Chapter 2

STRATOIDES ALOIDES.

Water Soldier.—Among the plants easily attainable, and which combine grace of outline with cleanliness of growth, and tendency to create oxygen, I can recommend, first of all, the famous water soldier—Stratoides aloides—a lovely cactus-like plant, which grows equally well with or without a root, as indeed most water-plants do. In form it closely resembles the tuft of herbage on the crown of a pine apple, and its leaves have similar serrated edges. If thrown in, it floats on the surface, and puts forth newheads in plenty, each new head springing from the base of a leaf on a long stalk. By separating these when pretty well grown, and removing the stem from the base, any number of new plants may be formed. If it be wanted to root at the bottom (as indeed is best) cut away the decayed portion of the base, and trim off every dark-coloured leaf and throw the plant in again. In a few weeks it will throw out roots, and it may then be attached to a stone by a piece of bass, and dropped in to fix itself where wanted, without in any way disturbing the tank.

VALLISNERIA SPIRALIS.

StarwortI have already spoken of, as a good purveyor of oxygen. It is a pretty plant of a delicate green hue, which appears on the surface of brooks and ditches everywhere, both in this country and all over the continent. At a little distance it has so much the appearance of duckweedas to be recognised with difficulty. Its old botanical name isCallitriche aquatalis, but owing to its liability to vary its appearance, botanists have lately divided it into several species, the two most common of which areC. autumnalis, andC. Vernalis.

Vallisneria spiralisis essential to every fresh-water tank. It is a native of Italy, and is named in honour of the Italian naturalist, Vallisneria. The blooming of this plant is very curious and worthy of close scrutiny. It likes abundance of light, and must be grown as a bottom plant, flourishing only when well rooted.

Anacharis alsinastrum, or the New Water-weed, is an interesting plant that grows freely, whether rooted or not; but it can only be considered ornamental when springing from the bottom. It thrives just as well without a root as with one, but, if firmly fixed, usually sends down a number of white rootlets from joints on the stem. I have seen roots of this kind sent down six inches to reach the bottom, while the lower part of the stem was decaying rapidly.

Myriophyllumcontributes some lovely members to the aquarium. All the plants of this genera are of elegant structure, the leaves finely divided and of a delicate emerald green.M. Spicatumis perhaps the best, but there are other species to be had of the dealers that are worthy of attention.

Potamogetonis an extensive genera of water-plants, numbering not less than fifteen species in the brooks and rivers of this country alone.P. fluitans,crispus, anddensus, are most easily obtained, and they flourish in the tank, and make rich branching masses for the centre, or toclimb over rockwork. They are all rather coarse and apt to shed their lower leaves, but, if well placed, produce a striking effect. They blossom freely in the aquarium, and that is a great recommendation.

MYRIOPHYLLUM SPICATUM.

Nuphar luteais the best of the water-lilies for the purpose: it grows freely and produces graceful outlines below and above. It should be planted early in spring to secure blossom; but if it does not throw up blossoms in summer it may be removed, and its place supplied by a plant in full bloom.Nymphæa macranthaandNodorata minorare also highly suitable.

Ericaulon, or the pipewort, sends its only English species—E. septangulare—to the tank. It is a bog plant, rises six inches high, and does not succeed if immersed more than three inches; hence it is suitable forthe top of an arch, but not for the deep water of the tank. The plant is perennial and produces a white blossom, with one petal and four stamens. The flower-stem is velvety, and the leaves spread in a tuft from the root.

POTAMOGETON DENSUS.

Utricularia Vulgaris, or the hooded milfoil, may be recommended as a botanical curiosity, but is met with only (as far I know) in the brooks of the southern counties—Hants and Surrey especially. It produces a yellow blossom in June and July. The root has a curious inflated appendage. There are two other species,U. minorandU. intermedia, differing but little in general aspect from the common sort.

Isopelis fluitans, or the floating Isopelis, is another of the curiosities of water botany. It is somewhat common in English ponds and slow streams. The blossom is inconspicuous, having no petals; the stamens are three in number, and there is but one petal.

Subularia aquaticais one of the few aquatic plants furnished by the great family of crossworts, or plants of the cabbage and wall-flower kind. Its common name is awl-wort, and suggested by the awl-like foliage which it produces under water. It is to be found only in clear mountain lakes, for it is a true aquatic alpine, frequent only in the North of England, and in Scotland and Ireland. The aquarian who resides near any mountain lake or pool, should seek for it, and treasure it as the choicest gem in his collection. The lower leaves are curve-pointed like a cobbler's awl, and in July it sends up a short stalk, bearing a head of snow-white four-petaled blossoms, and presents a somewhat unique example of a flower in full bloom under the water. My attention was first called to this plant by Mr. Dowden's charming work on wild plants, called "Botany of the Bohereens."

RANUNCULUS AQUATALIS.

Ranunculus aquatalis, or the water crowfoot, must be known to everyone who has been in the habit of rambling in the country quite sober and with eyes open. It is to be found in almost every pond, and by the middle of May is in full bloom, continuing gay till far into autumn. It is a member of the buttercup family, and may be recognised as a buttercup of a snow white, with a bright yellow centre. If you step carefully to the edge of a pond or river, where this crowfoot covers the shore-water with itsfloating foliage and thousands of snow-flakes, you will not be in a hurry to disturb it, it is so truly beautiful. But reach forth your hand, and tenderly take up a head; and, as you draw it from its plashy bed, you will find that it is truly amphibious in structure, no part of the undergrowth being at all like that which floats above in the air and sunshine. The floating leaves are fleshy and neatly lobed, the lower ones are as finely cut as fennel, and from every joint numerous white rootlets will be seen protruding, on their way to find root at the bottom. This plant requires good washing in clear water before it is fixed in the tank, or it may be the means of introducing many objectionable growths. It will be best to cut away the lower portions, and root it from a good joint, allowing it just length enough to float its ark of green and whiteupon the surface. When you have secured as many complete plants as you require—and two strong stems will be enough for any tank—pick off a dozen or more blossom-heads, taking each at a clear joint. When the roots are planted, sprinkle the short flowering tops over the surface, and you will have at once a wide spread of snow-white flowers that will continue gay till the end of the summer, while the fixed roots will give a graceful effect to the vegetation of the mid-water.

