5 comments about An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish.

1. This is the best book on aquarium fishes I have ever seen. It covers 700 species, each illustrated with a nice color photo. For each species, family name, common name, scientific name, size, distribution, temperature range, pH range, dH range, food preference and a brief description are given. The information given is very accurate. For example, I did not know that the red-tailed sharks are mean when they get old.
   
   Few books mentioned water hardness. This book gives dH value for every species. Only now I understand why swordtails did not live very long in my area.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



2. This is one of the better general fish encyclopedias that I have. It covers many species that others don't, and has great basic information on each one.
   Great buy for the money.



3. I have the most recent version of this book, and I would have to say it is one of the best reference books I have ever red, especially if you are thinking of setting up a new aquarium and don't have a clue what to put in it. It contains basic information about water temperature and chemistry requirements, along with size of the fish and other such basic information and colour photos of each fish mentioned. It is a good book to get a basic idea of the requirements of a certain fish, leaving you to research more detail about a fish elsewhere. If you only buy one such book for your aquarium library this is the book you should purchase.



4. I don't actually own this book, but borrowed it from the local library. I found it to be an excellent reference to just about any fish I needed to know about. I believe that the beginner in the hobby will find this book a must and the more experience fish keeper invalueable if they wanted to branch out to a breed that they are not familiar with. Definitely worth having on your own bookshelf.



5. I wish all fish books were so helpful! 600+ species are listed, and for each you learn natural distribution, temperature, ph & dh, size, food preferences, tank setup, temperament, and breeding. She often tells you what to look for in store specimens -- signs of ill health & such. Oh, and did I mention the color pictures?

No comments about Water Quality: An Introduction.

1 comments about Guppies: Fancy Strains and How to Produce Them.

1. Ce livre est très intéressant. Il s'adresse à tous les publiques (débutant ou confirmé) et est très complet et est très bien illustré.

4 comments about Starting Your First Aquarium.

1. This is a pretty good intro book for starting an aquarium-easy to read. I got to say though- it does say that there is a good deal on Breeding and I didn't find that.



2. This is not a bad guide, but it could have been better. Of what information on beginning fishkeeping is included, it does a good job. The guide provides information on choosing an aquarium, selecting equipment for it, plant and fish selection, tank maintenance and feeding, and how to deal with fish illness. The color photos are nice. When it comes to fish selection, the emphasis is on freshwater tropical fish--livebearers, schooling fish, cichlids, bottom dwellers, and anabantoids; the exception to this would be goldfish and koi. The reason I do not find this guide to be a solid reference tool is because the author eludes to, but never elaborates on biological filtration (the nitrogen cycle)--this is disappointing. Other than that, this guide contains useful information; it just is not complete. I actually rate this guide 2.5 stars.



3. This book is, at best, an overview of setting up your first freshwater aquarium. It does not delve into any one topic deeply enough to benefit the beginner, and although nicely illustrated with various fish species, I felt it was a total waste of my money. I could have learned as much - or more - just from browsing on the Internet.

   Save your money and buy something with a little more substance if you are looking for specifics on the set up and maintenance of a tank.




4. This is a fabulous resource for the beginning aquarist, written simply and directly. Adults will appreciate the brevity of the material and the ease with which desired information can be found as much as the young readers for whom this book is meant will. It's amazing that such a range of topics can be so completely covered in such a short book. From choosing an aquarium to outfitting it properly, from selecting real and/or plastic plants to sorting through the dizzying array of fish available, Axelrod has ALL bases covered--thoroughly! The brilliant, true-to-life colors in the photographs accurately portray dozens of varieties of tropical fish that are available. Included are lots of pertinent details that are characteristic of the types of fish (temperament, ease of care and breeding, etc.--even relative costs of different breeds). The author even describes how the home/hobbyist aquarist can tell male fish from females! This book has it all.

