2 comments about Hobbyist Guide To Marine Fish & Invertebrates (Aquarium Digest International Collector's Edition).

1. It is informative,colourful & you can understand it



2. This book comprises a loosely-connected collection of short articles by different authors. Some articles are too specific in scope (e.g., pertaining only to the Swimming Crab) to be useful, while several others are completely off topic (e.g., an article on skin diving off the California coast). Most of the content is anecdotal, broad discussions of the particular authors's experiences. Several articles focus on particular invertebrates, but discuss them in the context of their natural environments--not their care in the home aquarium.

   This book provides almost no practical information for the hobbyist. It is often poorly written, with bad grammar and typos throughout, which makes for difficult reading. There is no continuity; it reads as if the articles were arranged at random, with an inroductory article discussing the very basics of marine aquaria, and a concluding article discussing the properties of seawater. In between, the articles are arranged in a desultory ! order that boggles the mind. Beautiful color photos are not well tied to the text.

   I doubt either the beginner or the advanced marine aquarium hobbyist will find much of interest in this book

1 comments about Fascinating Koi (AQUALOG Special).

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 many of the different beautiful fishes now coming into the aquarist trade or in this case specifically the Koi carp species of fishes many of which are among the most beautiful fishes. They are first class for identifying that fish that you have had for some time, but have not been able to put a name to.
   
   This is a really beautiful book with some stunning photographs and for anyone interested in Koi carp in particular and fish-keeping in general it is a book to be treasured.

3 comments about Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones.

1. If you are at all interested in sea anemones and anemone fishes (clownfishes) then this book is THE definitive book on anemone and clownfish identification. Dr. Fautin and Dr. Allen make a point in saying that this book is NOT primarily about the captive care of anemones or anemone fishes (though there is a small section about their basic care needs; however, they say to look elsewhere for more detailed aquarium care) but rather, it is about the identification, distribution, biology of the sea anemones, the life history of anemone fishes, and the interactions between fish and sea anemones. There is no other book that has as much field research on sea anemones and anemone fishes than this book.

   The biggest point that Fautin and Allen make about anemones is that they should not be harvested for the average aquarist. Even the most expert aquarist out there has trouble keeping anemones for more than 5 years (there are exceptions of course and hopefully, these exceptions will spread). But anemone fishes can be kept extremely well without anemones. They will even breed without them.

   The best aquarium care book about clownfishes and anemones is Joyce Wilkerson's book called Clownfishes. I also highly recommend this book as it is thorough in it's descriptions on the care and husbandry of clownfishes.




2. While this book provides good reference material for identifying anemone fish & sea anemones it provides *no* useful material about how to keep clownfish or anemones alive and healthy in a reef tank.

   If your looking for a ref. book for identification of the creatures this book is fine. I was looking for a good reference on how to keep anemones, and this book was of no help whatever in that regard.




3. Daphne Fautin and Gerald Allen have created the definitive reference for clowfishes and host anemones, at least from the standpoint of the marine aquarist.

   Although the text of the first edition of this book is online, it lacks many of the pictures and the identification charts. The physical book is well worth the money.

   The aquarist interested in keeping clownfishes and anemones should also have Joyce Wilkerson's book, Clownfishes, and John Tullock's book, The Natural Reef Aquarium. Do *NOT* attempt to keep anemones if you are a beginning aquarist.

No comments about An Essential Guide to Choosing Your Cold Water Aquarium Fish (Tankmaster Series).

5 comments about Saltwater Aquarium Handbook, The (Barron's Pet Handbooks).

1. this book was worthless, I am going to try to return it. I was not at all happy, very outdated information and some info I found to be quite incorrect. :(



2. This book is outdated. About all it has of any value is pretty pictures. There are much better books for the beginner out there. I found this out the hard way.



3. If you are looking for a complete guide, don't pike up this one. I found it good for first time reader, who doesn't know a thing about reef tank, but it doesn't realy help to set up you own.



4. there are better books out there, but if you want a nice book to read on saltwater aquariums in general, then this book is quite okay.



5. I spent months researching marine and reef aquaria for my own involvement as a hobbyist, and this was my first book. While it covers the characteristics of different vertibrates and invertibrates, as well as diseases and basic feeding information, it perpetuates many of the myths which cause so many tank "crashes", specimen deaths and discouraged hobbyists. This book does not address the most successful and widely-used water treatment and filtration methods used today: Protein skimming, live rock and live sand, and sump systems.