HYDROCARIS MORSUS RANÆ.

Hydrocaris morsus ranæ, or the common frog-bit, may be obtained of the dealers, and is common in brooks and rivers. It is a perennial, interesting in its growth, very curious when in flower, and a good maker of oxygen.

Alisma, of several species, may be obtained from brooks and rivers in plenty. It is the Water Plaintain of the old botanists, and has an ancient renown, which cannot be dealt with here. The long stems and lanceolate leaves of this genera give a pleasing variety to the vegetation of the tank.

Lemna.—The four English species may be used to advantage. If the whole of the surface be covered with the pretty grass-green fronds of this very common plant, the effect is good, and it gives a salutary shade to the finny creatures. A single frond thrown in will soon spread and cover the tank in time, and its growth cannotbe contemplated without pleasure.L. trisculais a very pretty kind, common in the neighbourhood of London.

The sweet-scented Rush, members of the Alisma tribe, the noble Sagittaria of six species, the Hornwort (Ceratophyllum) of two species, and for more delicate purposes, Chara and Nitella may be recommended as suitable additions to the botanical department of the Aquarium.

CHAPTER V.

FISHES FOR THE AQUARIUM.

I shall here give the names and a few particulars of the history of the fishes that are most suitable for the aquarium, reserving my notes on the grouping and general stocking for a subsequent chapter. It is to the interesting family ofCyprinidæwe are to look for our chief supplies. This tribe of fishes belongs to the great division ofMalacopterygii, or those having their fin-membranes supported by flexible rays, which are either pointed or branched, or both.

Cyprinus carpio, the British carp, is a handsome fish, differing slightly in structure from the Prussian and gold carp; yet, in general outline, preserving the true carp type—plumpness of body, iridescence of colour, and ease of movement in the water. This carp has a moderately-developed pair of moustachios, in the form of a barbule, at the upper part of each corner of the mouth, and a second one above it, on each side. Like the rest of its kindred, it is very tenacious of life, and does not quickly suffer from exhaustion of oxygen. It is an old fish, so to speak,for it was a favourite with the ancients. Pliny and Aristotle both speak of it in high terms of praise, and record that it lives to a hundred years of age, becoming, in that time, as white and hoary as an "ancient mariner" should. It is not indigenous to our rivers, though, as far back as 1496, mention is made of it in the "Boke of St. Albans," quoted by Mr. Yarrell. It has been known to attain to a weight of twenty pounds, and in Holland is frequently kept alive in wet moss, and fattened on boiled potatoes. In this way it is said to live three weeks.

GUDGEON, PRUSSIAN CARP, LOACH, & BREAM.

C. gibeliois the noble Prussian carp, unquestionablythe best of all fishes for aquarian purposes. It will survive the wreck of a whole establishment, even if the water gets putrid and almost exhausted of oxygen. The easy, graceful motions, the beauty of the colouring, and the docility, of this fish, must make it a favourite and a pet wherever it is kept. I have always had a large number of them, some of considerable size; they group themselves like friends on good terms of acquaintance, take an interest in whatever goes on in the room where the tank stands, and elegantly poised in mid-water, will watch their proprietor for hours. Small, red earth-worms, young water snails, and home-made bread, are the best of foods for them. They will seldom eat bread at first, but soon get to like it, eat it greedily, "and ask for more." The Prussian carp may be taught to feed from the hand, even more boldly than the minnow, and readily assemble themselves for inspection when the side of the glass is gently tapped with the finger-nail. None of the carp family are carnivorous in any great degree. Mr. Yarrell says the Prussian carp will recover after having been thirty hours removed from water.

C. carassius.—The crucian, or German carp, is easily distinguished from its compeers by its bream-shaped back, which rises from the nape into a high arch along the line of the dorsal fin. It is to be found in the Thames, between Hammersmith and Windsor, whether for the angler to kill or the aquarian to preserve. It is less hardy than the Prussian carp, and a little subject to fungoid growths.

C. auratusof Linnæus, the lovely gold carp, will hold pre-eminence among domestic fishes for its splendour ofcolouring, though among true naturalists I think the Prussian carp will always compete with it to advantage, for the gold fish is certainly the dullest-minded of the family, and, like most fops, lazy and unteachable. Pennant says, "In China every person of fashion keeps them for amusement, either in porcelain vessels, or in the small basins that decorate the courts of the Chinese houses. The beauty of their colours and their lively motions give great entertainment, especially to the ladies, whose pleasures, from the policy of the country, are extremely limited." This carp appears to have been introduced into Britain about 1611, though the precise date is now difficult to determine. Mr. Yarrell leaves it an open question.

A large number of those reared for sale are the produce of waters which receive the waste steam from factories, and which are thus kept to a temperature frequently as high as 80 degrees. In fact this carp is most prolific in tepid water, though those that are bred at a lower temperature are more beautiful. The gold carp is not the only fish that can bear such high degrees of heat, perch and mullet have been found in waters at 86 degrees; live eels were found by De Saussure in water heated to 113 degrees, and other instances, mentioned in Bushnan's "Study of Nature," show the adaptability to temperature in fish of many other species. I had minnows frozen into a solid mass last winter, and the same day they were thrown into a tank, in a room where a fire was burning, and in a few hours were sporting about in a genial warmth of 60 degrees, a change of more than thirty degrees in a few hours.

