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"Balanced salt water aquariums are as easily made and kept as those of fresh water. Of course they must be filled with sea water fresh from the sea and all the inhabitants must be the young of various sea creatures, such as crabs starfish, shrimps, and anemones. The plant life also must be the varieties that flourish in the sea, and where possible I believe in taking the pebbles and sand from a sea washed beach.

"Beginners must be careful about two points. First, in making aquariums they must not overcrowd them by trying to have too many fish for the volume of water. Second, they must not overfeed their pets. Failure to observe these two rules causes more trouble than all other points connected with the making and care of aquariums.

"In a balanced aquarium the daily care consists in feeding the fish with prepared wafers, dried ants' eggs, or fish food. Fish should never be fed more than they will eat up clean at the time.

"Fortunately fish are subject to few diseases. The amateur has only to remember that salt water is the cure-all for sick fish. If a fish is out of health and the trouble is caused neither by overcrowding nor by overfeeding, a five minutes bath in salt water every day for a week will in nine cases out of ten restore it to its usual good health and spirits.

"All that is necessary to catch the sick fish is a small net that can be conveniently handled in the aquarium. Though I have been making aquariums of different sorts ever since I was a small country girl, I still use a net and avoid touching the inmates with my hands unless it is positively necessary.

"When I catch my own fish from their native waters I use a small net, very little larger than the one used in the aquariums, and a minnow bucket. These are my only tools.

"I find a ready sale for all the aquariums I have time to make after filling my special orders. Of course there are seasons when the demand is more brisk than others. When those times come I always have a dozen aquariums on hand which I have stocked either for my own satisfaction or to try some new theory."

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