TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISHES 637

THE CARE AND BREEDING OF TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISHES1

BY MYRON GORDON,2Department of Plant Breeding and Zoological Laboratory,

Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

I want to introduce you to a new hobby�the keep-ing and breeding of small tropical fresh-water fishes. Manyof these fishes never grow larger than two or three inchesand they may be cared for in a small aquarium in your ownhome. During the past few years this hobby has been takenup by a surprisingly large number of people. Some becomeinterested in tropical fishes because they enjoy seeing beauti-ful living things. Other people, more practically minded,combine business with pleasure by raising a surplus andselling them to their neighbors and to dealers of pet stock.When properly set up, an aquarium is beautiful and orna-

mental. The aquarium, with its living plants and animals,has a great appeal to nature students. Children, particu-larly, are fascinated by watching the activities of the livelyfish. Everybody is interested in watching how these smallliving things eat, how they swim, how they behave towardsone another, and particularly, how these fish breed and reara family of young.When I talk to visitors at my tropical fish laboratory and

tell them that some of the tropical fishes do not lay eggs likemost fish, but give birth to living young, they usually arevery much surprised. ^Why I thought that animals onlydid that/’ they say. You see, fishes are really very close toland animals in many respects. Their requirements forlife are very much like our own. You must consider fishesas you do the other animals. They must have fresh air tobreathe; good food to eat; they must be provided with atemperature to which they are accustomed, and finally someprovision must be made for the removal of the waste prod-ucts of their bodies.

Before buying tropical fishes, consider the kind and sizeof the aquarium that you need. Buy one, not less thantwelve inches long, because you will want to add to your orig-inal purchases. For greatest service and satisfaction, the

^adio talk given October 27, 1931, over WEAI, Cornell University Station.sinvestigator, Project No. 106; STUDIES ON THE ORIGIN OF NEOPLASTIC DISEASES

(MELANOSIS) IN FISHES, supported by the Heckscher Foundation for the Advancementof Research, established by August Heckscher at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

638 SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

aquarium with a metal frame and glass sides and the bottomof either slate or glass is best. Contrary to general opinionson the subject, they are not necessarily more expensivethan those which are made of glass entirely. But they aremuch stronger, better looking and better for the fishes.These aquaria may now be bought with frames of variousmetals: galvanized iron, aluminum, monel metal and stain-less steel.

Tropical fishes are smaller than goldfish, on the average.More of them can be kept’in an aquarium and the dangersof crowding are not as great. Nevertheless remember thatif you want your fishes to be kept in good breeding condi-tion, they must have plenty of room. I would say that apair of tropical fish should have at least one gallon of water.Tap water from the city supply is often not suitable for

tropical fishes because of the chlorin and lime which is putinto it. It is far better to go to the nearest stream andtake water there. Water from deep wells and springs maybe used but it must be poured back and forth to aerate it.The aquarium should have water plants. They add beauty

beauty to the aquarium and they help to keep the waterpure and clean. In growth they give off oxygen which thefishes need. At the same time they take up some of thewaste products from the water such as carbon dioxide.Plants also use a good deal of the injurious portions of therefuse, such as the droppings and the uneaten part of thefood. If you get the plants to grow well in your aquariumit will not be necessary for you to change the water at all.The bottom of the aquarium should be covered with an

inch of fine bird gravel. Plants with long root systems arevery helpful in keeping healthy conditions in the aquarium.Plants of this nature are the eel grasses, Vallisneria andSagittaria. They are inexpensive and multiply rapidly.Other types of water weeds are useful such as the commonwater weed, Elodea.Those who expect to raise young fishes must obtain plants

that grow in dense masses in which young fish may find shel-ter. Parental care of the young is hardly developed in thesefishes. They will hunt down anything that moves and lookslike food. When hungry they would just as soon eat theirown young as small worms. Plants such as crystalwort,

TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISHES 639

small bladderwort and dense growths of Elodea make ex-cellent hiding places for young fishes.

Plants cannot do useful work in the aquarium withoutproper light. When the aquarium is placed in a dark spot,no plant growth will take place. On the other hand, it isnot desirable to place the aquarium where the sun is strongbecause the aquarium will heat up quickly. It also inducesthe growth of undesirable microscopic plant life which re-sults in the water of the aqtiarium turning a deep green.Green water is not harmful. On the contrary it is beneficialbut, it is decidedly unpleasant. Often you can control thedevelopment of green water by cutting off some of the light,as, for example, by shading with a piece of paper that sideof the aquarium which faces the window. Northern oreastern exposure usually gives the best light conditions foran aquarium.

In feeding fishes remember they are very small and donot need much food. You can save yourself a great deal oftrouble and the fishes will get along much better if you feedno more than they will eat up within an hour. Fishes willnaturally gorge themselves with food. Like most wild ani-mals, they must eat rapidly and then seek shelter. The realdanger in overfeeding comes from the spoiling of the un-eaten food. Milky water is caused by aquatic bacteria whichbreak down the surplus food. In so doing bacteria rob thewater of its oxygen. Most of you have seen fishes swimmingat the surface of the aquarium sticking their snouts intothe air. They are trying to get fresh air. It is a sign thatsomething is wrong in the aquarium. When this happens,stop feeding entirely until the water clears up again. Thesesuggestions only apply if the aquarium is well stocked withplants. If there are no plants, you must change the waterimmediately.

Fishes will eat a variety of foods. An important consid-eration is to have the food in small particles. The big piecesof food will lie uneaten at the bottom of the aquarium andspoil. Many kinds of prepared dried foods may be used asa standard diet, but to get the most out of your fishes somefresh foods must be given such as: lean meat, liver, yolk ofhard boiled egg, oysters and clams. Let me remind you thatonly small amounts of food should be given and this must

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be prepared so that the fishes are able to take it easily.Fishes need their vitamins just as much as land animals.Some of them will live a long time on dried foods alone, butthey will rarely produce young on a restricted diet.

It is not difficult to meet these requirements but it callsfor a great deal of common sense and patience.

One of the most important things to remember aboutkeeping tropical fishes is that they originally have come tous from warm countries. This means that they must bekept warm. Most people have good luck in keeping tropicalfishes during the summer but receive a terrible shock somemorning after a frosty night, when they discover their petsno longer showing any interest in life. Never allow thewater in the aquarium to fall below sixty degrees. On coldnights throw a blanket over the aquarium before retiring.There will be little loss in temperature when this is done.Tropical fishes as you might expect can stand high tempera-tures. I have caught tropical fishes in Mexico where thewater was 97 degrees and this only in the month of May.By experiment it has been found that it is not safe to havethe temperature over a hundred. The most comfortabletemperature is 80 degrees the year around. If this is keptup the fishes will continue to breed during the wintermonths. There are electrical devices on the market to-daywhich will maintain an even temperature in your aquariumautomatically.Do not allow your tropical fishes to become chilled. If

they are not killed outright, they become susceptible to dis-ease. More losses may be attributed to chilling than to anyother cause.The last bit of advice which I will give you is to be sure

that you cover your aquarium with a tightly fitting piece ofglass. Tropical fishes are notorious jumpers. Unless youdo this, your fishes will take to the air, land on the floor,but they will not travel far.

Let me remind you lastly that fishes need fresh air, awarm temperature at all times. They need good food. Agood growth of plant life in the aquarium makes for successin tropical fish keeping and breeding.

Provide these essentials and you will be stocking theaquaria of your neighbors.