The trade has been so long established that a modern gold fish is truly a manufactured article, and the patterns vary from high class beauty to very decided deformity. Domesticated creatures are all liable to vary from their original type, but in the gold carp this variation proceeds to an extent not observed in any other animal which man has taken under his care. Their colours are as various as their forms; some have stumps instead of dorsal fins, with perhaps tails as large as their bodies; some have triple-forked tails, and perhaps no trace of a dorsal fin at all, and in purchasing, it is as necessary to look to the structure and outline of the fish as to its colours, or, on after inspection, the purchaser may find himself in possession of creatures as bright as morning sunshine, but in form as ugly as toads. There is no better food for gold fish than the crumb of bread. Many writers condemn this; I can only say that they thrive for years upon it, but if more be given at a time than the fish can eat, it soon renders the water impure and does mischief.

Cyprinus Brama, the common bream, is a fish of bold outline and pleasing habit. The depth from the dorsal to the ventral fin is nearly equal to the length of the body, and justifies the comparison applied to a high-shouldered biped, "backed like a bream." There is a prettier species called theCyprinus Buggenhagi, Pomeranian Bream, a specimen of which was lately supplied me, with a parcel of other fish, by Mr. Hall, the intelligent naturalist, of the City Road.

C. Leucisus, the dace,C. rutilus, the roach, andC. alburnus, the bleak, may be classed together, as fisheswell known to all who were ever seduced into playing truant, to try their boyish luck with a blood-worm and a bent pin, or who have since sunned themselves in the holiday pages of Izaak Walton, to fall in love with milk-maids, and dream all night of reedy rivers that sing and sparkle, and fishes fried in meadow cowslips. These are delicate fish, whether for the table or the tank. As the latter concerns me most here, let me warn the reader to proceed cautiously, for these lovely creatures have a sad habit of perishing quickly in confinement. In winter time they may be kept with ease, but as spring approaches, the best care for them will only be rewarded by the spectacle every morning of one or two floating on the surface, never to swim again; while they do live, there are no more interesting creatures to be found for the gratification of the domestic circle. Bleak are even more sportive than minnows, and will chase a fly or small spider thrown in to them, till they tear it into shreds, and then will fight like Irish lads for the pieces. An aquarium, stocked with bleak and minnows, is a perpetual Donnybrook Fair, and will provoke the laughter of the dullest melancholic that ever looked at water as a medium wherein to end his imaginary woes. They soon feed from the hand, and eat bread greedily, darting after the crumbs with even more eagerness and vivacity than a party of school boys scrambling for halfpence. Their dazzling silvery scales, marked with the bright lateral line of spectral green, their taper forms, and large bright eyes, enlist all our sympathies, and compel us to doat upon them. If they are the best of fishes in this respect, they realise Wordsworth's famous passage—

"The best die first,But they whose hearts are dry as summer's dust,Burn to the socket:"

and hence as to longevity they prove themselves the worst. Dace are very tameable, and soon grow bold and familiar in captivity, comporting themselves in their attitudes and motions much like Prussian carp. Of the three, dace are the most hardy; I have some which have survived eighteen months' confinement, and are now enjoying the sunshine in the garden.

The aquarian, contemplating the silvery spangles of his white fish, may like to be reminded that the scales of dace, roach, and bleak, were formerly used in the manufacture of Oriental pearls, and are still used to some extent in making the imitations of pearl that occasionally gleam under the chandelier upon the brows of laughing belles.

C. phoxinus, the minnow. An aquarium without minnows is no aquarium at all—it is a makeshift. With a shoal of minnows and a few Prussian Carp an aquarium may be considered fairly stocked, because there is really something to look at, something to amuse, and something to instruct. The minnow is a bold and impudent fish; he is at his ease in less than an hour, and in a week will show a sign of attachment and familiarity. They do not live beyond three years, but will reach that age in the confinement of a tank. Like carp and tench (and asses), minnows may be said never to die, for they survive the severest trials of heat and cold, neglect and bad treatment. The colours are pleasing, and bear some close resemblance to the mackerel; but fright will make them assume a pale fawn colour in an instant. Disease seldom attacks them,and when it does, they speedily recover if thrown into a large pan under a jet of water. Minnows spawn in June, and just before that time acquire their gayest mottlings of green, and bronze, and silver, losing colour considerably after spawning.

C. gobio.—The gudgeon is an every-day sort of fish, proper enough in a general collection, but where room is scarce it may very well be spared. In its markings the gudgeon has a striking appearance. It is a hardy fish, and rarely shows signs of exhaustion.

C. Tinca.—The tench is a quiet, shy fish, distinct in outline, and easily recognised; but, like the gudgeon, destitute of any highly attractive features. The tench is the most tenacious of life of any fish in the collection, and never shows signs of exhaustion by gulping air from the surface. Tench are easily tamed, and take great pleasure in nibbling their proprietor's fingers. Mine eat bread and cheese with me, and nibble my fingers fiercely whenever I permit them.

C. Barbus.—The barbel takes the lead in the aquatic moustache movement. His barbs are really ornamental, and altogether he is a handsome but shy fish. The dorsal and caudal fins are very symmetrically shaped, and the lateral line arrests the eye when we contemplate his pleasing colours. If small newts, small carp, and minnows are kept in the same tank with barbel, they are likely to disappear one by one; for when all is quiet he makes his meal without seeking aid from the culinary art.

