plants. As many of our friends are in the habit of spending extended summer vacations at small lakes, they could get much pleas- ure for themselves as well as furnish much instruction to others and even help augment the knowledge of aquatic life to no in- considerable degree, by making systematic neighborhood surveys of their places of retreat and recuperation. In these days of research, no field of human endeavor is barren and no one is so-insignificant as not to be akle to contribute his mite to the pile of facts from which later thé great truths of are - evolved science by -more » masterful minds. One form of such research is that of plankton investigations, which may _ be readily made by any one with some spare time. Sojourners along lake and shore may get as much recreation out of this sort of occupation as out of angling or gunning for sport. As the camera has very largely dis- placed the gun, so may the plankton net take the place of the rod and reel. We should be pleased to hear that some of our members or friends would undertake such work this coming summer and give us the benefits of their experiences. Who will do so? In order to insure earlier publication, the editor asks contributors and business managers to have all matter reach him by the 5th of each month. Hereafter there will be no more copyright illustrations used, unless it be cuts used for advertising purposes only. The subject matter as well as illustra- tions are offered for public use. The only request we make is that proper credit be given to both author and magazine by those who may reproduce any of our ar- ticles. We want to get the widest possible With the June number we reach our time of rest as a mag- publicity for our subject. azine and trust that the summer may be productive of many new ventures resulting in renewed activity on the part of all for the coming fall season. A CORRECTION.—On page 16 of the May number, insert the following line between lines 10 and 11, first column: Little Falls. a miles above Once in The oldest known indications of fishes are some small spines or teeth found in Lower Silurian deposits in Russia. In the Upper Silurian, fossil fishes are very plentiful, but it is only in the Upper Cretaceous deposits that the modern type of fishes becomes known. Plankton Eucene Smiru Hoboken When you look into deep waters from shore or from shipboard you rarely see more than the reflection of the sky in its varying moods, or perhaps only one uni- form dark mass of water. You know, of course, that there are fish there as well as other living things, but of the vastness of that life, few have any idea. There is not a drop of that water which is not literally quick with animal and vege- table life. The word Plankton is of Greek origin and signifies “that which floats.” It includes all this manifold life of the water which is not attached to the soil or which is not to a large extent free of the sway or current of the water. It includes what has motion of its own as well as that simply borne along by wind and wave. The actively swimming part is also called the nekton or swimming, while the plankton proper is that more at the mercy of the water, the drifting. All classes of life are represented. Thus among the nekton are wandering polyps, worms, snails, rotifers, many rrustacea like daphnia, cyclops and others, bryozoa, protozoa and others, the larve and pupe of many insects, the adults of a few only. Among the plankton proper: are also 5 protozoa, eggs of many kinds, including those of fishes and very largely alge and other plants either freely floating like the sargasso weed, the blue-green alge caus- ing the bloom of the water, or the much minuter diatoms, etc., as well as spores and seeds. The of the called halobius, that of the freshwater /imnobios. The amount of this floating life is simply plankton sea is inconceivable both as to kind and quan- tity, and it is just this that makes possible the immense productivity of the water in higher, i. e. to say, vertebrate life, as it furnishes food to it. The plankton varies as to its composi- tion and amount according to season, direc- tion and force of wind or current, depth of water, distance from shore, plentitude of certain organisms as attraction for others and for innumerable local reasons, having thus maximal and minimal phases; period- Much remains to be done to clear up this life of the of many to help in this field. icity, annual, monthly and daily. water and it is within the reach The apparatus for this work are few and A of fine silk mounted on a ring or spreader of about simple. net made gauze eight to twelve inches opening. The bag of the net should taper from this width to a point at the end where it may either be tied with a string or provided with a smaller frame covered with gauze or have a small bottle or detachable box attached to hold The net is drawn through