   The science of marine tank and reefkeeping has changed radically in the past few years, lowering the mortality rate of tank inhabitants and increasing the ease of tank maintenance. This book seems to focus on the out-dated methods, and in several instances, leads the reader to believe that certain animals best left to advanced keepers are suitable for immature systems.

   I would recommend this book only if you are "iffy" about starting a tank. It is a decent overview; but if you do take the "plunge", do thorough research first. Pariticipate in online forums, and buy "The Conscientous Marine Aquarist" before even purchasing your tank. You will have a solid foundation to build upon, you'll save money by purchasing the right equipment first, and you'll learn how to correctly cycle your first marine tank. From there, you'll want to pick up more specific and technical books to lead your way.

5 comments about Aquarium Plant Paradise.

1. While the designs presented are very nice, and the provided information about species used and specifications are useful, the book itself is very poorly laid out, and one can question whether the copy was ever edited. Nearly every page has spelling or grammatical errors or both, and some of the information presented is rendered nearly useless by the awkward wording and mistakes. I realize that Amano is not a mother tongue English speaker, but that's what editors are for.



2. I'm not sure what the purpose of the book was apart to say that Amano is good. The pictures are nice, but there are lots of nice pictures available for free.



3. Just got this book and noticed that a lot of the information is inaccurate. It seems the pictures of the aquariums and the list of plants in the aquariums do not always match up. It's like they just started naming random plants for each picture.



4. This is by far the worst book i do own on Amano's wonderful tanks. Pictures are poorly printed and the overall impression is deceptive.



5. I think Amano's critics tend to overlook the fact that he is a photographer, not a botanist or icthyologist. Even though his technical skills and knowledge of his craft are profound and probably rival, if not exceed, some of the "experts" in the field, he is first and foremost an artist.

   An exceptional artist.

   He has taken his love and respect of nature, reduced it to it's essentials and fleshed it out with a personal, subtle spirituality that is conveyed in all of his books, and this one is no exception.....

   ....as long as you can overlook the typos and printing errors.

   I don't understand why the publisher would spend the money for spot gloss and good stock, yet overlook glaring alignment and spelling errors, but as previously mentioned by other reviewers, this book does seem hastily put together. It's not horrid though, and unfortunately it seems that all Japanese books translated for the American market suffer in much the same way, regardless of their genre.

   If you are looking for in-depth technical how-to's and plant information, you will not find it here. However, it's obvious that was not what this book was intended to be in the first place, so it seems unfair to hold it up to that standard.

   Despite the poor translation and the brevity of the technical information, I think this book can come in handy for the beginning aquatic plant enthusiast, and is a nice low-cost introduction to Takashi Amano. This book emphasizes smaller tanks with smaller, easy-to-keep fish (mostly), gives a broad overview of each tank and provides the basic groundwork for providing a pleasing tank layout. All this in 64 pages for $...- not bad, especially considering that it's more of an art book than a technical manual in the first place.

   If this book was more expensive, I'd be harsher in my review of it. However, I think for the price, it certainly delivers.

5 comments about Focus on Freshwater Aquarium Fish.

1. As the title clearly specifies, "Focus on Freshwater Aquarium Fish" it's not a book on setting up an aquarium. I don't understand why anyone would expect to find such information in a book that focus' on the fish.
   
   What you do get is pages on pages of GREAT color photos of various common species of freshwater fish. The pics are superimposed on a white background and really stand out. There is some text describing the fish and it's behavior but not too much.
   
   Every aquarist should have a such a book to show new fish enthusiasts or guests in your home.



2. I saw this book at borders. I love it . There is virtualy no information on setting up tanks, or filtiration, but the fish set on a stunning white background is incredible.



3. This book is full of color illustrations derived from photos, which are often bigger than life size. Often the page is full of images of the same fish shot from different angles. Even the common goldfish is shown nicely. It is a good picture book for young children and armchair hobbyists. People who want to set up an aquarium should not buy this book.



4. This book is neither an 'encyclopedia' nor an 'atlas'. The title says it all i.e. it's a focus on aquarium fish. It's not about plants or filters or feeding requirements. If you're looking for a book with lots of info about fish keeping, this one is not for you. I bought it for the pleasure of the absolutely fantastic photography. All of the fish are presented with a white background so there is no distraction from the fish itself. This is a stunning,unique,artistic book. For this it has five stars in my opinion.