C. barbatulais perhaps the most interesting fish in the tank, considered as an individual. With no attractivecolours, and with an outline as straight and rigid as a piece of bark, he surprises you with his graceful motions as he hawks along the surface of the glass, propelled by the easy undulatory action of the caudal end of the spine. Towards dusk he wakes up from his daylight stupor, and commences his queer, but pretty gyrations; and, after gliding ghost-like all round the tank, suddenly drops down as if dead, and rests on any leaf or stone that may receive him, remaining motionless, and in any attitude—on his head, his tail, or his side—that the power of gravity may give him. Then, with an uneasy fidgetting, he flounders up again, and off he goes, as graceful as before, his pectoral fins spread out like samples of lace, looking as much like an eel with frills as it it possible to conceive. When ascending, his motion is so undulatory that he may easily be mistaken for a smooth newt, going up for a bubble. Nor is our interest in him lessened by his displays of individuality of character. He is a savage on a small scale. When he is quietly dozing, half hidden among the sand and pebbles, throw in a small red worm, and, as soon as the water is tainted with the odour of this favourite food, he is awake and on the search. A triton seizes the worm, and shakes it as a cat would a mouse. The loach hunts him down, snaps at him fiercely, and tears the worm from his mouth, and woe to any minor fish that attempts to remove it from those bearded jaws. He flounders from place to place, shaking the prey as he goes, and stirs up such a cloud from the bottom, that the beauty of the scene is spoiled for an hour; at the end of which time you will probably find him gorging the prog, half of which still protrudes from his mouth, whiletwo or three hungry minnows loiter about, looking wistfully at what they dare not hope to obtain.

It is a pity the loach is so delicate; it shows signs of exhaustion sooner than any fish in the collection. If oxygen fails, it comes to the surface to gulp air, and at last rolls over on its back, and pants in a way that is very painful to witness. Removed to a pan, under a jet of water, it soon recovers; but if long confined in a vessel the least overstocked, especially in warm weather, finishes his career by convulsive gaspings at the surface.

MINNOW, TENCH, & PERCH.

A curious species of loach, known as the spine loach,is met with occasionally in Wiltshire, in the Trent, near Nottingham, and in some of the tributaries of the Cam. Mr. Yarrell describes it; but as I have not yet had the good fortune to possess a living specimen, I can only refer to it casually.

C. cephalus.—The chub is a good aquarium fish. It is shy, but grows familiar under good treatment. Insects sooner attract it than any other food. Mr. Jesse says, that those in his vivarium throw off all reserve at the sight of a cockchafer, which they devour with eagerness.

Among theAcanthopterygii, or the spiny-finned fishes of Cuvier's arrangement, the only one suited to the fresh-water tank, is the noble perch,Percidæ. These are bold and dignified, and their decisive markings make them attractive in a general collection. They require plenty of room, or they soon show signs of exhaustion; and, under the best of circumstances, cannot be pronounced a hardy fish in confinement. They are capricious. I have had healthy specimens, taken by net, die off in a week; and weakly ones, taken by the hook, with portions of the lower jaw torn away, recover, and live for a year, after the ragged portions had been removed by scissors.

Gasterosteusneeds a word or two. The sticklebacks are all pretty and interesting fish, plentifully found on the sea-coast, and in brooks and ponds all over the country. The species most frequently met with areG. semiarmatus, the half-armed stickleback, andG. pungitius, the ten-spined, butG. brachycentrus(short-spined), andG. spinulosus(four-spined), are rare.

Aquarian amateurs seem a little divided about the policy of keeping these in tanks. I can only advise thebeginner to be careful, or he may regret having made their acquaintance. They are all savages, untameable savages, that delight in destruction, even if they cannot eat what they destroy. They will attack anything, and, with their spiny armour, dare the stoutest to retaliate upon their mischief-making pertinacity. In fact, they pass all their time in worrying the more peaceful members of the aquarium; and any one who has a few months' experience of them, will consider them the savagest of imps.

I have tried them on several occasions, and found them at spawning time more savage than usual; but at all other times savage enough. My favourite Prussian carp, that love me as I love them, that come when I call them, that hurry to the side when I fillip the glass with my finger-nail, that watch me with all their eyes when I sit in the room with them, and that feed from my hand as a dog would, show at the tips of their pretty tails the sanguinary signs of gasterostean vengeance. Their transparent tails are ragged through the attacks of those sharp-toothed savages, and more than one has succumbed to their persevering spite since my recent trial of them under the persuasion of a little friend who begged me to put in some "robins" he had caught at the brook. "Robins," indeed, the red jaws of G. aculeatus are suggestive of his bloodthirsty propensities, and he now does penance with a dozen of his kindred in a glass jar ofCallitriche autumnalis. With tench, gudgeons, and minnows they do better, but they are very annoying to carp of all kinds.

CHAPTER VI.

REPTILES, MOLLUSKS, AND INSECTS.

The lower orders of creation supply many interesting specimens for the aquarium. Among the reptiles—newts, or water lizards, and the common frog, may be recommended as offering some forms of positive elegance, and some habits worthy of observation. The smooth newt, the warty newt, and the noble triton, are almost essential to the completion of the collection, and as they respire air at the surface, they do not exhaust the water of oxygen. The beautiful markings on the belly, and the graceful motions of these strange creatures, are sure to afford entertainment to those who can overcome the very common repugnance felt towards such creatures.

Some of the mollusks commend themselves for their beauty, and will be prized by the aquarian enthusiast. Among the univalves, lymnea, physæ, planorbis, and paludina, are the most useful and ornamental. I must caution the amateur against the too ready adoption of any species of lymnea; they are destructive, and particularly fond ofVallisneria,Stratoides, andCallitriche, and while they are the best of cleaners, they are also the most indiscriminate of gluttons.