the water in tow of what is sifted out from the water. a row-boat or a slowly moving motor-boat, and after covering a certain distance is hauled in and emptied of its contents, either by scraping the _ jelly-like mass out of the net or by dumping the de- tachable bottle into a vessel held ready for the purpose. The bag should be from one to two feet in depth. The towing line should be made of strong linen cord and at least twice as long as the greatest depth to be operated in. To use the net one man may row the boat while the other manages the net. weight or more to the end of the line and For deep -hauls attach a pound the net at whatever height above the bot- tom you wish to explore. The weight drags along the bottom until you haul up the whole to empty it and proceed again. It is well not to make too long a haul, as the gauze becomes easily clogged with the plankton. For shallow depths or for surface tow- ing the weight may be dispensed with en- tirely,or to give the net a little steadier pull a light weight may be attached to the line -several feet in advance of the net. Between hauls wash out the net so that the meshes let the Besides the net you want also may remain open and water through. 1 thermometer to test temperatures and Yottles for sampling water at different depths; more extended work would also take depths at the different places (sta- tions ) tested as well as lines of direction in which hauls are made. A microscope, or at least a strong magnifying glass, is of great Other- wise put the mass hauled out into bottles value if you are ready to use it. with two per cent. formaline solution for Be properly or give it a number and describe future use. sure to label each vial the locality, date, depth, etc., under a cor- responding number in a note book. If you have not the time or the neces- sary means to analyze the matter you have collected let some one versed in micro- scopy or minute life do that part for you, or turn it over to some teacher in a uni- re to) qos (UI, Sig Ieicln Commissioner at Washington. The life of versity, or send the Swiss and Italian lakes,and of German, English and Scandinavian lakes has been studied in this manner and largely so by Whatever little has been done in the United States so far has the help of aquarists. been mostly through the medium of the Fish Commission. Let us, too, make some efforts in this direction. Pointers on Propagation of Daphnias or Water Flea Frank J. Meyers Bethlehem, Pa. In order to live, every organism in nature, whether animal or vegetable, must absorb If we closely as possible so that an animal may nourishment. imitate nature as live in its approximately natural environ- ment and feed it the food to which it has been accustomed, it is natural that the ani- mal will thrive and reproduce its species. It is a recognized fact that the best possible food for goldfish, especially young goldfish, are daphnias. Daphnias in captiv- ity die rapidly, necessitating frequent ex- cursions to the source of supply by the culturist. Everybody interested in the culture of goldfish probably knows a daphnia when he sees one, but a few words explaining what a daphnia really is and how it repro- duces its kind, may not come amiss. Daphnia belongs to the same great class, Crustacea, which includes the crab, lobster and crayfish, from which, however, they differ greatly in size and appearance, tho all have a shell or carapace. Daphnia and its relatives are placed into a sub-class called Entomostraca, which means, in a rough way, an insect in a shell. Entomostraca are further divided several orders, of which into one is called Cladocera. This group includes daphnia and others. The small animal, more or daphnia is a less transparent, within a bivalvular carapace hinged dorsally on the inside; it has a single eye, from four to six 5} feet having branchiae, A DAPHNIA Greatly enlarged or organs of respiration, and large, branched antennae acting as swimming organs. Daphnias are very prolific, the females preponderating largely over the males and greatly exceeding them in size. Reproduc- tion takes place in two ways: First, the eggs are received into a large cavity between the back-of the animal and its shell, where they are hatched and the young undergo almost their whole develop- ment, so as to come forth in a form nearly resembling that of their parent. Soon after their birth a molt or shedding of the shell takes place, and the egg coverings are cast off with it. Ina very short time afterwards, another brood of eggs are seen in the cavity, and the same process is repeated, the shell being again shed after the young have been brought to maturity. Second, at certain times daphnias may be seen with a dark opaque substance inside the rear part of the shell, which from _ its resemblance to a saddle is called the ephip- pium. This contains two oval bodies, each consisting of