5 comments about Aquarium Style: Imaginative Ideas for Creating Dream Homes for Fish.

1. Well, Matthew Christian what can i say... some of your critics (envy's a horrible thing) claim that you're nothing but a fish murdering so and so, i strongly disagree because as you rightly say in your superbly detailed magnum opus does a fish really want to die in a bland fish tank at least if it goes it goes in style baby.
   I was so engrossed by your work, i couldn't put it down.
   My only complaint was the lack of photos of the author, i feel it would have added more depth to the books feel. Maybe it's something you can add to your next spectacular fish book.
   I have told my only friend and we are in awe of your talent.
   PS, when we googled your name we found your personal website- we are your biggest fans.
   we love you,
   if you are in Miami, please give us a shout as we would love to accomodate you in any way possible.
   We await with baited (get it) breath for your no doubt fab project



2. This is one of the WORST books I've read on fish keeping. This book offers recipe style layouts for plants, rocks and fish. On page 40, author suggests using 150 cardinal tetras for a "medium-sized" tank. What is a medium sized tank to you? 30, 40, 50, 60 gallons? Well, if you are going to house 150 tetra, you'd almost need 150 GALLON if you use the 1" fish/gallong rule. I don't know about you, but 150 gallon tank is not "medium" sized in my mind!!! On page 122, author tells you to use 30 spotted scats in a medium-sized tank. These fish can grow to be 12" each. You'd need a 360 gallon tank to house all the adults. This book does not take into consideration the adult size fish. If you are new to fish keeping, RUN from this book like it's on FIRE! This book forsakes fashion before function in the worst manner. It would be INHUMANE to use ANY of these suggestions. Overcrowding fish can only lead to stress which can result in disease, stunted growth and possibly death.



3. This book is great for aquarium design ideas. It's got beautiful pictures too. I must say though that this book is probably best for people who have had some experience with aquariums. But, wow, you can get a lot of inspiration from this book. There are ideas in this book that I never would have thought of. And then there are some ideas that I would never do. But all in all, I think this is a great book.



4. I gave this book 4 stars to reflect the authors imaginative approach and his originality. There are some truly beautiful aquariums represented in this book.

   The dangerous ideas all fall under the category of placing unsafe (for the fish) items in the tank. The author glosses over the precautions which must be taken for many of the items, such as metal objects and sedimentary rocks.

   However, I was truly inspired by the fossil aquarium design, and have created an improved version myself. I DID have to coat the limestone fossil plates with aquarium-safe marine epoxy, but the results were spectacular.




5. I saw this book at a local book store. The cover made me think it would be photos of beautifully decorated natural aquariums. Instead, I was disgusted to find most of the decorative themes could best be described as industrial. One suggested setup had a tank with eggbeaters stuck into the gravel, instead of plants! Others are just as attrocious. If you want a book about aquariums with style, buy any of Amano's _Nature Aquarium World_ series.

No comments about Aquarium Design.

No comments about Goldfish (About Pets).

5 comments about Siamese Fighting Fish (The Guide to Owning...).

1. This book has actually very scant information about casual betta pet ownership, focusing rather on discussions valuable for the breeder/hobbyist. In spite of this caveat, this is a great little betta book - if for nothing more than the fabulous and unusual betta pictures! WOW!
   
   The book opens with a trip down betta history - the careful breeding, the fiercely wagered fighting matches, etc. This is followed with a bit of "care and feeding"...which obviously does not hold the author's attention for long, since we quickly move on to a great series of "koi" - variegated gold and black - betta photos.
   
   The breeder will learn lots of tips from the award-winning betta breeder's insights. Following and documenting the "butterfly trait" is one such topic - brilliantly captured in dozens of full color shots.
   
   The rare "albino trait story" is told, from the perspective of the author's re-discovery and subsequent loss of the strain. Anyone who knows about the betta albino situation will appreciate the author's first-hand account.
   
   Advanced topics like judging and showing bettas are also nicely presented. What do the judges look for? How are points awarded? How are show fish presented? At this time, I have not found this information presented in any other betta care book.
   
   The near-obligatory betta breeding and fry rearing hints are here, with plenty of photographs for every step along the way. Non-breeders (ie - typical pet betta parents) will enjoy seeing the mating process so clearly documented.
   
   Don't pick this book up for disease and treatment tips - barely half a page is devoted to disease. I *do* appreciate their emphasis on prevention (ie - clean water, proper temperatures and a good diet) and observation being the best treatment for betta illness.
   