Paludina Viviparais a handsome snail, with a bronze tinted, globular shell; butPlanorbis Corneusandcarrinatusare still handsomer, having a spiral form, resembling the horn of a ram. These latter are to be trusted anywhere; they are good cleaners, and seldom attack the plants. Watersnails breed rapidly in tanks, but the carp devour the young as fast as they appear; hence it is advisable to remove the spawn into jars containing healthy plants, such asCallitriche, in which they may remain for observation of growth, till stout enough to be committed to the tank.

PLANORBIS CORNEUS, PALUDINA VIVIPARA, LYMNEA STAGNALIS, UNIO PICTORUM, TUMIDUS, & ANODON CYGNEUS.

Among the bivalves, the fresh-water swan mussel,Anodon cygneus, and the Duck mussel,Unio pictorum, are interesting burrowers, and perform a great service in the tank. They act as scavengers, not by the process of eating off objectionable growths, as in the case of univalves, but by the straining off of matters held in suspensionin the water, and filtering it in a pure state, by the mechanism of their syphons, and ciliated gills. It is very interesting to watch them thus engaged, and to note the force of the stream which they project from time to time.

The only creature of the insect kind that I can recommend for general adoption is the caddis worm, a comical and interesting creature, that can never mar the beauty of the tank. Half-a-dozen may be thrown in, and searched for occasionally—the search will always be well rewarded. When the cad closes his hybernacle, it will be desirable to remove it to a jar, to obtain a better opportunity of witnessing the transformation of the dormant worm into a four-winged fly of Stephens's family of Phryganea.

CHAPTER VII.

SELECTION OF STOCK.

The first thing to guard against is over-stocking, the common error of all beginners; taking large fish with small, I think about two or three to every gallon of water is the utmost that should be attempted. For a vessel of twelve gallons, I should recommend the following, as giving great variety, with considerable safety:—Six Prussian carp, of various sizes, one at least of five inches in length; two small Crucian carp; two small perch; two small loach; two tench, of five or six inches; six or eight minnows; one small eel; a dozenPlanorbis corneus; half-a-dozenPaludina vivipara; three or four fresh-water mussels and a dozen of different sorts of newts.

A tank so stocked, will be well filled with life; and if the plants be sufficiently strong, and in a good light, all will go well.

Another, and to some perhaps, prettier selection, might be made thus:—Three gold carp, of various sizes; three Prussian carp; two perch; four large loach; a dozen minnows; half-a-dozen bleak; and two dozen planorbis.

If stocked with great care, with a bottom of pebbles only, this would do very well; and the sides would never want cleansing. For a smaller vessel, the same selection might be made, but with a proportionate reduction of the numbers.

Those who make their own selection, may choose from the following:—

Plants.—Vallisneria spiralis, Anacharis alsinastrum, Callitriche vernalis and autumnalis, Nuphar lutea, Potamogeton crispus, densus, and fluitans, Stratoides aloides, Ranunculus aquatalis (apt to foul the water in a north aspect), Myriophyllum spicatum, Myosotis palustris, (the real forget-me-not—it flowers above the surface) Butomus umbellatus (for the centre—it flowers above the surface), Lemna, Nitella, and Chara. For a list of suitable ferns and instructions on their culture I must refer the reader to my work entitled, "Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste," where this department is amply treated.

Fishes.—Gold carp, British, Prussian, and Crucian carp, pike, perch, tench, minnows, chub, loach, gudgeon, bream, and in winter, roach, dace, and bleak.

Reptiles.—The smooth and warty newt, tadpoles, frogs.

Mollusks.—Univalves, Planorbis corneus, and carrinatus,Paludina vivipara, Lymnea stagnalis, putris, auriculata, and glutinosa, Physa fontinalis, Bythinia tentacula.

Bivalves.—Anodon cygneus, Unio pictorum, tumidus and margaritiferous, Dressinia polymorpha, Cyclas corneus.

CHAPTER VIII.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT.

Feeding should be performed twice or thrice a week, and will be as amusing to the observer as gratifying to the fishes. Bread is not so objectionable as many have stated. Carp, bleak, and minnows eat it greedily, and soon grow tame if regularly fed with it. Most small fishes take insects, such as flies, spiders, ants, and soft larva, greedily; but the large fish disdain such diet. Small red worms, and white of egg, are good general foods, and seem highly beneficial. When feeding, see that the carp get enough, for they are slow fish, and get robbed wholesale by their more lively neighbours. Food not eaten will decay, unless speedily removed, hence care must be exercised on this head.

Confervæ.—When the tank has been established a few weeks, the inner sides of the glass will show signs of a green tinge, of a slimy nature. This is owing to the growth upon it of minute forms of vegetation. If this is allowed to go on unchecked, the glass will in time become opaque, and the view of the interior will be lost. Hence it must either be kept down in growth or occasionally removed.

Uses of Mollusks.—It is to prevent this rapid growth that water-snails are registered among the tenants ofright, for these creatures subsist on vegetable matter only, and if a goodly number be thrown in, they will be found perpetually at work, eating the green growth from the sides, and thus constantly preserving an open prospect.

Objections to Mollusks.—In a highly ornamental tank, water-snails may be thought objectionable, as interfering somewhat with the beauty of the scene. I know the ardent naturalist will cry out against this remark, and ask me if I can find a prettier object than aPlanorbis corneus, coiled round like a horn of plenty; or a full-grown Paludina with its globular hybernaculum richly bronzed and mottled. I tell my friend that I love the pretty creatures as much as he does, yet, as I write for everybody who wishes to keep an aquarium, I feel bound to consider how it is to be managed without them, if their absence is desired. I confess too, that I do object to their appearance in some cases myself, as I do also to beetles, and all other insects in a tank fitted up for the adornment of a drawing-room, however necessary they may be in the tank of a student.