an ovum covered with a very tough casing enveloped in a capsule which The first traces of the ephippium are seen after the third opens like a bivalve shell. molt as green matter in the ovaries, which differs both in color and appearance from the eggs. After the fourth molt this green matter passes from the ovaries into the open space under the shell on the animal’s back and there develops into the ephip- At the fifth molt this is thrown off and the ephippium, with the two eggs en- pium. closed, floats on the water or sinks into the mud until the next spring, when the young are hatched. This provision of nature is destined to afford protection to the eggs, which are to endure the winter’s cold. The cast shell of daphnia carries with it not only the covering of the limbs, but of the most delicate hairs and setae which are attached to them. The young, recently hatched daphnia curious differs greatly in appearance from the ma- ture animal. It is an odd-looking, sprawl- ing thing, moving by quick jerks, having no bivalve shell, and only three pairs of limbs. This is the food upon which very young gold- fish thrive and grow so rapidly. The mature daphnia are too large to be swallowed. Young goldfish have been observed to follow female daphnia about in order to feed upon the young as they are extruded. The food of daphnia consists of small particles of decaying animal and vegetable matter and such living animalcules as they can capture and devour. Daphnias are small creatures, and any creatures which they can capture and eat must be very indeed. Yet the largest part of daphnia food, in the natural environment, consists of just such creatures. small 25 But, if daphnias eat small creatures which cannot be seen with the naked eye, how are we to catch, much less propagate, them to feed to daphnias? simple. The answer is very These small creatures are called Infusoria, because they invariably make their appearance in infusions, especially in- fusions of hay. They consist of an indis- criminate assemblage of minute, mostly microscopic, animal and vegetable organ- Some of the more common ones are called Stentor, Chilodon, Paramaecium, Stylonchia, Vorticella, Chaetonotus, etc., all daphnia. isms. of which are greedily devoured by To keep daphnias alive and have them increase successfully, the following should be observed : Do not crowd them, on the same prin- ciple that successful breeders of fish do not crowd an aquarium with fish. Daphnias, while often found in stagnant water, re- quire oxygen to live; therefore, unless growing plants are present, well aerated water should frequently be added. The best plan is to keep the daphnias in a receptacle in which water plants are grow- ing and add the water containing the infu- This a re- soria from time to time as needed. water is prepared as follows: Place ceptacle containing a quantity of hay and, if possible, some fresh water algae such as Spirogyra, Zygnema, Vaucheria, Oedogo- nium, ete., in a warm, dark or shaded place After this all that is needed is to stir the water slightly for ten days or two weeks. and dip out a quantity, which is poured into the water containing the daphnias. By the foregoing means the author has raised countless numbers of daphnias from a few hundred original ones, and can do so in winter as well as in summer. The Possibilities of the Home Aquarium Tracy H. Hotmes Chicago An aquarium with water clear as crystal and capable of sustaining fish life for an indefinite period without the necessity of being changed is a possibility easily realized. An aquarium of that kind is known as a balanced aquarium and is the result of establishing an equilibrium of certain nat- ural forces. In stocking an aquarium it is necessary to allow at least a certain amount of water for each fish, to plant in the sand enough growing water plants to furnish as much oxygen as the fish will require, and to add enough tadpoles or snails to devour the accumulation of waste matters, dead leaves and green scums. Such an aquarium will grow more beautiful week by weelx until it becomes like one of nature’s limpid pools, and will need only an occasional cleaning of the glass sides and pebbly bottom, a reg- ular supply of fish food, and an addition of as much water as evaporates. Such a dupli- ot fishes and plants affords problems that tax cation of the natural home conditions the skill of the most intelligent, and so makes the aquarium a source of interest to old as well as young. Many aquarists find as much enjoyment in the water plants as in the fishes, and take great delight in learning how to grow scores of beautiful and interesting plants, and in getting them to grow in artistic and effective display, even as is done with land plants by land- scape gardeners. While the goldfish holds the center of the stage in public display, it is not by any means the only available aquarium