1 comments about Pufferfish (Practical Fishkeeping).

1. This book addresses so many different puffer species and is only 64 pages long. The problem is that it doesn't go greatly into depth about any one particular species. Especially, the one I have and am interested in. It talks about breeding (if it can even be done in an aquarium), proper water parameters for each fish, diets, habitat, sex differences, size, and latin names are also give for each fish. Definitely a beginner's guide. Oh yeah, and there are also tons of pictures, at least one of each species described.

5 comments about Your First Marine Aquarium (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. This book features plenty of details on which marine fish and invertebrates can coexist. This book also has material on successful marine aquarium management. If you are considering to begin keeping a saltwater aquarium, this book is a nice guide.



2. Wonderful book as an "introduction" to the world of starting and maintaining a salt water aquarium. It is excellent in giving anyone who is think of starting a tank the basics of set-up and more importantly, what to expect as the tank matures. My 75 gallon tank is now 4 months old and has done great right from the start in large part due to the knowledge I gained from this book.



3. Strengths: Good beginners' guide, including a 30 gallon tank setup, start-to-finish. Reasonable "fish compatibility" guide.
   Weaknesses: Brief; the description of fishes/invertebrates for stocking your tank is pretty short. The salinity calculation is more complex than it needs to be, and lighting advice is dated.

   John Tullock advocates a setup with lots of live rock, and with a protein skimmer. This is the preferred saltwater setup nowadays, as it sets up a mini-environment for your fish. He closes the book with a walk-through of a 30 gallon "mini-reef" setup, including curing live rock yourself (if you don't live where a local fish store stocks pre-cured live rock), which also includes fish recommendations.




4. Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop until I was done. I have fairly good experience keeping a fresh water tank but I never had a marine one, or for that matter I never read anything about it. This was my first book on the subject and I found it to have
   all necessary information to get me familiar with what is required to start a marine tank and how involved is the process of maintaining it. The step-by-step guide on who to setup a mini-reef tank is also very helpful. I also liked the explanation of different filtration systems (Berlin, Smithsonian, Monaco).
   The book has more text than photos so it might appear a little bit overwhelming. But that is good because the text gives good information and is well written. Not that this book doesn't have any pictures, it does have good ones, but there are some pages that are just text.
   All in all I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting a marine aquarium. This book will tell you if that is something you can commit to or not. And if you choose to do it, this book would definitely be valuable as a reference.



5. I purchased this book as a "first exposure" to keeping a saltwater fish and reef tank.
   It presented a bit wordy for someone unfamiliar to saltwater--and that turned me off right away. There didn't seem enough information to really get started, but too much for a beginner, if that makes sense. His other book "Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms" (while it did have a very long introduction story) was much better in this respect (it had a Step-by-Step Starter Reef section that I think would have belonged in this book instead.) While "Your First Marine Aquarium" may look like a typical beginners book that you might take home with a tank and equipment, I don't think it covers enough slowly, basically, and simply to serve in this capacity.
   Let me interject here that it is full of good pictures and has some useful reference tables.
   After reading both of these books, I still don't understand the exact mechanism or technique of feeding either corals or marine fish--something I think is very basic and always simply covered in freshwater literature. If I had picked it up and looked this book over in the store, I would have put it back and bought his other book "Natural Reef Aquariums..." instead.

1 comments about Corals Complete Owner's Manual.

1. Having used Tullock's "Reef Aquarium" book extensively, I expected this book to focus on corals specifically. Instead it spends an inordinate amount of time on water conditions, lighting, and other "generic" marine aquarium topics. In fact, only the last 1/4 of the book actually focuses on corals. While the book is helpful and certainly Tullock's knowledge is extensive, the book falls short of its title and ranks poorly compared to other books dedicated to the care of Corals.

2 comments about The Guide to Owning Discus.

1. I read this book two years ago and it was the most important literature that helped me to get started. This is an ideal book for the beginner



2. I've read several Discus books, some really good ones from Bernd Degen, and I really didn't like this one. It doesn't focus on anything at all and it has no hints about keeping them (despite the sub-title in the front page) beside temperature. Some average pictures after all, from the TFH archive.