In the first place,Paludinæ and Planorbisare the only kinds to be trusted in a general collection of plants, and the last is most trustworthy of any. Lymnea are all fond of substantial dishes, and eat as much vallisneria as they do of the mucuous growth. A dozen of these gentry will most effectually check the vegetation of the tank, by eating holes in the handsomest leaves of the Stratoides, and biting into the very heart of the Vallisneria. Starwort, too, they are very fond of, and soon clear the bottom of every fragment. Yet, theLymneaare admirablecleaners, the pity is, that they will not see what is required of them, and do that only.

Again, the univalve mollusks do not keep the sides so clean, but that an occasional cleansing of another kind is sometimes necessary, and if the aquarian is not disposed to keep an army of quite semi-efficient scavengers, the remedy will be found in an occasional cleansing of the sides, by means of a sponge attached to a stick, which must be plied over the whole surface, and occasionally taken out and washed in clean water, to remove the green scum, that it soon gets covered with.

Use of Confervoid Growths.—But I should object to any frenzy about cleansing tanks. As I said at starting, they should be self-supporting, and if Planorbis or Paludinæ are used in the proportion of about four of each to every gallon of water, a good view will always be preserved with the use, now and then, of the sponge alone.

Periodical Cleansing.—When a tank has stood twelve-months or more, the water not having been changed at all during the whole time, it may be necessary to turn out the contents and re-stock it. This is not to be done unless the bottom has become black, and the roots of the plants show signs of decay, in fact, not unless it really wants it, and if bottomed with mould it certainly will, and it must be done accordingly. The live stock should be removed by means of a hand-net, the water drawn off by means of a syphon of glass, or gutta percha, and the plants taken out carefully and put by themselves, and then after removingthe bottom the glass can be quickly cleaned with the aid of water and fine sand, or rotten-stone.

Exhaustion of Oxygenis made manifest by the fishes coming to the surface to gulp air, and it is also manifested by their retiring to the bottom, and quietly extending themselves on their backs in "horizontal repose"—the repose of death. If too many animals be crowded into the vessel, this will soon happen, and either the number must be reduced or the water must be frequently changed, or we must have recourse to æration. I consider the two latter remedies a proof of the incompetency of the aquarian—the necessity marks very bad management indeed.

Temperature.—If the aquarium be too much exposed to the heat of the sun in summer, or to the heat of a fierce fire in winter, the water will get tepid, and signals of distress will be shown by the protrusion of many panting mouths at the surface. I find that if the temperature rises above sixty degrees, things do not go on so well. The use of a blind or paper screen is, therefore, essential in summer time.

On winter evenings, when the room is made cozy by blazing blocks of coal, the collection will often show signs of distress. By opening the lower window-sash one or two inches when leaving the room for the night, things may be restored to a normal state in a few hours, and even if the weather is somewhat severe no harm will be done. At the same time intense cold checks the growth of the plants, and throws the fishes into a state of torpor, and the freezing of the water may cause the bursting of the tank.

In summer time, if the tank should get accidentally heated, it may be quickly cooled by wrapping around it a coarse cloth saturated in water, and keeping it wet from time to time. These matters may be much simplified by fixing a small thermometer within the tank below the level of the water.

Dead specimensmust be removed as quickly as possible. Bivalves are generally very hardy, but if death happens to one, the production of sulphuretted hydrogen is very rapid, and quickly fouls the tank.

Disease of Fishes.—I have tried numerous remedies for the diseases which beset fishes in winter, but with very little success. When the caudal fin gets coated with a fungoid growth, I have at once cut it off by means of a pair of scissors, and it has usually grown again in a few weeks. I have a couple of minnows now, that were so operated on last winter, they are as hearty as ever, and their tails are quite renewed. Diseased animals should always be removed to a pan of fresh river water, and placed in a quiet cool place, where they will probably recover.

THE BOOK OF THE AQUARIUM.

THE MARINE TANK.

CHAPTER I.

THE VESSEL.

Points in which the Marine differs from the River Tank.—Though vessels of precisely the same construction are used for marine as well as fresh-water aquaria, yet, as the peculiar necessities of marine life demand some conditions of a special kind, I must here again briefly treat of the vessels in which marine stock may best be kept. Every variety of tank or vase referred to in the description of the fresh-water aquarium may be used in the formation of marine collections; but while vases are eminently suitable for river stock, they are not to be strongly recommended for marine, and for this important reason, that we do not generally have, as in the former case, a variety of moving forms poising in mid-water, or chasing each other through every part of the tank; but in the present caseground stockconstitutes the main feature of attraction, and hence we require a vessel which admits of examination in every part, which atankdoes and avasedoes not. In a vessel containing actinia, madrepores, serpula, &c., we require to have at all timesa clear view of the bottom, and a vase does not admit of this unless we look from above, the amount of refraction being very great at the base of the vessel. Hence, though marine stock may be well kept in vases, it must be borne in mind that such vessels are far inferior as to the means of inspection to rectangular tanks.

It is also important to bear in mind that marine stock invites the use of the microscope in a greater degree than river specimens, and a flat-sided vessel is the only one which affords proper facilities for the application of a magnifier to its contents.