fish. Interesting and beautiful as goldfishes are, there are many other aquarium fishes, some far more beautiful, many more interesting, most of them more suitable for the home aquarium. Most of these fishes are tropical and have been imported into Germany, where they have become acclimated to aquarium conditions. Unfortunately most of them have as yet no common names, and so it will be necessary to employ their rather forbidding scientific names. These fishes, of which mention is to be made, are par- ticularly. suitable for the home aquarium, first, because they are small fishes and so more contented with narrow quarters; secondly, because they display most won- derful colorations, often bizarre, frequently changeable, according to the emotions of fear, anger or love; thirdly, because they exhibit the most unusual and interesting habits, especially those concerned with their nest building and brooding, and, lastly, because most of them will breed and raise their young in the ordinary home aquarium. This ability and willingness to breed in the aquarium endears these little fishes to fish lovers, for there is a genuine satisfaction and pride in successfully bringing these tiny water babies through the vicissitudes of life to the full perfection of their grace and beauty. In order to present these fishes. more readily to the mind’s eye they will be de- in of breathers which can breathe the oxygen in the which can breathe either the oxygen in the As to their methods of reproduction there are ovipar- seribed groups. According to their method breathing there are gill- water, and cheek-pouch breathers water or that in the air itself. ous fishes which lay eggs, and viviparous fishes which give birth to fully developed young. As regards their breeding habits there are the plain spawners and the nest builders. Of the nest builders there are those that build nests in the sand or peb- bles, and those that construct floating nests made of air bubbles. Space allows of the mention of but a few of the many fishes in these several groups. The paradise fish (Macropodus Viridi- auratus) isa water and air breather, hav- ing besides the ustial fish gills a labyrin- thine pouch in each cheek by means of which it can utilize the air above whenever the natural supply in the water gives out. These air breathing pouches make it pos- sible for the fish to be revived hours after it has accidentally leaped out of the aqua- rium onto the floor and become so dry and stiff as to seem stone-dead. The male para- dise fish is gorgeously colored in green, blue, gold and orange, and is subject to surprising changes in the intensity of its hues, especially during the mating season. Paradoxical as it may seem, the ordinary maternal duties, with the sole exception of the laying of the eggs, are performed by the male fish. He builds the floating air- bubble nest, broods over the eggs and young, aerating them by taking them into his mouth, a speatnesl at a time, and blow- ing them up through the water to the nest above. The saber-tailed fish (Xiphophorus hel- leri) is a graceful, lithe and active fish, colored with as brilliant a metallic emerald and ruby as that which bedecks the ruby- throated humming bird. The female fish gives birth to some fifty dainty little babies which make a dazzling sight as they dart hither and thither through the vistas of the green waterscape. Similar to the saber-tailed fish in the breathing habits are the tiny Gambusia and Ginetta fishes, the females of which are scarcely more than an inch long, the males being not over one-quarter the size of the females and so differently colored as to be readily mistaken for an entirely differ- ent species of fish. These little fishes have often reared their families of twenty or more in a quart jar, bearing the three con- secutive broods within the period of eight weeks. The young mature within three months. The red chromide (Hemichromis macu- lata) is an example of the fishes that build a nest scooped out of the sand or pebbles. The eggs are laid on the upper side of a flower pot laid sideways on the bottom for that purpose and are aerated constantly by the parents fanning them with their side fins. The young, upon hatching, are trans- ferred in the mouths of the parents to a nest scooped out of the sand. One pair of these fishes was observed to build two nests. one for use in the daytime, the other at night time. The babies were transferred from one nest to the other twice a day, one parent brooding the young while the other was busy making the unoccupied nest scru- pulously clean. It is a wonderfully inter- esting sight to see these two beautiful fishes swimming about with their large family of inquisitive youngsters, reminding 27 the observer of a family of quail on a search for grasshoppers. In the mating season the lower surface of these fishes be- comes tinted blood red while the sides