3 comments about The Guide to Owning Guppies.

1. This book does lean heavily toward being a brochure for "Gan Aquarium Fish Farm" in Singapore who provided the majority of the guppy photos. It is still a worthwhile book if you are starting out with setting up an aquarium and wish to pursue raising guppies. The author covers all the basics such as the tank setup, water quality, heating, feeding and even breeding. Note the book is only 64 pages and is a quick and easy read for beginners and does cover all the necessary aspects of caring for guppies.



2. I found this book to be most helpful in setting up an aquarium and maintaining water quality. It also gives great tips and insight into what look for in keeping your guppy healthy and with breeding. The color photographs were a great tool. The book was not too advanced and never got too technical like others I've read.



3. Only buy this book if you want to see pictures of Guppies raised by the Gan Fish Farm in Singapore. Of 55 pictures of Guppies in this book, 35 are Gan Fish and 17 are from some guy named Tanaka. That leaves only 3 pictures of other guppies. This book should have been a sales brochure for Gan and Tanaka. None of the Guppy pictures are of more recent and nicer looking strains that you see out there, at least in my opinion. In addition, the information in the book is better covered in some of the guppy web pages. Good thing I only paid [$] for a used book.

5 comments about The Book of Marine Aquarium.

1. I recommend 'The New Book of The Marine Aquarium' by Nick Dakin. The information he presents is accurate and he covers all aspects of the hobby from fish only tanks to reef tanks. He covers all of the possible equipment that you might need for an aquarium in a very comprehensive manner. It also has a very large appendix with dozens of fish and invertebrates and information on their feeding habits, aquarium behavior, and compatibility with other fish/invertibrate species. All photos are of very high quality and in full color. Overall, it is a very thorough and well written book.



2. This book is great for aquarists of all levels. Every page, except for the index, has full color pictures. Not a single B&W diagram through its 400 pages. Comprehensive information on the biology and behavior of numerous fishes and inverts. Only drawback is that it does not seem to have the most recent information. Concepts such as the "Berlin method" are not even mentioned. Overall, a great book for the cost!



3. Gives good identification of commonly available fish. Great photos. Doesn't go to in depth with invert identification. Pretty basic on setup.Good beginner book for fish only systems.



4. Excellent description of basic equipment - and specially valuable as an aid to choosing fish. Description of characteristics, behavior, and requirements were very good. I had been a freshwater hobbyist for years - and this book was invaluable in helping me get started in the marine hobby.



5. I'd recommend it to the novice marine keeper. A good place to start

5 comments about The Marine Aquarium Reference: Systems and Invertebrates.

1. This is by no means a novice read. The chemistry in it does require some level of understanding of the elements, and to truly grasp his message you have to keep your head up even through the points where the book may drag slightly. One thing is for sure. If you would ever consider reading something like this, or are at all interested in marine biology or aquariristry, this book is a definite must-have.
   The response an uninterested reader would be almost hysterical displeasure with it, as it takes every aspect of the craft very seriously. I myself have picked through it many times on my bookshelf, but only recently actually read it cover to cover. The most impressive think about it would definitely be the highly efficient diagrams, such as figure 20, which displays perfectly levels after a filter change of chemicals like NO2, NO3, NH3, as well as bacteria such as Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacteria, and Heterotropic bacteria. There is another type of bacteria discovered more recently than the publication that would be listed here.
   This and other works by Martin A. Moe such as The Marine Aquarium Handbook are mainstays in the marine biology world. It cannot be forgotten to mention his very interesting introduction. He refers to our responsibility as human beings with all that power as the super race has; we must ask ourselves the morals of aquaristry. Is the concept of providing a synthetic or better yet growing an organic ecosystem for a bio loads particular needs right? He states that if this question is at all uncertain in its answer that you not take of this hobby.



2. THIS IS THE MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR THE AVERAGE HOME ENTHUSIAST. I USED THIS BOOK AND ITS DIAGRAMS TO BUILD THE SYSTEM THAT RAN MY TROPICAL FISH STORE.



