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MAKING OUR HOME BEAUTIFUL 221
and toads, are easily collected in any pond, or some of them may be purchased from dealers. In addition to their interesting habits, they are useful as scavengers, but unless they are large it will not do to introduce them into the aquarium with carnivorous fishes. In early spring the eggs may be collected and the young reared. The eggs of the frogs are laid in gelatinous masses, those of the toad in long strings.
Young turtles are interesting, but the most of them are better adapted to moist terraria than to the ordinary aquarium, as they need to have some way of climbing out of the water. The soft-shelled or fresh-water leather turtle is more aquatic. than other species, and does not climb out often, but must have loose sand in which it occasionally buries itself.
Young alligators are frequently brought from Florida, but it should be made a punishable offense to do so, for sooner or later they die unless special care is taken to provide them with heat and sunlight.
The temperature of the ordinary living room in winter is too low for young alligators, as they require 80 to 85 degrees for their best development, and should not be allowed to drop below 75 degrees. Below this temperature they become sluggish and chilled and refuse to eat.
The pond and river species of crayfishes are well suited to the small aquarium. Those from the mountain streams and cold springs are harder to keep on account of the difficulty of maintaining a sufficiently low temperature during the warm months. They should not be kept with fish smaller than themselves, for they sometimes make too good use of their large pincers. They should be provided with some sort of a retreat in the form of rockwork or stones under which they can hide part of the time on bright days, as they are more or less nocturnal in habit. Some species will climb readily among the water weeds.
Animals that Will Live Well Together
In general it may be said that all herbivorous fishes can be kept together safely, and carnivorous species should be about the same size when kept in the same tank, though even |
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