scin- tillate with emerald facets. These few illustrations will suffice to suggest the pleasurable possibilities of the home aquarium. Tadpoles C. J. Heepe Brooklyn As many of the aquarium fishes will destroy young snails or the smaller varie- ties of snails, thus leaving the aquarium without scavengers, be provided. some substitute must Tadpoles, particularly of the larger frogs, will do the same work and will not be so readily eaten by the fish, except when very much smaller than the fish. They are even better for cleaning and _purify- ing an old balanced aquarium with a large growth of alge, rusty-looking glasses and foul sediment. If put into an aquarium for this purpose they must not be fed as they may neglect their duties if other food is too plentiful. They will eat raw fish and meat if no waste matter is at hand, as in the case of a newly set up aquarium. They also destroy freshwater polyps and if kept with snails will keep the snail shells clear of alge, and what is even more important will free the snails from the white leeches which at times infest and eventually destroy Aside from their usefulness tadpoles will be found the snails. in the aquarium very interesting to raise from the egg. These eggs, in large bunches can be col- lected by the individual, or may sometimes be bought from dealers in aquaria supplies, early in the Spring. Enclosed in a cir- cular jelly-like envelope the germ looks like a small round spot of black. When these clumps of spawn are placed in a balanced aquarium and kept in a light, moderately sunny, warm place, the development of the germ will soon be apparent. In a few days the eggs will hatch and the little tad- poles will proceed to eat up their erstwhile home. It takes from four to six months up to two years, or even longer, for tadpoles to reach the perfect frog state. SOCIETY BULLETINS Officers for 1912 B ro O k l y Nl President Corresponding and Recording Secretary W. F. DeVoe, Box 383, Baldwin, N.Y. Owen H. Smirn, 52 Wall St., New York Aqu ari u in Vice-President Treasurer Financial Secretary = Dr. Rupotryw C. Lienau Harry RoessLe Tueopore P. Fritz Society VI Local Editor, Sytvester C. Litoyp Local Business Manager, Owen H. SmiTu 924 Gates Avenue 702 Fulton Street —= = Second Summer Outing of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society and friends, Sunday, July 14, 1912, to - Grassmere, Saale Island, N.Y. Meet at Staten Island Ferry, Battery Place, New York City, at Regular meetings are 9,30a.m._ Trip, including dinner, $1.00. In the Competition for Old-fashioned T elescopes (Class F)—First Prize awarded S. T. Smith for held on Fourth Tues- Mate Mottled Telescope (Blue Ribbon). Second Prize awarded S. T. Smith for Female Mottled 5 Telescope (Red Ribbon), Third Prize awarded S. C. Lloyd for Female Mottled Telescope day in every month (white ribbon). In the Competition for Labyrinth Fishes (Classes K.1I.)—First Prize (Blue Ribbon) awarded Dr. Fredk. Schneider for best exhibit of Paradise Fish. Second Prize (Red Ribbon) awarded Herman gust, at Fairchild Building, | Rabenau for Paradise Fishes. Third Prize (White Ribbon) awarded Herman Rabenau for Tri- 7 Ful S 8 P.M chogastor fasciatus. a FO RMON St. gat Se In the Household Aquarium Competition the following awards were made: Sinclair Smith, First Prize (Blue Ribbon), for Balanced Aquaria. Frank K. Fairchild, Second Prize (Red Ribbon), for Balanced Aquarium. Frank B Johonnot, Third Prize*(White Ribbon), for Balanced Aquarium, Initiation Fee, $1.00 Herman Rabenau, Fourth Prize, Tri-colored Ribbon of Special Mention. Annual Dues, $2.00 May 26th —Special Meeting called to meet and confer with Mr. Wm. T. Innes Sir ., President of the Philadelphia Society, with a view to establishing an International Standard for judging goldfishes. Chicago Fish Officers for 1912 Fanciers’ Club President . . . . F. S. Younc, 428 West 66th Strees Reeate ‘meetings are held on the Second and Fourth Wed- Secretary . . F.G.Orsincer,123 South Oakley Boulevard except June, July and Au- Vice-President . Dr. G. A. Preusker, 457 North Avenue nesday of each month, at 80g- Treasurer . . Cart Fosserra, 1500 Diversey Buulevard 812 City Hall Square Building, [Librarian . . Tracy H. Hotmes, 2816 Logan Boulevard 127-139 North Clark Street, Local Editor, W. A. Poyser, 106 Carroll St., Hammond, Ind. os oa, sony bape Local Bus. Mgr. J. G. Pigser, 3800 Grand Boulevard Initiation Fee, $1.00 Annual Dues, $1.00 New York Officers for 1912 “ President . . Isaac Bucnanan, 143 Liberty Street, New York A q UALTILUIN Vice-President, Richarv Dorn, 7 Norman Rd., Upper Montclair, N.]. Recording Secretary, ARTHUR OsBorn, 42 South St., Jersey City,N.]