3. This book has been widely reported to be one of the classics. I can see why - there's a great deal of detail here, especially on the technical aspects of marine aquarium setup. There are some points of contention here, though, with other literature on the subject - particularly with Deelbeck's Reef Aquarium book, which cites it extensively, but disagrees stongly with several points.
   
   This is a book any serious reefkeeper should own.



4. This is by far the best book I have found on water chemistry. It also has a section on invertibrates, but there are other much better books for this.



5. I think that this is a very good book on the techniques of the marine aquarium. The text is very good. There are no color pictures, and only a limited number of b/w and skeches. I had hopes that is would have more. All in all a very good work.

3 comments about Aquarium Care of Bettas (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. I bought this book and have read it cover to cover. I thought I knew how to maintain a tank and feeding for a betta until I read this book. It uncovers all the myths that surround betta care even in the pet shops!!!
   Excellent for anyone thinking of buying a Betta! They need more than just a bowl to survive. Bettas also need a mini heater, mini filter, and at least a 1 gallon tank per Betta!!!



2. Ok, this was a kind of nice little book. But not really. The information inside of this book was VERY basic. It never went into details about betta housing (just kept on referring to betta bowls, tiny little bowls in which a betta WOULD NOT be happy in). So thats what took away some starts, was the lack of useful information.
   
   This book had a lot of pictures. Pictures are all well and good, but not in this book. Most of the pictures were of older, boring 'veil tail' finned bettas. Those are bettas of the past. Now we have half moons, and crowntails, so much better. But there was one image of a half moon, and one or two of delta tailed bettas. So the betta community was not represented in the least by this book. Just old veil tails.
   
   Overall, not a good book.



3. This book is extremely helpful; with honest advice and clear, concise explanations.

5 comments about Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks.

1. I really enjoyed this book. Although it will keep me out of the oceans and creeks forever! It was very interesting, and packed full of information. A+



2. being from the area of the attacks and actually just went to the second annual sharkfest in Matawan yesterday, this book really bring the events of 1916 to life. Mr. Fernicola vividly brings you back to the times of the attacks to give you a great feel of what transpired in those fateful 12 days. A great book for anybody interested in sharks and of history in general, especially of the Jesrey Shore.



3. I got to tell you i am not a big history fan but this book puts one of my favorite animals into the perspective (the shark). This book closely defined the attacks during July 1st and the 12th in 1916 that happened on New Jersey's shore line.
   This book reads like a novel with plenty of historical facts and scientific learning. The author, Mr. Fernicola has put a lot of structure into this book.
   A must read for anyone who has been fascinated with sharks or the history of New Jersey.
   The New Jersey Man-Eater makes the New Jersey Devil run and hide.



4. I was both impressed and bored with this book at the same time. The story of the 1916 attacks was captivating and well written. I enjoy non-fiction and the first 100 pages did not disappoint. I admire and respect all the research and details, but do not care for that type of reading. Much of the book, especially the second half, was about the physiology of shark species as they relate to these attacks and others. I guess I was expecting more of the drama and excitement and less of the science and research. I certainly respect the author's expertise and this may be the most comprehensive study of the 1916 attacks (although it's the only one I've read, so don't hold me to that).



5. great book couldn't put it down, if you want to read the real "JAWS" this is it.

2 comments about Aqualog Special: Shrimps, Crayfishes, and Crabs in the Freshwater Aquarium, New Revised Edition.

1. All of the Aqualog books are excellent value, although they are not particularly cheap. They are full to the brim with first class colour photographs and to reproduce these in a book is an expensive process. Whether they are about Shrimps and other crustaceans, or some other species of fish they are the most comprehensive identification books you can buy. They never become dated because as new fish become available to the aquarist trade the books are updated.
   
   They do not deal with the basics of fish keeping, there are many and varied books that do that. They are in the main a fish identification encyclopaedia and nothing more. But for those aquarists who are particularly interested in a single species they are indispensable.



2. I would have liked to have stories about illnesses also in the book. Also couple mistakes found. But still good value for money.