Fishes

If the pond is so constructed that there are shallows sheltered by the stems of thickly growing plants, one may breed daphn^2, Cyclops, ostracods and their larger brethren Asellus and Gammarus. The roots and stems keep the predatory fishes at bay but, as there will be a number of adventurous spirits among the crustacean population who decide to leave their sheltered nook, the fish win benefit in the long run.

The live foods here mentioned are present, as a rule, from spring to autumn only—and what of the winter, you may ask. Well, in the winter a fish hardly feeds at all, it is in a sleepy state. moreover it is undergoing a physical change. All the nutriment stored up from a long period of gormandizing is being absorbed by the sex organs in preparation for breeding in the spring. If the pond is not a self supporting one it is well to obtain, either by purchase or by collecting from another pond, the fishes about the beginning of November; this, on account of the oiliness of the Daphne, win set them up for the winter.

It win be seen that, normally, a properly stocked pond will, in time, be self supporting. As a rule, however, most ponds are caned upon to support a larger population of fishes than Nature can cope with and so artificial food must be added. Food specially prepared for pond-fishes is sold by a number of firms that specialize in pets’ foods.

Now the indoor aquarium is, in reality, an artificial business altogether and as a result artificial foods must be used. That is, unless one is prepared to go to a little trouble to raise live foods.

Cold-water fishes, with the exception of the Bass and Catfish tribes, are omnivorous they win eat anything. The Bass and Catfish are carnivorous and, if live food is unobtainable, win manage on one of the prepared meat-meal foods with an occasional treat in the way of finely scraped raw meat or chopped earthworm Other live foods of value are bloodworms, enchytrae and tubifex, the last named is a relation of the earthworm and is objected to by some aquarists on the ground that it may remain in the fish as a parasite—there are no grounds whatever for such a surmise. These can be bought from the dealer and given to the fishes occasionally.

The dried foods are usually sold in packets at about 6d. each, but if one has many aquariums it is more economical to buy it by the quarter-pound at about 6s. od. per pound. For the aquarist with one tank and only half a dozen fish a 6d. packet win last for about a fortnight.

These foods are made in several grades, fine, medium and coarse. The fine grade is for the tiny fry and the coarse grade is for the larger fishes in the pond. The principal ingredient of good-class prepared food is dried Daphnaphe best all-round dried food there is—to which is added dried insects, biscuit meal, egg-powder, larval molluscs dried, vegetable powder (usually spinach), shredded shrimp meat, meat meal and sometimes a trace of mineral salts. I do not know of any packet food that contains an of the above, still, some of them have an amazing variety of ingredients.

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