| In the eyes of the non-diving public, the underwater | | | | Anywhere there's water there's life, and much of it |
| hunter is a guy who walks out of the water with a | | | | can be transplanted to the aquarium environment with |
| spear, a mask, a big wide grin, and a big dead fish. To | | | | great success. Actually, the limitations are more often |
| a degree, the picture is an accurate one: certainly | | | | set by preconceptions than by nature. To the average |
| big-game hunting has always been and continues to | | | | aquarist, the only fish that seem appropriate for life in a |
| be an important aspect of the sport. | | | | glass tank are fresh-water topicals. Period. |
| But in recent months there has been an enormous | | | | The skin-diver is just as likely to think in terms of a few |
| upsurge of interest in small-game hunting for | | | | marine species only. Both frames of reference are |
| specimens that are caught and kept, and not killed. Not | | | | unnecessarily narrow. Good aquarium fish can be |
| too long ago only a few of the hundreds of aquarists' | | | | found in most of the coastal areas of the U. S., and |
| clubs in the U. S. had one or two divers as members. | | | | even the inland waters contain interesting and beautiful |
| Today there are several societies composed entirely | | | | candidates for the home set-up. |
| of diver-aquarists, and several thousand unaffiliated | | | | There are a few factors to consider before you start |
| collectors who have found that the aquarium hobby | | | | bagging tenants for a tank. Most species that swim |
| opens up a big and practically virgin territory in the | | | | out in the open do relatively poorly in restricted |
| underwater world. | | | | aquarium surroundings, and should generally be |
| No one has a better opportunity to see and collect | | | | avoided. Choose varieties that swim close to the |
| exceptional specimens than the skin or scuba diver. In | | | | bottom, in the protective cover of kelp or coral, or in |
| fact divers whose contact with underwater life has | | | | and around submerged objects. |
| sharpened their interest and observation sometimes | | | | Consider also the fish's size. Really big or even fairly |
| know more about the subject than land-locked marine | | | | big species are unsuitable, of course, but young |
| biologists; more than one diver has come up with a | | | | examples of medium-sized species are sometimes |
| new species that's totally unknown to the | | | | more appropriate than they may seem: aquarium life |
| professionals. Anyone who spends his time exploring | | | | has the effect of stunting growth, because fish tend |
| down under gets an intimate knowledge of submarine | | | | not to outgrow their environment. |
| life that translates into a head start in learning the arts | | | | The equipment used to collect fish can be as simple |
| of the aquarist. | | | | as a wide-necked glass jar or a small hand net. Best |
| Divers discover through direct observation what | | | | of the latter is a long-handled butterfly net made of |
| environment various species require, what they eat, | | | | nylon marquisette or mosquito netting, and held still in |
| how they nest and spawn, what kind of cover they | | | | the water so that it flows out with the current. |
| like to live in, and so on. | | | | When fish swim into it (which they're more likely to do |
| Still, the diver who wants to maintain his underwater | | | | if there's some crushed-shellfish bait nearby), the trap |
| acquisitions in an aquarium has a number of new skills | | | | is locked by turning the handle 90 degrees. Another |
| to learn. Killing fish is usually easier than collecting them; | | | | tool is the slurp gun, which consists of a piece of metal |
| and collecting them is often easier than keeping them | | | | or plastic tubing about two feet long and with a 1 1 |
| alive. But the result is worth some effort. As trophies | | | | 2-inch bore, with a tire-pump rod and plunger added to |
| go, a well-kept aquarium stocked with beautiful, thriving | | | | provide vacuum and suction. |
| fish can't begin to be matched by taxidermy's best. | | | | Many beautiful species of fish can be caught and kept |
| Where, What and How to Collect | | | | alive using this equipment. |