5 comments about Fish Face.

1. This book has wonderful pictures but I think it could have been presented in a better way. The pages are small so the pictures are too small in some cases. Some pictures you can't see well because they are spread over two facing pages & get lost in the center. But I love the expressions of many of the fish, you can almost sense their personality. And I love seeing the incredible variety of fish.



2. Lot's of interesting and colorful photos. I gave it to my sister, for christmas, and our whole family sat around looking at the fish for hours.



3. Once again, David Doubilet shows his ingenious photography work. I really enjoyed Water Light Time, and Fish Face is proving to be a close second. Each image is carefully shot. It is wonderful to see close-up images of deep sea marine life and other creatures that one would not normally find on a casual snorkel excursion. There is a sense of humor to some of these photos, too, which makes looking at them even more entertaining. This is a perfect companion to Water Light Time!



4. we bought this book first at the monterey aquarium and have recently purchased it on amazon again for our montessori library. parents and children alike love looking at the pictures and marvelling at the wonders of the coral seas and barrier reef. buy this book. it's great!



5. Doubilet has done it again. As a vintage underwater photographer of 50 years I have devoured all of his books, as an inspiration. Undoubtedly he is the best underwater photographer in the world today and his use of light and subject matter are masterly. Fish Face is an interesting and difficult theme handled with great aplomb.I recommend this work to photographers and all those interested in the sea.

1 comments about Aquariums: The Complete Guide to Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums.

1. My favorite librarian saved this book for me when it first came in! I must say I was a little disappointed. The pictures seem to have a cast over them, as though they are older pictures that were re-integrated into this newish book. I can prove it - on pg. 38 on the bottom left is an aquarium stand with an ANCIENT sound system below it! (Who would put a sound system below their aquarium anyhow?) The sectional furniture is telling too.
   
   In spite of this, the book is fine for an all purpose intro to aquariums. It has basic information and outlines common species with specifications and requirements. The section on breeding would probably be helpful, as it uses some older but tried and tested techniques. (I'm not a breeder, btw.)
   
   The translations are a little strained sometimes, e.g. "Impatience and urgency are two words that are utterly incompatible with the set up of an aquarium!" The book is originally in French. But what I find most jarring are the "An aquarium of..." sections which are these two page spreads...
   
   Basically, they're photomontages of different species over 2D backgrounds. It looks like someone literally "cut" the pictures of the livestock out and "pasted" them onto a background, with a rather incongruous effect. Cardinal tetras next to an Australian blue crayfish in "A Freshwater Invertebrate Aquarium"? I don't think so.
   
   For a list price of $39.95, you can find a better book. My recommendation is "Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish" by David Alderton, which lists $5 cheaper. Much better photography (looks like they actually used editing, Photoshop-type software!) and denser information. It is a reference book I have referred to again and again, and it's a pleasure to browse, too.
   
   My personal suggestion, with any of these books, is to either choose a Freshwater or Marine book and go with that. Each deserves its own encyclopedia. But if you must have the best of both worlds, this book is okay...but the book I mentioned is better. How much better? Well...lots!

5 comments about The Coral Reef Aquarium: An Owner's Guide toa Happy Healthy Fish (Happy Healthy Pet).

1. I first bought this book because of the author. When I recived it and thumbed through the pages I concluded that it was a book for beginners. In any case, since I had already spent 11 bucks I thought what the heck, if I could get at least one good idea out of it it will be worth the time and money.
   
   I was delighted to find the clearest explanations I've ever read on aquariun systems. I have a much better understanding now. I also picked up some very useful tips.
   
   Fantastic book. Very clear, easy to understand but detailed explantions of complex systems.



2. This is a great book to ease your way into learning about the reef. It uses simple and scientific verbage to teach the basics about the coral reef. I love it, read it twice, and will read it again. :)



3. I was disappointed by this book.

   For one thing, this is a very small book. It has only about 100 pages on a 4 X 8 size paper. And most of it is occupied by photos. But I also have to accept the fact that this book is much cheaper pricewise than the other comprehensive books out there such as the one by John Tullock.

   So in view of its shortness, the subject of coral reef keeping is not covered comprehensively. There is very little in depth explanation of the equipment and the biology of the hobby. As a rough comparison, most of the other coral keeping guides are more than 400 pages long.

   Coral reef keeping is an advanced subject (as opposed to marine fish keeping), and the equipment are varied, from lights, filtration, skimmers, chemical additives, chillers, etc. Each of these subjects is covered in a couple of paragraphs, as opposed to pages.