   If you plan to set up an aquarium of your own--or even if you already have one--Herbert Axelrod's book will help you plan ahead and save yourself lots of time, worry, and money. Tropical fish can be a very time-consuming and expensive hobby, and your first step should be reading this book in order to learn as much as you can before making a huge investment in the wrong tank and/or fish. The price of this book can easily be recouped by the mistakes you'll avoid.

1 comments about The Living Pond: Water Gardens with Fish & Other Creatures.

1. Creating a water garden is yet another way to attune oneself with nature. This water garden concept is actually a pond. Author Helen Nash provides clear basic instructions on how to both build and maintain a pond with live fish, turtles or birds. You no longer have to envy the tranquility of Jane and Henry Fonda's "On Golden Pond" shimmering screen images. You may be inspired to begin building your own pond as soon as you finish reading this book. Ms. Nash has crafted a fine book for those who appreciate the beauty of nature. Leave the tension in the workplace. Come home to the peace and tranquility of a living pond in your very own backyard.

1 comments about Practical Fishkeeping: The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up and Maintaining Freshwater, Brackish and Marine Fish Tanks.

1. This is a great comprehensive reference tool! Step-by-step with pics and easy to follow instructions for all types of aquaria!

No comments about Aquarium Fish of the World (Natural Sciences of the World Series).

5 comments about Discus As a Hobby: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started (Save-Our-Planet Book).

1. I didn't care for this book and here's why. The author's coverage is much too superficial to be really useful for getting started in this hobby. You certainly need more than what is in this book, yet the very misleading title states it has "everything you need to know".

   The book is heavy on photos and light on details. The author isn't shy about giving his opinions which would be good, but unfortunately he doesn't always say why. At one point he states that under-gravel filters are bad, but tells us since much has been written about them the reader can find out why elsewhere. True enough, but excuse me, why am I bothering with this book? It is supposed to have "everything you need to know" isn't it?

   The fact is there is nothing in this book that can't be found in better detail, and free, by doing an internet search of various Discus related web sites. However, I do recommend a much better book, "Discuss Fish" by T. Giovanetti which has much more information, and better, detailed explanations.

   Overall score: Thumbs way down.




2. The purpose of this book is to aid the beginning discus hobbiest. It does this well by providing all of the basics to start anyone down the right path to keep discus. For the more advanced hobbiest it doesn't offer as much, but that wasn't the purpose of this volume.



3. I have owned this book for several years. I also own several "coffee-table" sized books on Discus. But this is the book I find myself referring to most for information on how to keep my Discus healthy. The author's practical, no-nonsense style is informative, and very easy to read. It is a bargain, considering all the good tips and advice contained within. Highly recommended for beginning to intermediate-level aquarists who want to raise "The King of the Aquarium".



4. I found that the book had real information that you can apply when getting started in the hobby. I find myself going back to the book time and time again finding small bits of useful techniques that I missed reading it the first time. I have found that if you apply the advice given in the book you will get off to a great start with the fish and have many years of enjoyment to look foward too. For such a small book it is packed with excellent advice that other books overlook and just want to show you photos of fish. This book really tells you how to do things. This is book is a must read to add to your collection.



5. The man has forgotten more than the rest of us will ever know.

2 comments about South American Cichlids I (AQUALOG-Reference Books).

1. As I got more serious into keeping fish I figured it would be good to have some books as the internet still doesn't have everything. This picture book has definitely helped me in my finding and identifying of fish from South America.
   
   Only down side is I don't think the company is active anymore as it would be nice to get some more and newer stickers for the back.
   
   This book could def use some updating as more fish from ea section has been identified and they don't have m/f of ea.



2. February 24, 2007
   South American Cichlids IV (H. J. Mayland)
   Unbeatable
   
   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 Cichlid 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 Cichlids in particular and fish-keeping in general it is a book to be treasured.

No comments about Behaviour of Teleost Fishes (Fish and Fisheries, No 7).