• Getting Started with an Aquarium

• Aquarium Maintenance

• Selecting and Preparing Goldfish

• Planting Aquatic Plants in the Aquarium

• Scavengers for Pools and Aquariums

• Varieties of Scavengers

Return to Home Page

Scavengers are the Sanitation Department of pool and aquarium. They keep them tidy and the water sweet by consuming excess algae as it forms on plants and on the sides of pool or aquarium, and by consuming fish offal, scraps of food, or even dead fish that sink to the bottom unobserved.

Snails

The term scavenger is practically synonymous with snail, for snails do the bulk of the work. There are other scavengers which do fairly well, but they are insufficient without snails.

Snails also serve as a living meter which indicates any drastic chemical changes taking place in pool or aquarium. A slightly acid condition of water, healthy for goldfish, causes the shell of a snail to become pitted and scored. That will be your indication of a healthy pool. Extremely acid water, dangerous to fish, will first kill snails.

If snails cling to the surface rim of pool or aquarium for as long as a day, the water may be out of balance. If you investigate and find the water foul, change it. If the water is not cloudy and has no odor, assume that the snails are objecting to acidity or to an exceptionally high oxygen content. Neither of these developments is dangerous to fish.

Breeding of Snails

Even though snail breeding is a quick and simple procedure, few find it worth doing since snails seldom need replacement and are quite inexpensive. If you want to breed a few, however, set aside an aquarium or bowl which has been used long enough to acquire a pretty good growth of algae. If you must use a new container, transfer to it some of the water and algae from pool or aquarium.

Snails deposit eggs on plants and on the walls in gelatinous masses about as large as a thumbnail. Start a brood by plucking the eggbearing plants and dropping them into the container you have prepared or by transferring a few adult snails. Eggs left where fish can get them will usually be eaten. If the fish do not get the eggs, then they will eat the young snails of most species as soon as they appear.

Eggs hatch in three weeks. Sprinkle flour or pulverized fish food into the brood container, and remove the adults at that time so they won’t eat all the food. When the young snails are large enough to move around (after a week or two), feed them lettuce, cabbage, melon rinds, tomato peelings, bananas, cooked spinach, or practically any other fruit or vegetable scraps you have.

Return to Aquariums

AFRICAN PAPER SHELL SNAIL. A prettily formed snail of medium size, of somewhat flattened shape, with attractive brown markings on a horncolored background. One of the better ones, a good scavenger and one that won’t attack aquatic plants. If you breed snails, include this one, for it is easy and quite useful. Every time you clean your pool you will find empty shells of this species, for it is comparatively short-lived.

AUSTRALIAN RED SNAIL. One of the smaller species, with a conchshaped shell, bright orange-red. Very useful, of average hardiness, and reproduces in pool or aquarium without special conditions.

JAPANESE SNAIL. Also called Great Japanese Snail, Trapdoor Snail. One of the largest and one of the best scavengers, often grows to the size of a golf ball, is very hardy, and has a long life. The pea-sized progeny are bom alive, too big for fish to eat.

POTOMAC SNAILS. Resembles the Japanese Snail except for three brown stripes running parallel to the spiral of the shell, and sometimes sold as such, but is far inferior. Practically inactive, and does little good.

LIMPET. Small snail about the size of a match head, with flat, semitransparent shell, rather attractive. Turns up occasionally in pools and aquariums, sometimes in considerable number, having apparently gotten there as a stowaway on some newly purchased aquatic plant. Do what you like with limpets, for they are as harmless as they are useless.

POND SNAIL. Small, dark snail hardly as large as the end of a little finger. Easily identified because the spiral of the shell is the reverse of that of most other snails, might be called “the snail with the left-hand thread.” Breeds prolifically, and the hard shells of the very young protect them from fish. Called the best of all the scavengers, a busy and thorough feeder. The small size enables it to move easily among the more slender plant stems in search of algae, feeding locations that other snails are usually too large and too heavy for.

RED RAMSHORN. Also called Coral Snail, Copenhagen Red Snail. An excellent scavenger with a large, flattened, orange-red shell shaped like the horn for which it is named. Does quite well in pools, but is particularly popular for aquariums, where it can be seen. Considered the most handsome snail.

BLACK RAMSHORN. Black-shelled, medium-sized snail, similar in shape to the Red Ramshorn and just as good a scavenger. Quite common in European water gardens and aquariums, but somewhat scarce in the United States.

WHITE RAMSHORN. Similar to the Black Ramshorn, but with a white shell. Common in Europe, comparatively rare in the United States.