   A beginner will not have enough advice to start a new tank error-free, while a more advanced hobbiest will not be satisfied with its simple explanations.

   There are much better books out there.




4. This was the first book I've purchased as I was recommended by various hobbyist whom I have lots of respect for. When I started reading this book, first thing I told myself "Wow, how little I knew". I would highly recommend anybody who is getting started with Reef Hobby. Dr Ron is not only an experienced (PhD) Marine Biologist, but an active participant/contributor in various related Forum, Magazine and so on.

   On a different note, I would like to respond to the reader from Kingston, MA. Bristle Worms are your friend :p . They are mostly scavengers and will be a great member of your cleanup crew. There are some cases where aquarist found bristle worm gorging on their favorite fish, but the truth behind that almost always is, your fish died of other reason and Bristle Worm really doing its job, cleaning it up for you. If you have a super huge Bristle Worm, you may or may not choose to relocate it. Happy Reefing.




5. I fell into reef aquarium ownership almost overnight. I didn't know what I was getting into and bought an established 140 gallon tank with rocks and fish. The second hand tank had been neglected and there were only 3 surviving fish and the rock didn't look too healthy. I had no idea what I was headed into and I bought and killed a number of beautiful, expensive fish out of total ignorance.

   This book would have not only saved me a lot of money, but a lot of headache, heartache and trips to the local fish store.

   Dr. Shimek includes tips on inexpensive ways to equip the hardware and contents w/o spending an arm and a leg on overpriced items at the store. He tells you what animals to avoid (especially for beginners) and which ones are must-haves.

   For a beginning book, it is packed w/ info in just over 125 pages and in a very affordable package. Most aquarium books are VERY expensive and you'll never read the whole thing.

   I read this book in about 2 weeks (I work full time and I'm a slow reader) by taking it with me during my lunch hour and it has already saved me hundreds of dollars in items/livestock I was considering on purchasing.

   My only criticism is the lack of photos of critical things the author was citing. There are tons of high quality photos in this book, but some creatures were mentioned that I would have like to have seen represented in a photo and still have no idea what the author was talking about.

   The author does assume some knowledge in some areas where it seems he may have forgotten his audience. Had I not already dealt w/ some issues during my "baptism by fire" experience of learning the hard way for months before buying this book, I wouldn't have understood some of the concepts he brought up.

   This book was one of the best purchases I've made in regards to aiding my hobby. Thank you, Dr. Ron!

4 comments about North American Native Fishes for the Home Aquarium.

1. I was originally given an expected delivery time of 3-4 weeks. The book arrived in just over a week. It was packed well and arrived in pristine shape.
   Overall - an excellent experience that I'll be willing to repeat.



2. 5 stars for a beginner who has never kept an aquarium, 3 stars for everyone else. The first half of this book covers the basics, which was of no use to me. The second half of the book covers the fish, and is pure gold, I just wish there was more of it.

   This is not a book to buy for the pictures, the photography is nothing to get excited about. Most of the pictures are small with poor color reproduction.




3. Dave Schelser has done it again. His "Native Fish" book covers just about everything the enthusiast could want to know. Schelser describes everything from setting up the aquarium, to collection, feeding, and disease. A worthy sequel to his book "Pirahna: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual," also published by Barron's. All 133 photographs are taken by Schelser himself, whether in the wild or in the lab. One would never guess there were so many small but amazingly attractive fish native to North America without reading this book. Bravo Dave!!



4. this book is a throw back in many ways. Much like the old Innes books , Schleser's book starts out with the fundamentals. Topics like why to keep natives, fish taxonomy, conservation issues, collecting information, aquarium keeping tips and such cover the first 8 chapters. I like that. It starts the reader off right with a good foundation. Instead of just dumping you into a glossy book of pretty pictures of fish , this book starts you off with the how's and the why's of native fish keeping. This old fashioned nuts and bolts approach gives the reader a better chance to become a conservation minded Aquarist instead of just a pet store consumer. For Conservation efforts to be a success it must reach the grassroots level. The average person must be able to apply in a practical way, learned conservation ethics. I like to apply my housewife from Dubuque Iowa test to any book about collecting and keeping fish. If a housewife (or hubby) can read this book and apply it to activities with their local youth group, school or their own children then this book is a success. Well following my Dubuque test , this book is winner.