   Rather, just get this book to excite yourself about the possibilities of great color variations from responsible and knowledgeable breeding. The author had been one of the top breeders in his field and helped make the betta collecting hobby as exciting as it is today.



2. The book did not offer any information in the way of betta care, which makes it a poor resource for the general fish owner. However, it is a valuable resource for people wishing to breed Bettas as it contains extensive information on this topic. Personally, I enjoyed reading the historical background surrounding Betta breeding and evolution. This is truly a remarkable species of fish, and the author brought this out nicely. In addition, the photographs were better than any I have seen and the text was well composed.
   
   However, like some other readers, I had a big problem with the information presented on Betta fighting. I know that the text is dated, written for a different era of betta owners (in the 1980s maybe?). Regardless, it was disturbing that such a practice would be discussed with such overt enthusiasm.



3. This book offers basic information to starting hobbyists about the physiology, care, maintenance and breeding of the Betta splendens species, as well as the rearing of fry. The chapter on show standards and betta competitions has very nice pictures, including the albino strain that was successfully bred in Japan by Tanaka in 1994.



4. For anyone looking to find a detailed resource on the care of betta splendens, this book is not for you. A great deal of space in this book is devoted to the history of the fish, how they fight with other males (there are even explicit pictures of this process, which I was certainly not interested in seeing), and how to breed them. The sections covering their care are woefully lacking - the page on diseases merely lists the ailments and then offers a recommendation for another book in which to find more information. The tone of this book also stunned me - it is apparent that the author thinks of these fish as a source of income rather than as pets. Mention is made of fish that are not "exciting or saleable," and how sub-standard hatchlings should be culled or disposed of. I was quite offended by this - even the most dully-colored betta could find a happy home somewhere! The only reason I'm giving this book one star at all is because there are a lot of beautiful photos inside. It looks more like a picture book than anything else, actually. Very disappointing.



5. I thought this book was pretty good. It showed you a lot of good pictures of the betta fish and it was very helpful in the history of betta fish, but some of the stuff that i was looking for in it, wasn't there, it just had a lot of pictures, and the history of bettas, it took up like 7 pages on the history where as they only did 3 sentences on how to take care of them!! if you are just looking for cool and good pictures of betta fish then you should buy this book, but if you are looking for information on betta fish then maybe you should look for a differnt boook, it was a great book, just not what i was looking for. I love betta fish and i think they are the cooles fish ever!

No comments about Patterns In Freshwater Fish Ecology.

No comments about Lake Tanganyika Cichlids (Aquaguide S.).

No comments about A Practical Guide to Setting Up Your Marine Tropical Aqum: How to Create a Beautiful And Successful Environment for Your Fish (Tankmaster S.).

2 comments about Dynamic Aquaria: Building Living Ecosystems.

1. While best known for describing the use of turf algae as a natural absorber of aquarium pollutants, the book 'Dynamic Aquaria' shines as a plea for the re-evaluation of how we appreciate aquarium systems and their micro-ecologies. Rather than the display of just a few select specimens, it proposes more emphasis on (and therefore replication of) the fascinating interactions between species and environment. It does a splendid job of discussing the difficulties in scaling down nature's beauty to fit an aquarium's limited volume.



2. This book explores aquarium systems as models of natural eco systems. Adey and Loveland's technique relies on algae scrubbers to reduce nitrate levels in the tank. By removing new growth of algae, one can avoid frequent water changes. The book includes extensive discussion of important aspects of marine eco systems, such as wave motion, light, and food chains, to name just a few.

   The book is more about the science of building marine microcosms than a cookbook for building home marine aquariums.

3 comments about Aquarium Fish Breeding (Pet Reference Books).

1. Although this is a good basic book on breeding freshwater tropical fish, another book with the same title written by Jay Hemdal is more comprehensive - that book was written for Barron's as a replacement for this title, and was written in 2003 (over ten years newer than this one). Hemdal's book also contains information on the breeding and propagation of marine fishes, invertebrates and plants. In addition, the Scheurmann book was written from the European standpoint, while Hemdal's book is based on North American aquariums.



2. A very well writen book.The book does not give enough information on breeding.A very good book.



3. A straight to the point aquarium fish breeding reference book which I found concise, informative and practical.

   Well organized and presented.

   Breeding instructions of more aquarium fish would be desirable.

   Not wasted my time and money. A very good book!

No comments about Aquarium Plants: Their Identification, Cultivation and Ecology/H-966.