. Society UUU Cor. Sec’y, Rev. Henry S. Corrin, 129 East 71st St., New York Regular meetings are held-on ‘Treasurer, H. A, Ricurperc, 85 South 16th St., East Orange, N.J. the Second Thursday at the J,ibrarian, Hermann Horrmeister,165 Webster Av., Jersey City, N.J. German - American School, ; ; r : Speman (ave v[eracy City, and Local Editor, Joan Treapwett Nicnots, Am. Museum of Nat. Hist. onthe Fourth Friday atthe Am _ Local Business Manager, Cart P. Orpine, vag! Brose New York erican Museum of Natural His- ese! tory, 77th St. and Central Park ae ea <«Facts and Fallacies of Anco Manapanicn ”” by Ww. West, New York, each month TeeReind except July and August. , < 5 Initiation Fee, $1.00 Dues, $2.00 September rath: Next meeting at Jersey City. Philadelphia ' Officers for 1912 . President and Local Editor, Wm. T. Innes, Jr., 1 2th & Cherry Sts. A q Cia te Ed) Mace President Cuarves Paxson, 2521 N. gth Street Treasurer . . . Frep ScuHasFer, 1610 N. 2d Street Society WUUUY Secretary and Base Nie Howarp S. Crees, 3744 N. 13th St. Officers for 1912 ‘ Ww President. A : ‘ ‘ : C. G. B. Scuencx, 105 Grand Avenue Mil aukee Vice-President : 5 : b : Avucust Grau, 3110 Grand Avenue 4 Secretary ; - : ; 4 ReverREND Paut Rornu, 2602 Prairie Avenue A q uariuim Treasurer : ; : ; : : M. J. C. Sterren, 950 First Street Society UCIT Librarian : : i 7 é AvuGusT Ww. Pottwortn, 1816 Wright Street Fune 3d. The Scciety was organized at 105 Grand Avenue with 19 members, Sune ‘17th. -Next meeting. ee C. Cassel 915 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Manufacturer Aquariums Aquarium Ornaments Floral Terra Cotta, etc. Goldfish Fish Globes and all aquarium requisites Fish Food Send for Catalog and Trade Prices The Guide to Nature Publisht Monthly by The Agassiz Association ARCADIA, SOUND BEACH, CONNECTICUT SINGLE COPY, toc ONE YEAR, $1.00 Frequently has interesting articles devoted to Aquaria, and is always packed full of interesting, beautifully illus trated material pertaining to all departments of nature. © TALE LER DEALER IN Fancy Japanese Gold and Silver Fish Aquaria, Fish Globes, Foods and Plants, Birds and Cages, Bird Seed, Mocking-Bird Food, Etc. THIELER’S SONG RESTORER Very Best in the Market 33 FrarsusH Avenue, BROOKLYN, N.Y. Telephone Connection FISH FOOD DRIED DAPHNIA WM. L. PAULLIN Goldfish Hatchery Fancy Japanese Fantails and Telescopes Common and Fancy Water Plants Live Daphnia shipped within 100 miles of Philadelphia WHOLESALE RETAIL 425 WOLF ST. PHILADELPHIA, PA. Greenriver Fish and Baby Fish Food will develop fine fins and color; also makes your fish healthy and robust; will act as a laxa- tive and is the best substitute for Daphnia. It will not sour or cloud the water. This food is used by the New York and Philadelphia Aquaria; also by many breeders in Philadelphia and other large cities Ask your dealer for it or send to HARRY P.PETERS 1210 North Warnock Street PHILADELPHIA, PA. IMPORTER AND BREEDER Young Scaleless Telescopes, all colors from $7.00 per hundred up Imported Goldfish Aquarium Plants of all kinds Aquaria Tanks Fish Globes Ornaments, Etc. Auburndale Goldfish Co. (Not Incorporated) 920 West Randolph St., Chicago, III. Send for Catalog and Trade Prices F.L. TAPPAN Dealer and Breeder of Rare and FANCY FISH Chanchitos, Gambusia, Paradise Fish and Goldfish Send $1.00 for my new book, AQUARIA FISH. A practical work on care and breeding of fish in the aquarium. 92 SEVENTH STREET, SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. IMPORTER AND BREEDER Tropical Fishes (Live-bearing and Spawning) Plants, Snails, etc. Xyphophorus helleri Paradise, Polyacanthus Poecilia Trichogaster Girardinus Chanchito Mollienesia Bitterlings Gambusia Danio rerio Fundulus and many others Domestic Fishes & Plants Aquaria & Supplies HERMANN RABENAU Near last 4 Open daily sation Qn z 1143-1153 Liberty Avenue 4 except ton St.El. ondays (City Line) BROOKLYN and Tuesdays i T] TWIDINN TN 3 9088 01015 3914 AQUARIUM SPECIALTY CO. 1827-31 WASHINGTON AVE. NEW YORK CITY Makers of the Rogers Crystal Aerator and Filter. Largest manufacturers of Aquaria, Terraria, Viy- aria and Aquatic Cages, Mouse and Frog Houses. Breeders of Japanese and Chinese fringetail tele- scopes and of Red, African and Japanese snails. Cultivators of Sagittaria Natans and Gigantica and of single-rooted Ludwigia Mullertti Catalogue on application “ENUF SAID” E.C. VAHLE, 315 N. Madison St., Chicago Wholesale and Retail Dealer in BIRDS and ANIMALS PARROTS, MONKEYS AND PET STOCK We are Specialists. Singing Canaries and Song Birds ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC BIRD STORE 307 W. Madison Street, Chicago, Il. On your vacation trip you will have op- portunities to get in touch with other lovers of nature. Speak of THe Aquarium maga- zine to them and get them to subscribe. DVERTISING in “Tue Aquarium” we pays. It is the only publication of its kind in this country. It goes to the very people interested in all kinds of aquarium supplies. It reaches every State in the Union. Rate card on application. W.F. DeEVOE, Business Manager, P.O. Box 383, Baldwin, L.I.