FRESHWATER MUSSEL. Two or three of these to every 10 gallons of water in an aquarium can do a great deal of good, for they live by extracting algae and other bits of living matter from the water around them. In an outdoor pool their use is questionable, for they die easily, and as they decompose they foul the water unless quickly consumed by snails. Dead mussels can quickly be spotted in an aquarium and removed, but in a pool, where several dozen of them would be required to do any good, they can easily decompose unnoticed. Even in an aquarium they are subject to some criticism, for they move ponderously, roiling the water and often uprooting aquatic plants.

FROG. I enjoy the sound of a frog in a pool, although many water gardeners consider them dangerous to fish. It is true that a frog can eat a fish almost as large as itself, but this possible danger is not necessarily serious. First the frog has to catch the fish, and that is a difficult feat unless the fish is one of the extremely slow-moving fancy breeds. We have thousands of frogs living in our commercial ponds, and don’t feel that we lose any appreciable amount of livestock to them. Frogs are worthless as scavengers, though often sold as such.

SALAMANDER. Another pool pet frequently cataloged as a scavenger, which it is not. It lives principally on insects and insect eggs. Its quick, darting movements around the border of a pool add a certain interest, and it does no harm.

TADPOLE. As aquarium scavengers, tadpoles have doubtful value. It doesn’t take them long to learn to eat food thrown to the fish, and then they are scavengers no longer. They are active and keep the sand bottom in constant turmoil. If they amuse you, have them, for they do no real harm.

WEATHERFISH. An interesting aquarium scavenger and a very good one, which inhabits the bottom of the aquarium, frequently burrowing into the sand as it feeds on matter that settles there. This constant burrowing makes it valuable in larger aquariums, where the sand might otherwise pack down too tight for plant roots to penetrate it easily. Although they grow several inches long, a 3- to 4-inch size is best, for they roil the water less and do not uproot the aquatics. They do their good work in pools, too, but, being bottom dwellers, cannot be seen.

Return to Aquariums

Many an interested amateur might have installed an aquarium of goldfish in the living room long ago if he had not been frightened by the idea that it entails a lot of expense, particularly the cost of an air pump which he has been told is necessary. Not so. Air pumps are used advantageously by pet-store operators who must crowd a lot of fish into limited quarters. Such pumps, however, certainly are not necessary for aquariums that are not overcrowded. Follow the capacity rule in stocking an aquarium, add a few oxygenating plants, place the aquarium where it can get the required sunlight, and you will have no need for a pump. Neither will you need a trickle of running water, another petstore device. In fact, either an air pump or running water can keep in constant turmoil an aquarium which otherwise would soon become well balanced.

Size and Style

Make your own choice. Personally, I have an aversion to most goldfish bowls because it annoys me to see the fish kept in small containers which are little more than prisons. If you buy a bowl, buy a big one, 10 or 12 inches in diameter, and do not overcrowd it. The keystone and the flat-sided types illustrated here are the most efficient designs you will find. If you choose a small container, do stock it accordingly, perhaps with only one fish.

Flat-sided, plate-glass aquariums are the easiest to keep clean, give you the best show, and are inexpensive, particularly if you can find one second-hand. Being fragile, they do not travel as safely as other household effects when a family moves. For this reason, aquariums show up frequently as used, but still usable, merchandise in second-hand stores, junk shops, and at auctions of household goods.

However, new aquariums of standard shapes and sizes are not expensive. Even aquariums which are custom built for some special scheme of decoration are reasonable enough.

How to Fix a Leaky Aquarium

An aquarium out of use for a long time will often leak when first filled again. If seepage at the seams is slight, throw a handful of mud into the water and stir it up. Then let it set overnight. If this fails, empty the aquarium and apply stiff, clean clay as caulking around the inside seams. Finally, if the aquarium continues to leak, empty it, wash it thoroughly, dry it, and then cover all cracks along the inside seams with a good grade of waterproof varnish or fill with plastic cement. Don’t try to repair a leaky aquarium while it is full by applying waterproofing solutions to the outside seams. This has never been known to work.

The Aquarium Floor

Covering for the floor of the aquarium is far more important than you might suppose. The ideal covering is sand of medium coarseness, the grade used for making concrete. This remains loose enough at all times for the roots of aquatic plants to spread and draw sustenance from it. Use a l- to 2-inch layer of it.