Stained Glass.—But there is a still more important matter requiring notice here. We are indebted to that accurate observer, Mr. Warington, for valuable information on the effects of light upon certain forms of sea weeds, and his mode of overcoming this is by passing light through variously coloured media. It can easily be understood, that plants, whose natural habitat is at a considerable depth beneath the surface of the ocean, bear exposure to the full daylight very indifferently, and that some special arrangements are necessary in order to cause the solar rays to fall upon them as nearly as possible in the same manner as in the twilight recesses from which they have been removed. This is accomplished by fitting that side of the tank, which is intended to be placed next the window, with a sheet of glass stained of a soft sea green, and the softened light, so admitted to the tanks, promotes the healthy growth of the Algæ, and very materially increases the beauty of the vessel as seen from the other side. Mr. Lloyd, whose ripe experience evertakes the most practical turn, has adopted this plan of construction, and strongly recommends it for every vessel intended for the reception of marine stock. Where it is desired to stock a vessel, in which the back plate is composed of colourless glass, with marine products, a substitute for coloured glass will be found indiaphanie; but the paper chosen for the purpose should be of the lightest shade of sea green, because it is less transparent than stained glass. In stocking vases, this plan of staining the side next the window, is to be strongly recommended, no less for securing a healthy vegetation than of enlivening the beauty of the collection. I have used for this purpose, the paper and varnish prepared by Messrs. Faudel and Phillips, of Newgate Street, and can commend it for cheapness, and the ease with which it can be applied.

Another point deserving of note is, that marine aquaria need a less depth of water than river collections:—For purposes of study, a number of glass dishes or milk-pans, will be found preferable to any kind of tank, or vase, especially for Zoophytes, though fishes and crustaceans require more room than mere bowls would afford them. In fact, the lower forms of marine life may be kept for many months without the help of sea weeds, if placed in shallow vessels—the absorption of oxygen, at the surface, being quite equal to their demand upon the water.

In all other respects, what has been already said on the subject of vessels must be understood to apply to all kinds of aquaria; the rectangular tank, and the bell glass, are the two leading forms, and to them I shall always refer when speaking of the tank in a general sense.

CHAPTER II.

FITTING UP—MATERIALS FOR THE BOTTOM.

Coarse sea sand and pebbles, all well washed, make the best bottom; but if sea sand is not to be conveniently obtained, common silver or gritty river sand will answer every purpose, if washed until they cease to stain the water. Most writers on aquaria—Mr. Gosse especially—condemn silver sand, but I find it a most suitable material: its appearance is cleanly, and it only requires frequent washing in fresh water to fit it for the purpose. In the water-pipe which runs along the wall to supply the kitchen, I have had a hole pierced to form a jet, and this I find of great service in many aquarian operations, and especially in washing sand and pebbles. Where this can be done conveniently, or where the pan containing the materials to be washed can be placed under a tap turned on so as to drip rapidly, the washing can be accomplished with very little trouble, and the materials can remain for a week or two, being stirred up occasionally to hasten the dissolution of solvent matters. The sand should have a depth of two or three inches on the floor of the vessel, and above it should be placed a layer of pebbles, also well washed. The little white pebbles found among gravel look bright and pretty, and if the aquarian is also a lover of the garden, he will turn up plenty of them in digging, so as to keep a supply at hand for use when wanted. The pebbles are not essential, but the sand is, because many of the creatures delight in burrowing, and musthave opportunity afforded them of living their own life in a state of confinement.

Rock workis generally considered an essential of a marine tank, but experience has convinced me that the less we have of it the better. I have, in describing the fresh water tank, given instructions for its formation, and here desire only to caution the beginner to repress, as much as possible, any desire for mimic arches, caves, and grottos. In the first place, it must be remembered, that every cubic foot of rock work displaces a cubic foot of water, and reduces the capabilities of the tank for supporting a number of creatures. The more rock the less water, and the less water the fewer animals. Beside this, it is questionable if the use of cement of any kind is advisable; free lime may be expected to dissolve out of it, however much seasoning it may have previous to the introduction of the stock; and as marine creatures are more delicately constituted than fresh water ones, the subsequent loss of many may fairly be attributed to the presence of cement.

In the place of built-up arches, a few rough pieces of stone tastefully disposed at the bottom may be made to produce a good effect: a rough block of granite, or a stem of branching coral in the centre will be far preferable, except for vessels of large size, in which pyramids and arches may be less objectionable. It must be borne in mind, however, that rock work in some form or other is useful, as affording shelter and shade to such animals as love seclusion, and that, in a well managed tank, the rough blocks often get coated with a vegetable growth thatincreases the strength of the collection, and adds very much to its beauty. In this matter, the mischief arises out of the desire of beginners to display more ornament than is consistent with the nature of the case.

The water, of course, may be obtained direct from the sea, and should, if possible, be dipped in mid-channel. Shore water is not altogether objectionable, for where we find the greater part of our specimens it is evident the water must be suitable for them. In fact, I have found water that I have brought from the sea-side in jars serve just as well as that supplied by the steamer from the open sea; but near the mouth of a river it would be found unsuitable, as it would, also, from any parts of the coast where land springs abound. Earthenware vessels are the best for the conveyance of sea-water and specimens, but if a large quantity be required, a new cask should be used, and the greatest care taken to have it stopped with a new bung, and conveyed quickly to its destination. Mr. Gosse recommends a cask of fir-wood if it can be procured, "the wood of the oak, of which wine casks are usually made, gives outtanninorgallic acidto the contained water, which by its astringency, converts the animal integuments into leather." In fact, our poor anemones get their hides tanned if any vegetable bitter comes into contact with the water in which they are to be kept. I make it a rule to filter sea water through charcoal before using it; this is not essential if the water appears bright, but is, at least, a precautionary process that may have its advantages.

