Marine biology -- Great Britain; Seashore; Seashore biology
As long as the outdoor work is in progress temporary aquaria will be
very useful as a means by which the objects collected may be sorted and
stored until a final selection is made for the permanent tank. These
temporary aquaria may consist of jars or earthenware pans of any kind,
each containing a few small tufts of weed, preferably attached to pieces
of rock, and a layer of sand or gravel from the beach.
As such temporary aquaria will, as a rule, be within a convenient
distance from the sea-side where the collecting is being done, there
will be, we presume, no great difficulty in the way of obtaining the
frequent changes of water necessary to keep the animals and plants in a
healthy condition, so that we need do no more now than urge the
importance of avoiding overcrowding, and of renewing the water
frequently for the purpose of supplying the air required for the
respiration of the inmates.
When it is desired to isolate small species in such a manner that their
movements may be conveniently observed, glass jars answer well; but
whatever be the form or size of the vessels used, care must be taken to
avoid excess of both light and heat. They should be kept in a cool
place, quite out of the way of direct sunshine, and the glass vessels
used should be provided with a movable casing of brown paper to exclude
all light except that which penetrates from above.
Even temporary aquaria, used merely for the purpose suggested above,
should be carefully watched, for a single day’s neglect will sometimes
result in the loss of several valuable captives. A dead animal should be
removed as soon as it is discovered to avoid the unpleasant results
arising from the putrefaction of its body. The appearance of a scum or
film on the surface of the water should always be regarded with
suspicion. Such a scum should be removed with the aid of absorbent
paper, since it tends to prevent the absorption of oxygen from the air;
and, should the water be tainted in the slightest degree, it should be
changed at once, or, if this is not practicable, air should be driven
into it for some time by means of a syringe with a very fine nozzle.
Such precautions, however, are not so urgently needed when the aquarium
contains crustaceans only, for the majority of these creatures suffer
less than others in the tainted sea water, some even being apparently
quite as comfortable in this as in a supply fresh from the sea.
Sea-weeds exhibiting the slightest tendency to decay must be removed at
once; and, as regards the feeding of the animals, one must be careful to
introduce only as much food as is required for immediate use, so that
there be no excess of dead organic matter left to putrefy. Some of the
marine animals obtained from our shores feed entirely on the minute and
invisible organisms that are always present in the sea water, and others
subsist principally on certain of the weeds. Many, however, of a more
predaceous disposition, capture and devour living prey, while some, and
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