Fine sand packs down and becomes too hard for roots to penetrate. Coarse sand is to be avoided if the particles are large enough to hide fish droppings and bits of food. Such tiny scraps, if the snails or fish can’t find them, decompose and foul the water. For this same reason, pebbles, small stones, and marbles-regardless of how pretty they look -are to be avoided.

Now and then the sand will become dark and foul-smelling, for no apparent reason. More often than not, I suspect, this is a result of insufficient sunlight. Aquarium plants which get the required two hours usually do a good job of drawing enough food material from the aquarium floor to keep the sand sweet. Try giving the aquarium a little more sun if this trouble develops. In the meantime, the sand can be sweetened quickly by rinsing to remove all foreign matter, and then spreading it out on a newspaper to dry in the sunshine.

Return to Aquariums

Dressing up the aquarium with a bit of greenery is the next step. Some fanciers advise a plant for every square inch of aquarium floor. The plants need not be dispersed over the entire floor, of course, but can be arranged artistically in clumps and borders, much as marginal plants are arranged around an outdoor pool.

Others maintain that one aquatic plant for every 4 square inches of aquarium floor is enough. In my own aquariums, I plant at a rate about halfway between these two schools of thought, and mine are so balanced that they do not need frequent changes of water.

Disinfecting Aquatics

Before planting any aquatics in aquarium or pool, trim off all dead leaves and branches and examine each plant carefully for insects or eggs. You can play doubly safe, as I do, by immersing all new plantings of aquatics in disinfectant before introducing them to your pool or aquarium. I use household ammonia and water in a 1 to 50 mixture (4 teaspoons to 1 quart or 1 cup to 3 gallons) and let the plants soak in this for two hours.

Return to Aquariums

Age is not much of a factor with these breeds, for in an aquarium the lifespan ranges from 10 to 20 years. In outdoor pools, they often live beyond the age of 30 years.

The size of the hardy goldfish you select will also be a matter of personal choice. Remember that goldfish have the characteristic of adapting growth to surroundings. They grow slowly, if at all, in a small aquarium. The larger the aquarium or pool, the larger they will grow. The fancy breeds require a little shopping. Age is a factor with these fish, for their lifespan in an aquarium (few are considered hardy enough for outdoor pools) ranges from only 6 to 12 years.

Early or mid-autumn is a good time to buy these fancy breeds. A fancy fish 11/2 to 2 inches long (excluding tail) at that time will probably have been hatched only the preceding spring. At this age, they are ideal stock with which to start, big enough to stand the shock of being moved into a new aquarium, still so young that they do not yet show their distinctive tail and fin developments. If you are interested in fancy fish at all, you will undoubtedly want to see their growth from the very beginning.

Buy a fully developed fancy fish, by all means, if one catches your eye. But remember that once a fancy fish has achieved its most beautiful fin and tail forms, the remaining years will be declining years. Disinfect new goldfish, too, as you did the aquatics, before putting them into their new home. A two-hour swim in a solution of potassium permanganate, check with the pet shop for recommended amoutns, will kill almost any bacteria they may have brought along and also help them recover from the shock of moving.

Return to Aquariums

Scrub your aquarium with practically any preparation that cuts dirt well for you in other household jobs, and rinse it thoroughly before putting it back into service. Accumulated dirt and algae on the sides are best removed by scraping with a razor blade, then scrubbing with soap or detergent and water, with or without ammonia added. Use a plastic or copper sponge on the stubborn spots. Do not scour with sand or other abrasive, as this in time will dull the glass with hundreds of minute scratches.

Green Water

Whatever kind of an aquarium you have, the water will eventually take on a greenish color, the result of the growth of millions of tiny aquatic plants, mostly algae.

The air around you at this moment contains countless suspended spores of many kinds of plant life, each searching, as it were, for a combination of circumstances which will allow it to settle down and raise a family. The spores that fall and grow upon the moist face of a rock in dark, damp woods become moss. Those that settle on damp clothing and raise blotchy looking colonies we know as mildew. Others form mold on unprotected food. Some of the spores that fall into your aquarium and pool are those of algae, one of the more spectacular growers among spore-borne plants.

A certain greenness in the water is desirable. In an outdoor pool you can test the water for proper coloration, as I have suggested, by holding your hand about 12 inches below the surface. If the outline is barely discernible at that depth, the color of the water is perfect, indicating a good balance.

However, too much algae become unsightly before they are dangerous to fish, so if you ever have to deal with them there will be plenty of time to do so. When the aquarium water becomes practically opaque, try to find the cause.