Artificial Wateris now used so extensively as to justify some special remarks here upon it. It must beunderstood that where real sea water can be easily obtained, as at spots near the coast, it is undoubtedly the best, though, in some respects, the artificial preparation is preferable, because less liable to certain eccentric changes of constitution, which will fall under our attention further on. Sea-water contains the spores of plants, and the germs of many forms of animal life which may have development in the tank, and when these births occur, it is a special gratification to the possessor. But such germs may also decay, and cause putrescence; and if a tank is neglected, the water is liable to get cloudy, the stones black, the sides of the vessel semi-opaque, and the animals diseased. Death soon sets his black seal on the undertaking when such a state of things occurs, and the collection, however costly or well formed at first, may be lost. Now such misfortunes as these are preventible, as it will be my duty to show presently, but I here call attention to the fact, that artificial sea-water is muchless liableto get out of condition from the very absence of organic matter, which on first reflections, we should regard as a disadvantage. Thus, the prepared material has certain advantages over the natural; we lose the chance of rearing new additions to the stock through the introduction of minute organic germs; but incur no danger of those same germs perishing and polluting the bright lymph.

But artificial water is quite unsuited for animal life of any kind, until it has been brought into condition by means of growing weeds for eight or ten days, and for crustacea, star fishes, and fishes proper, it is not suitable till it has been in use for many months, and even thensome species lose their health in it, and at last perish. But for anemones of all kinds, many mollusks and crustaceans, and some other forms to be presently described, artificial water does well, and improves daily if properly managed. Unless, therefore, the aquarian is bent upon domesticating the rarer and more delicate sea specimens, he may avail himself of the aid of the chemist, and manufacture sea-water from the river or the pump.

Composition of Marine Salts.—The limited space of this work will not enable me to enter upon the consideration of the chemistry of this question so fully as I have done in "Rustic Adornments;" nor, perhaps, is it necessary here to do more than point out the simplest method of procedure. There are at least seven ingredients besides water, used in the natural laboratory, but the chemist dispenses with some of these, and finds every purpose served by using a selection of the chief of them. The composition of sea water is as follows:—

Mr. Gosse, in July 1854, communicated to the "Magazine of Natural History" the results of experiments in the imitation of this composition, and a formula for theartificial preparation of sea-water. In the fictitious preparation the component salts were reduced to four, so that no less than three of the original ingredients were dispensed with. If the reader will note in what minute quantities the bromide of magnesium, the sulphate and carbonate of lime occur, and at the same time bear in mind that river and spring waters always contain a considerable proportion of the last-mentioned ingredient, it will be easily understood that the absence of those materials in the preparation does not materially affect its value. The preparation on Mr. Gosse's plan is composed as follows:—

The recipe may be given in another form to avoid the perplexity of avoirdupoise and troy weights, thus:—

Management of Artificial Water.—When the salts are ready, it is best to mix them in an earthern pan or jar, and allow them to settle and refine for a day or two. To dissolve them in the tank is decidedly a bad plan, though it is daily recommended by the dealers. Any one who will dissolve a portion in a clean bell glass, and allow it to stand for a week, using the clearest water, and adding nothing but the salts, will observe, at the end of that time, a minute gritty deposit, similar to iron rust, mixedwith minute fragments of sand. This deposit proves that the chemicals we obtain are not pure; and, perhaps, it is not desirable that excessive purity should be obtained, but it certainly is desirable to keep such matters out of the tank. When the salts have been stirred up once or twice, so as to dissolve them thoroughly, test them for the last time with the hydrometer, till it registers 1.027 or thereabouts; it may safely range from 1.026 to 1.028 without interfering with the success of the experiment. Hydrometers, registered for sea-water, are not everywhere obtainable, and the specific gravity-bulb, sold by Mr. Lloyd, for a shilling, answers the purpose just as well. Mr. Cox, of 100, Newgate Street, has lately supplied me with an hydrometer of a register of 1.000 to 1.050, made in Paris—the cost was seven shillings. I prefer it to the bulb because it can be put to other uses.

A Caution to the Uninitiated.—Some beginners have attempted the preservation of marine specimens in solutions of common bay-salt, and have expressed surprise that they perish rapidly in a solution of salt obtainedfrom the sea. Anyone at all acquainted with chemistry would readily predict, that there could be no more certain way of killing the creatures than the adoption of such a plan of preserving them. When bay-salt is prepared, many of the more soluble materials, chloride of magnesium especially, remain behind in the mother liquor, because the chloride of sodium crystallizes first, hencebay-salt alone does not produce sea-water; we must have the aid of the experienced chemist, or turn chemists and prepare it for ourselves.

Those not experienced in chemical manipulations may find some difficulty in obtaining and weighing accurately the several ingredients; and I should advise them to purchase the preparation sold by Mr. Bolton, of 146, Holborn Bars. This merely requires to be dissolved according to the instructions just given. Mr. Bolton has given minute attention to the preparation of the salts, and is now improving them by compounding with them the minute quantities of the more subtle ingredients, which were originally omitted by Mr. Gosse. The salts are sold in packets, at the rate of three gallons for a shilling; a price which must be considered reasonable when we consider the purity of the article, and the care taken in its manufacture.

Filtering.—When the salts are well mingled with the water, pass the liquid, through a filter, into the tank, which is supposed to have been already well-seasoned, and furnished with a bottom of sand and pebbles, and any ornaments that may be deemed necessary. A bee glass, with a bit of sponge thrust into the orifice, is a convenient form of filter, but if such a thing is not at hand, take anoldflower pot, and wash it quite clean, thrust a piece of sponge through the hole in the bottom, and throw into it a handful of powdered charcoal. This may be suspended above the tank, or stood on two slips of wood, and filled from time to time, till the whole of the water has been passed through it.

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