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The Fresh-Water Aquarium

THERE are, as may be imagined, considerable differences between this and the former aquarium, not only in the inhabitants, but in the arrangements. As to the vessel or tank we need not dilate; the same precautions may be applied to the fresh as to the salt-water receptacle. But there is one essential particular, and that is, you must boil the river-sand or pebbles, &c., which you place in the tank. This process will kill all vegetable or objectional growth about the stones; and when bringing in pond or river-plants, do not bring in clay or mud attached to the roots. It is not necessary to their existence. Give them a foothold on a stone and they will keep themselves. No drinking water should be used in an aquarium; we mean no pump water or well water. Draw your supplies from a river, or pond, if there be no stream convenient. "Hard" water will never do. Of course clean rain-water will. No incongruous objects should be placed in your tanks. Rock work is not necessary, nor are sea-shells or such things useful for this aquarium. Some vegetation is necessary, for the plants throw off oxygen which is consumed by the fish and other animals, which in turn give off carbonic acid gas to feed the plants. So have plants such as the soldier-plant, the frog-bit, or the vallisneria and water-crowfoot. These will ordinarily suffice, but a few dwarf water-lilies will look pretty.

For living inhabitants we need not go far. The nearest pond will supply us at first. Here we shall find the newt or eft, which can be easily taken with a worm or hand-net. It is a perfectly harmless animal and at times very pretty. The minnow is a pretty little fish, but there are objections to the stickleback, which is extremely pugnacious and will kill the small fish; if they cannot fight with their enemies they will fight each other, and eventually meet the fate of the celebrated Kilkenny cats. But they are most interesting creatures to watch, and the manner in which they build their nests is very curious. The perch is a very pretty inhabitant, while the miller's-thumb or bull-head, the eel, the gold and silver carp, the lampern, which is found in most rivers, and many other creatures which will recommend themselves after the reader has consulted a book on the aquarium. There are numerous fresh-water crustacea which can be easily procured. Of these the water-snail will be found very useful, the water-beetle (Hydrous piscus) will also do for us. Water spiders and the boatman-beetle, are easy to procure in the ponds. The water-spider remains for a long time beneath the surface. It carries down a supply of air and, when that is exhausted, it comes to the surface again. It is very interesting to watch--for it makes its nest in a curious way. The observer can see it take down a bubble of air, like a tiny globe of quicksilver, and so expand its web.

The water-scorpion is allied to the water-boatman, but it has no sting, as you might fancy from the name. It is a very voracious insect. There are several molluscs, fresh-water snails, limpets, &c., which, as well as caddis-worms, the young naturalist can find in the ditches and ponds of his native parish.

We cannot, in the limited space at our command, attempt to give any description of the various insects which the collector can utilize for his aquarium. We should therefore recommend our reader to procure a good handbook on Aquaria, and make himself acquainted with all the details which this necessarily brief paper has, we trust, served to introduce him to.