An overcrowded aquarium is often the answer. Double-check the number and size of fish you have, and make sure your capacity calculations were correct. If overcrowding is the cause, the situation will right itself soon after a few fish have been removed.

Too much sunlight is another cause. Remember that the aquarium should get direct sun for only two hours a day. If it is getting more than two hours, and algae are too numerous, try cutting down the strength of the light by pasting white or colored tissue paper over the sunny side of the aquarium.

To kill algae, remove snails and tropical fish from the aquarium and drop in a bit of “fines” potassium permanganate. Figure the capacity of the aquarium water in cubic inches, divide by 231 to get the capacity in gallons, and allow 1/8 grain tablet to 1 gallon of water. Leave aquatic plants and goldfish in the aquarium during the treatment. It will do them good. The potassium permanganate will color the water purple. This will fade to lavender, to pale brown, but finally the water will clear. Excess algae will be gone, but will return if the situation which caused them has not been corrected.

Dying Algae

Keep your eye on any aquarium with an exceptionally heavy growth of algae, for under such circumstances the water will often undergo a chemical change which will kill off the whole algae mass. Once they begin to die, turning brownish yellow in the process, there is no stop- ping the process. Change the water immediately, for decomposing algae generate gases that kill goldfish.

If the chemical change takes place during the night, the goldfish will be pretty sick by the time you spot trouble in the morning. The change to fresh water will soon revive them.

Cloudy Water

Cloudy water in an aquarium, unless it is extremely overcrowded, is caused by only one process-decomposition. There may be a dead fish or snail, or accumulated bits of food. If cloudy water doesn’t smell sour by the time you notice it, it soon will. There is only one way to correct it and that is to change the water.

Return to Aquariums

• An Introduction to Goldfish

• History of Goldfish

• American goldfish

• Species and Varieties of Goldfish

• Feeding of Goldfish

• Maintaining the Ideal Temperature for Goldfish

• How Much Water Volume Does a Goldfish Require?

• How to Keep Goldfish Healthy

• Ailments of Goldfish

• Typical Goldfish Injuries

• Treatments for Ailing Goldfish

• Parasitic Enemies of Goldfish

• Insect Enemies of Goldfish

Return to Home Page

These are more of an annoyance than a danger to larger fish, but leeches can kill small fry. The white aquatic leech, about Vi inch long and slender, attaches itself to the bodies and gills of goldfish.

Give all affected fish the progressive salt-water treatment. Scrub the aquarium, disinfect it with a solution of 1 teaspoon of ammonia for every 5 gallons of water, and disinfect aquatic plants in the same solution.

LICE

Fish lice are flat, transparent, and about the size of a pinhead. If enough attach themselves to the body they can be fatal. Fish with lice will rub vigorously against any solid object they can find. The parasite’s blood-sucking, much like that of a mosquito’s, creates a red spot on the fish.

Treat the whole aquarium or the whole pool with potassium permanganate when lice are detected-the aquarium with 1/8 grain to the gallon, the pool at twice that strength. Two or three treatments, ten days apart, are necessary.

WHITE FUNGUS

This is a parasitic fungus present in almost all aquarium or pool water, but one which healthy fish easily resist. A run-down fish overcome by the fungus is marked by a white scum which appears first on tail and fins, and then spreads to the body. When it enters the gills, it kills the fish. Often goldfish die before the fungus gets to the gills.

White fungus is very contagious, for when a fish is overcome by it the pool or aquarium is soon filled with fungoid bacteria.

Remove all affected fish immediately and subject them to the saltwater treatment.

Insect and Other Enemies

DRAGON FLY LARVA

Dragon flies hovering over the water, darting here and there in the sun as they run down and eat tiny insects on the wing, add a touch of beauty to a pool. They are harmless, in themselves, but their larvae are vicious enemies of goldfish, particularly the small ones. They are equipped with a terribly efficient combination. First, they move by the expulsion of water from the rear ends of their bodies, which gives them lightning-fast, jetlike maneuverability. Secondly, they have sharp, pincerlike mandibles which kill quickly.

As with most insect pests, there is not much that can be done except to kill them-both adults and larvae-on sight.

GIANT WATER BUG

This fierce predator among goldfish is large, often 2 inches or more in length, and sometimes hard to find, for the dull red or olive-brown coloring blends in with surroundings. It also can live under water for long periods, as it submerges with a supply of air bubbles sticking to its body and need not surface until they are exhausted. It is capable of inflicting a bite that causes severe swelling, so exterminate it with care.

