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.

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!

No comments about Goldfish and Koi in Your Home.

3 comments about South American Cichlids IV (AquaLog-Reference Books).

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 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.



2. This is not a beginner book that deals with care or even breeding of these beautiful fish. This is a book that deals with the many wild locale forms and MANY varied aquarium colour strains that breeders have created over the years. As the book description above states, if you want breeding and care information, have a look at the Aqualog Special "Majestic Discus". This book can help you identify where your wild discus came from, or at least the form used to create the colour form swimming in your tank.



3. If you want pictures of every possible discus or angelfish color, then this is a very good book. It seems to be targeted to breeders of show fish. For anybody else, it is probably a waste of money. There is no information on breeding or care. There is no attempt to describe the differences between the various sub-species or "breeding forms". Comparing the many beautiful pictures only adds confusion to identification. Reading the several short articles, reinforces the idea that the common discus or angelfish owner should ignore the fancy names (which seem to be very arbitrary at times) and just buy fish that appeal to you. Definitely do not spend extra money for a name.

5 comments about Aquarium Owner's Guide: The Complete Illustrated Guide To The Home Aquarium.

1. This book has a nice layout, nice pictures and good summary on fishes it carries. Unfortunately, tries to cover both fresh and salt water and has very entries of either. The tank equipment and setup guides do not go into any real detail and major things such as live rock are left out entirely for marine setups. This might be good to start interest, but don't try to setup a tank with this alone, or you may leave the hobby for good after frustrating problems and losses occur.



2. I thought that this book would have more about different types of fish and who they really get along best with. Its an ok book for newbies but I would go to the library first and check it out before buying.



3. This book has a lot of good details for all stages of aquarium life. It covers various subjects well. it's only "downfall" is that some of the sections could elabroate more. But of the 3 books we have, I use this one 9 out of 10 times.



4. For those just getting started with keeping fish, this is an excellent guide. The design plans for different aquariums is especially nice, and the list of fish that would be good for a starting fishkeeper is an excellent guide to go by. The pictures in this book are gorgeous and the guide to diseases has excellent examples, which is extremely useful when diagnosing your own fish. All in all, a good starter reference, but for more in-depth coverage, an atlas by Dr. Axelrod would be a good addition to your library.



5. I bought this book when I was first setting up my aquarium. I looked at the aquarium guides offered on Amazon.com, and bought three at once: this book, along with "Dr. Axelrod's Mini-Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes" and "The Complete Aquarium" by Peter W. Scott.

   My favorite thing about this book is that the author provides quite a bit of useful information for the fishes covered in the book. For example, I didn't expect my dwarf gouramies to start breeding right away, but they did, and this book warned me that the male gets overprotective of the bubblenest and that the female needs a place to hide out and recover from spawning.

   My one complaint: because the book covers freshwater, brackish, and marine fish, there are lots of omissions. I wish the book covered clown loaches...I am sure that marine aquarists would find similar oversights, but for a general reference it is quite useful.

   This is a great place to start, and if I had to limit myself to just one book, this is the one that I would recommend.

No comments about The Fight of the Salmon People: Blending Tribal Tradition with Modern Science to Save Sacred Fish.

2 comments about All About Discus.

1. This book is not intended for the beginner, nor should it be. Dr. Axelrod has studied this fish (and others) for years. He is a little vague about "getting started" because he spends more time describing distinctions amoung discus and the different diseases amoung them.



2. This book does not say much about the steps to take before keeping discuses (e.g.how to set up the tank properly before putting them in etc). This is definately not a book for beginners.

3 comments about Schmidt-Fockes Discus Book.

1. What a disappointment! I'd expect the well-known and respected discus breeder to really share his experience, provide tips, give some helpful info, etc. Instead, we have a poorly translated and unorganized (ala TFH) coffee table book filled with fragmentary biographical memoirs and reiterations.
   The same photos are repeated over and over again, and the great Dr.Axelrod is pictured and praised on almost every page (what a surprise for a TFH book!).
   By the end of the book, the author is starting talking about his OBGYN practice and birth control, security at the airports and his years of medical residency. It sounds like he either got completely disoriented or was desperately trying to finish this literary nightmare.



2. I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. It seems more like a biography of E. S. Focke and his personal travels. I was not happy with the amount of technical advice concerning discus. The pictures are very good. All in all, I think I wasted money.



3. Dr. Schmidt-Focke should have titled this the Discus Bible! This is THE book of Discus fish. His vision and groundbreaking work with this fish has taken the discus further than anyone could have imagined or DID imagine. His views, thoughts and teaching skills can be used by the beginner as well as the professional. A must have for anyone "in" the breed! Well worth every single penney you have to pay for it. Don't miss this one!

4 comments about African Cichlids of Lake Tanganyika (For the Freshwater Aquarium).

1. This is a good book with beautiful glossy pictures, but the information in it is very basic. The first 44 pages is devoted to setup, equipment and water with adverts thrown in under the guise of showing you equipment that you should buy for your cichlids. If you are experienced with aquariums(I have maintained different types for over 25 years) you will find most of the first 44 pages a "101" course. The last 20 pages of the book suggests beginner fish for your tank, which I found useful as this was my first African cichlid tank.
   
   A good beginner book, but a bit thin on info about the actual fish.



2. The book is a little thin but remember dont judge a book by its cover. The pictures are GREAT!!! I have been a cichlid breeder for about 25 years and just recently i went into africans and this was one of my first books. The only problem is that it doesnt elaborate on some things, but its a great book.



3. As a friend of mine (that owns a pet shop) said, "I really wish this book had been around when my 8 year old did a report on fish. . .". The book is beautiful. If you need some great pix or if you need some pretty easy text to copy, go for this book. If you have an in depth interest in cichlid keeping or breeding, get the book by Loiselle.



4. This book has a lot of general information about Tanganyikan cichlids and the way to keep them in a home aquarium. The pictures in the book have a special glossy cover, which makes them look very good. It's an excellent 'first book', but someone interested in information about specific cichlid should search for them in another book.