   After 8 chapters of the basics , chapter 9 is all about fish. It breaks the fish down into basic types and goes into excellent detail about suitable aquarium species within each genus. Almost 100 pages is spent highlighting North America's unique aquatic heritage. Beautiful and obscure fish like the banded pygmy sunfish, dollar sunfish, gulf darter , Flagfin shiner , Fundulus Chrysotus , brindeled madtom and scores of other unloved North American fishes get the exposure they deserve . Full color photo's , range maps and rearing information follow each species. If you are interested in Longear Sunfish for example (page 139) you get 2 pages of great information , 3 photo's of the various strains out there and the basic information to keep , rear and enjoy this temperate fish. That's the kind of stuff anyone interested in Native Fish wants needs and got's to have. Get this book it's a winner.

2 comments about Platies, Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity.

1. This book has great pictures and is good for a beginning aquarist, but it really doesn't have a lot of information specific to platies. I wanted a bit more platy-related info. Again, very nice photos, though.



2. This book has lots of fantastic photos in a astunning paper, has good ideas about platies, and more important with this book you will know many things about fishs in general and not only about platies... About platies you will found all it matter...

1 comments about Rainbow Fishes: Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity (Re-615).

1. This is a pretty good read for the small amount invested. While none of the information is truly groundbreaking, there is still some useful data on breeding Rainbowfish that I have not found in more recent books covering the subject. This was put together by a Rainbowfish enthusiast who spent time living in Australia and New Guinea collecting the fish locally, so it goes without saying that he has some unique insight into the species.

1 comments about Aqualog Extra: The Latest L-Numbers.

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 the beautiful L Number now coming into the aquarist trade 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. There is not a lot of literature on L numbered catfish so this book is invaluable.
   
   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 not a lot more. But for those aquarists who are particularly interested in a single species they are indispensable.

2 comments about Seahorses (Practical Fishkeeping).

1. Este libro es muy bueno para personas que quieran introducirse en el mantenimineto y la cría de este lindo grupo de peces en cautiverio. Es una guía muy rápida y fácil de entender, donde encontrarás algunas de las especies de hippocampus que se suelen tener en cautiverio y sus características especiales y al mismo tiempo podrás ver información del mantenimiento especial y cualidades que debe tener un acuario para ellos.
   
   No es recomendado para expertos aunque puede tener algunos datos que tal vez no conoscamos. Claro, algunos sabemos que hay libros especializados y libros generales como este, pero aun así, las imágenes son muy bonitas y vale la pena tenerlo en nuestra biblioteca si nos gustan tanto estos excepcionales animalitos.



2. This book is useful little introduction to the world of seahorses. If you would like to set up a seahorse aquarium, I would also recommend finding a good book that covers general issues related to keeping a saltwater aquarium.
   
   The author has an appropriately cautionary tone with his readers, knowing that keeping seahorses is not an easy endeavour. It requires patience in setting up a tank that will encourage good health; it requires diligence to test and maintain water quality; and, it requires consistency in feedings.
   
   For those who are up to the challenge, this book will get you on your way to keeping some of the most graceful fish in the sea.

5 comments about Freshwater Stingrays (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. For the basics on Freshwater Stingrays this book is a great introduction into their care. For those interested in Rays for the first time this booke is an excellent primer for further investigation into Ray keeping. An excellent beginners book.



2. Great book. Lots of info on feeding, caring and general stingray keeping.
   it's a nice little book that says the same than other more expensive similar books.



3. The book jumps around a bit. I think that the information could have been organized a little better but it's all there nonetheless.
   
   Great information! For the price you can't go wrong. Buy it!



4. This is a great book if you are going to buy or if you have
   a stingray. As it says in the book, you should have an aquarium
   sized 4 feet by 2 feet for the smallest of rays. A+ Book.



5. The title of this book says it all. Freshwater stingrays need more care and attention than most other freshwater fishes. This book covers the precautions regarding usage of heaters (esp. submersible), pH, diet, disease, etc. and watch out for their stings (spines), breeding, etc. It's a good collection in a small book. Some readers may find information that are easily found in other beginner fish books like filtration, etc, but all information are well-presented. I have been searching information for freshwater rays and compare with the info in this book, there are some things that I had not known or realize before, for example, regarding the sensitivity of the china rays and also regarding selection---avoid rays showing "death curl" and undernourishment.... which is the first step in starting the hobby.

   Anyone thinking of keeping freshwater stingrays should read this book first as these fishes needs much care and attention and also to avoid making expensive mistakes.

No comments about Marine Aquarium (Mini Encyclopedia Series).