The family aquarium; or, Aqua vivarium ..being a familiar and complete instructor upon the subject of the construction, fitting-up, stocking, and maintenance of the fluvial and marine aquaria .. . n obvi-ous reason. The plants in an Aquarium are chiefly desira-ble for their ability to purify the water by oxygenizing whose leaves lie on the surface, or rise above it,necessarily waste upon the atmosphere just so much of theoxygen they exhale, while those that live wholly sub-merged diffuse all their vitalizing property where it is mostneeded. When ornament and utility may be combined in
The family aquarium; or, Aqua vivarium ..being a familiar and complete instructor upon the subject of the construction, fitting-up, stocking, and maintenance of the fluvial and marine aquaria .. . n obvi-ous reason. The plants in an Aquarium are chiefly desira-ble for their ability to purify the water by oxygenizing whose leaves lie on the surface, or rise above it,necessarily waste upon the atmosphere just so much of theoxygen they exhale, while those that live wholly sub-merged diffuse all their vitalizing property where it is mostneeded. When ornament and utility may be combined inany plant the acme of essential service is at once reachedin its employment in the Aquarium ; when that is impos-sible, mere beauty must be sacrificed on the altar of thepractical. The Potamogeton natans, has a broad, green, pointed leaf,and might be mistaken for a lily. Occasionally we meeta P. natans with brown, ovate leaves, floating on leaf-stalks rooted at the bottom. This makes a good resting-place for the little Tritons, or Water Newts, and for simi-lar animals that require now and then an introduction tothe atmospheric air. The P. densus is a small plant 3 60 THE FxVMILY Potamogeton densus—(Pond-weed.) with waved leaves attached to the stem opposite eachother. The P. Crispus has a reddish stalk with brownish^green leaves, and adapts itself to any vessel. The onlyobjection that may be urged to the best of these Pond-Weeds is the relish for them manifested by the Molluscswhich an Aquarium demands (as will be seen by and by), tokeep it in wholesome order. The little creatures willleave all other plants to feed on these, and thus soon de-stroy their beautiful appearance. THE FRESH-WATER AQrARIUM. 51 No. 10. Water-weed. This is one of the most prefer-able of all aquatic plants for an Aquarium. It belongsto ponds and sluggish streams, and grows so easily and isso prolific that, if cut off, and thrown into a tank, it willsoon fill up all the space that may be dev
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1858