HYDRA

A transparent polyp, the hydra is 1/2 inch long when fully extended, a fraction of that when it contracts its body, which it does when disturbed. It anchors itself to something solid and waits for prey. It is a menace only to newly hatched fish, but disastrous among them. The hydra, with a cylindrical body, and with up to a dozen tentacles surrounding a mouth at the free end of the body, stupefies its prey with poison, then draws nourishment from it at leisure. To rid an aquarium of hydra, remove goldfish and snails, and fill with a solution of household ammonia and water, 1 teaspoon to every 5 gallons. Clean and re- fill the aquarium after two hours.

PREDACEOUS DIVING BEETLE

This pest is ferocious and destructive to a degree out of all proportion to its size, which is seldom more than 11/4 inches long. Sometimes this beetle is solid brownish-black; sometimes it has a narrow border of brownish-yellow.

It is dangerous, for it is as agile as it is ferocious, and successfully attacks goldfish many times its size. It is as much at home under water as on the surface because it submerges with a bubble of air which it holds at the tip of the abdomen, a supply which lasts a long time.

The life cycle is a difficult one to fight, too. Whereas most water beetles lay their eggs on water plants, where the fish eat them, the Predaceous Diving Beetle deposits eggs within the tissues of the plants. The larvae that hatch from them are fish killers, too.

Fortunately, these beetles are easily spotted, even in very large pools. Dip them out as you see them and destroy them.

SPEARMOUTH

This is the larva of the Water Scavenger Beetle, and it is as deadly an enemy to goldfish as the Water Tiger. The body is round and plump, often 3 inches long. It stalks, pounces, and sucks blood with the same hunting technique as the Water Tiger.

WATER BOATMEN AND BACK SWIMMERS

A couple of aquatic bugs which look alike in size, brown color, and shape, range in length between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Look at the bug carefully if you see one in your pool. If there are two pairs of legs, one pair of which is held out like a pair of oars, you need not bother. It is a Water Boatman, which the fish will eventually catch and eat. If the bug has three pairs of legs, destroy it. It is a Back Swimmer, which attacks snails and small fish and can even bite human beings. A small amount of kerosene added to the water will kill the Back Swimmer when it surfaces to breathe.

WATER MITE

This is a bright red, globe-shaped parasite which sometimes attaches itself to goldfish. It is not dangerous but a nuisance.

WATER SCAVENGER BEETLE

This has a fierce-looking pair of mandibles and short antennae and is often mistaken for the Predaceous Diving Beetle, which has long antennae. The two are similar in size, shape, and color. Although the scavenger is said to attack goldfish, it lives principally on decomposed plant and animal matter.

The larvae are definitely predatory. It is a good policy to destroy on sight any beetle found in the pool, and ask questions later if you wish.

WATER STRIDER

This is a predator, no more than an inch long, but nevertheless one that takes its toll. It rides the surface of the water and attacks snails and small fish as they expose themselves.

WATER TIGER

The Water Tiger, larva of the Predaceous Diving Beetle, is as predatory and savage as the adult. The larva is flat, spindle-shaped, brownishgray, and semitransparent, from 1/4 inch to nearly 3 inches long. It is dangerous at every stage of growth, a never ceasing hunter, stalking goldfish many times its size, pouncing, killing with mandibles, and then moving off in search of other victims. It lives and grows by the blood of its quarry.

To rid a pool of such pests, try trapping them in an umbrella-type minnow seine baited with a piece of red meat.

WHIRLIGIG BEETLE

Sometimes called Coffee Bug because it is the size and shape of a coffee bean; also known as Perfume Bug because of the faint but pleasant (to some) odor it emits. The shell is black. It is not much of an annoyance, but both bug and larvae are predaceous among small goldfish and snails, and it can bite painfully.

GENERAL THREATS

If any goldfish in your pool are struck down or removed in some mys- terious way, do not overlook the obvious in your search for the culprit. Remember that there are always small boys with powerful curiosity and pet cats with powerful appetites. Crawfish and frogs may find their way into your pool and live there unnoticed until some of the fish begin to disappear. The fancy, slow-moving fish are their easiest prey. Rats have a taste for goldfish, and they know how to catch them. All pool owners know that kingfishers, herons, and sandpipers catch and eat fish, but many have to learn the hard way that blackbirds often attack goldfish, too.