5. ...because there isn't much more to this book, than a lot of nice and colorful pictures. I was kind of disappointed, because there wasn't anything to learn from reading this book. The different species have just a small, kind of humouristic comment on the side. Nothing about water requirements or food.
   
   The photos are great though, crystal sharp and in detail. My five year old son loves to look in this book, because there is so little text but so many large and colorful pictures.

5 comments about Cichlids: The Pictorial Guide Volume 1 (Cichlids).

1. solely a pictural guide but if you looking to learn the different species of cichlids this could certainly be of some help.



2. Oddly enough, it appears only 1 of the cichlids on the cover is an actul Mbuna, the rest being Haps.



3. Best Malawi pictorial reference, the photos are first rate with an example of male and female photos for each species. Don't buy another Malawi Cichlid without it!



4. An excellent book, with crisp clear photos in a simple reader friendly format. Great for seeing what those plain Fry are going to grow to look like. Also useful in seperating breeds with similiarly marked females and juveniles. You can take this one off the bookshelf and leave it on the coffee table.



5. I have rated this book a 5-star book based only on the photographs in the book. Easy species of fish is shown in brilliant color against black backgrounds on every page. Teh fish are large pictures too so you can view a lot of detail. The other portion of this book has common names and scientific nomenclature for each species.

   The book will give some brief lines of information regarding habits of the fish but it is very limited. A great book for choosing fish you would like to obtain and contacting your local pet stores to then purchase for you. If you are looking for breeding, diseases, feeding, etc, then you would do best to find another reference.

2 comments about The Completely Illustrated Guide to Koi for Your Pond.

1. this book contains little useful information regarding koi keeping...
   only a lot of big low resolution (some seem like taken with a cell phone) pics of koi. And of course the price...when I got this book I tought I was beeing scammed...for this money one could buy 5 other realy good books on koi! I realy don't know for whom is this book written. It has little information for begginers and no useful information for pros, only big pics! But you can find better ones on the net...and more information in the wikipedia section on koi...
   
   The only good thing in this book is the paper quality!



2. This book is a work of art, replete with what seems like thousands of gorgeous full-page photos and art prints, as well as essays on a broad range of topics. It's definitely koi-centric, so don't expect a book on pond-building, but for the true aficionado this is a must-have.

4 comments about Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish.

1. I don't speak the best english, but I can tell you this book is easy reading and will let you have a great view of what to expect if you want to start your own aquarium. Great book!



2. This book the worst aquarium books I own. It is not a very good encyclopedia, and I find the whole "ease of keeping" thing rather hard to understand. The information is sometimes incorrect. The only thing that stopped me from giving it one star was its beautiful pictures of fish (although the variatus platy is upside down!). Overall, this is not a very useful book for the aquarium fish hobbyist.



3. This book claims it is an encyclopedia while it is not even close! The book has big picture of any fish that shows in the book, but besides that there is NOTHING more. The major part of the description of the fish is a detailed description of how it looks, Although there is a big and clear picture of the fish! while very little or nothing is said on the caring of the fish; The pH the water should have, the hardness of the water the special cares we the Aquarists must know about in order to breed the fish. The tank mates the fish prefer or not, And many other important facts we the readers expect to find in an "Encyclopedia", this book is not worth to buy! There are books I recommend. I bought a book for marine aquarium fish and I suggest the writer of the so-called "Encyclopedia" will learn and see how a true Encyclopedia looks like. The book is: "Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species (The Pocketexpert Guide Series for Aquarists and Underwater Naturalists" this book is great!. see my review.



4. The Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish is an excellent reference tool for aquarists, from novice to veteran. This book contains an invaluable amount of information on an extremely large array of fish species. It is extremely handy in helping you decide on what type of fish to choose when adding new specimens to your aquarium. Everything from compatibility and size requirements to the ease-of-care rating on any particular fish is covered. I especially like how the difficulty of keeping any particular fish is rated on a scale of 1-10, very helpful. Even if you don't own or plan on buying an aquarium, this book will still be very enjoyable. The photography is excellent; every single fish in this book has a detailed photo of it so you can see exactly what it looks like. Overall, EXCELLENT!! You will not be disappointed if you buy this book.