Return to Goldfish

CONSTIPATION

The excrement of a healthy fish is brown, usually in long sections, and without bubbles or slime. Any departure from this norm, particularly if coupled with sluggish behavior, indicates constipation. There are several easy cures. You can sprinkle a pinch of Epsom salts into the water every week as prevention, or give scrambled eggs (sprinkled with Epsom salts), chopped lettuce leaves, spinach, or chopped earthworms (smeared with castor oil) as laxative foods.

For more drastic cases, transfer the fish for two days to a solution consisting of 1/2 ounce of salt and 1/2 ounce of Epsom salts to 1 gallon of water

DROPSY

This ailment, which seems to be confined mostly to tropical and fancier breeds, is one of the worst, but comparatively rare. The affected fish seem well except that the body swells and the scales stand out at an angle, like the seeds of a pine cone. Fish may live several days with dropsy, but there is no known cure for it.

FIN CONGESTION

This is a common ill, especially among fancier breeds, for blood circulation is poor in filmy fin and tail surfaces, rendering them highly susceptible to ailment. Fins and tails become bloodshot, and in extreme cases split and fray.

This usually develops from overfeeding, cold water, sudden chill or other shock, or overcrowding.

The salt-water treatment for a couple days is best. Two days in the potassium permanganate solution is also good. Don’t feed the ailing fish at all during treatment, and reduce the diet somewhat after recovery.

GILL CONGESTION

This seems to be an advanced stage of gill fever which tends to attack fish about a year old and approximately 2 inches long. Gills swell, and the infection covers the throat with a grayish-white discoloration. Drop the fish into a strong salt solution-6 or 7 heaping teaspoons to 1 gallon-and leave it there until it collapses. Revive it in a receptacle in which running water will carry away the germs loosened by the salt treatment.

This is drastic treatment and does not insure recovery, but it is the only approach known.

GILL FEVER

This illness does not affect the amateur’s fish, but rather those of the commercial fish grower. It is prevalent among small fry up to five or six weeks old. Gills swell and become inflamed, and the fever kills within a few days. It is so contagious that when a commercial grower finds one fish affected he destroys all other fish living with it without further investigation.

SWIMMING BLADDER TROUBLE

Fish affected with swimming bladder trouble rest on the bottom of pool or aquarium, or hang upside-down, or at an angle near the surface, and move only with apparent effort. When the bladder is affected, they lose all sense of balance. Scaleless fish and fish with shortened bodies are the most susceptible.

These symptoms may also be caused by stomach gases formed by indigestion. Treat any fish with such symptoms for constipation. If that treatment does not cure, it is best to destroy the fish.

TAIL CONGESTION

The most common cause of this ailment is the shock experienced by fish when taken from the dealer’s aquarium to a new home. The base of the tail becomes densely bloodshot, and the congestion moves forward to other areas of the body. It is fatal unless checked. A cure can be effected quickly by the salt-water treatment.

TAIL ROT

This manifests itself in a splitting and ragged disintegration beginning at the end of tail and fins and moving toward the body. If it reaches the body it will be fatal.

Tail rot is quickly cured by the salt-water treatment. If the fins and tail of the recovered fish are unsightly, hold the fish down on a wet board and trim them with a sharp knife. Swab the trimmed edges with a potassium permanganate solution, 1/2 teaspoon of the chemical to an 8-ounce glass of water.

TUBERCULOSIS

This is serious and difficult to cure. Unless you are especially fond of the affected fish, it is best to destroy them. When so affected, a fish stops moving around, stops eating, and wastes away until the body has shrunken far out of proportion to the head. Consumptive fish, however, have been saved in various ways-by transferring them to green water with 1/2 ounce of salt per gallon, by moving them to a mud-bottom aquarium, or by putting them on a diet of scraped oyster, chopped earthworms, and scraped shrimp.

Injuries

EYE INFLAMMATION

Goldfish with telescopic eyes are more prone than others to injuries about the eye, and these injuries sometimes cause the whole eye to become inflamed.

Swab the inflammation with boric-acid solution, mixed at the same strength as prescribed on the box for human beings. Or use 1 part iodine and 9 parts glycerine. Usually a single application of either solution is sufficient.

Cuts, abrasions, and infections on goldfish are best treated by swabbing with kerosene, with the iodine-glycerine mixture, or with household Mercurochrome. Apply daily, and give the fish the salt-water treatment until it begins to recover.

The salt-water treatment alone usually helps a goldfish recover quickly from bruises.

LOST SCALES

A goldfish which loses scales in a fight or an accident will grow new ones in time, unless other injuries are too severe. The salt-water treatment for a day or so will give it a good start toward recovery.

Return to Goldfish