5 comments about Discus Fish (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. Very good starting point for raising discus.Well laid out, easy read, good value. I have two other books by Degen but this is the one i keep picking up to browse.



2. I BOUGHT THIS BOOK MANY YEARS AGO AND WENT TO BUY IT AGAIN AND ENDED UP WITH THE LATEST EDITION. THE LATEST EDITION IS MISSING ALOT OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT THIS BOOK HAS. IF YOU ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF DISCUS FISH THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. THE NEW EDITION HAS BETTER PICTURES BUT THAT IS WHERE IT ENDS. BUY THIS BOOK



3. A good book for the beginning to think about keeping Discus. It provided enough information for me to make the decision to give it a try. Two years later, I still have 4 of my orgininal 6 dicus purchased, so I think it helped get me on the right track. Other books can be had with more detailed information on discus if your intent is to keep many of them and even trying your hand at breeding them.



4. Did not appreciate a book from a library. Will be contacting the library is see if book was stolen!!!!!



5. So far, one of the best books I have read for a beginner just like me. It is easy to read and very informative, though it may come short on some subjects.

3 comments about Seahorses: Everything About History, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and Behavior (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals).

1. ... in under 100 pages!
   I wish it had gotten more in depth on variously commonly kept species, and gotten more in depth about breeding...
   This is a great introductory book on how to set up your aquarium for seahorses and gives a decent overview of feeding and nutrition. Supplement this book with more species specific information, which can be found online in the various forums about seahorse keeping.



2. This book is very small. It gives a brief description of each of the major breeds of seahorses. I was hoping for more specific and detailed information for those of us who want to learn to raise them. You also definately need an additional saltwater aquarium book.



3. I've always thought seahorses were unique and would like to learn to care for them and set up my own aquarium. I never realized how many different breeds there are! This book gives a lot of information about how to care for seahorses and equipment you need. It also talks about their different habits and how to get the most out of your pet. It doesn't give a whole lot of information on caring for your salt water acquarium. It seems it's for people who already know the basics, even though it gives you good information on how to care for your seahorses in the saltwater tank. If you don't know a lot about saltwater acquariums (like me) I would suggest buying this book along with Saltwater Acquariums for Dummies. But all in all it is a good book!

5 comments about Hermit Crabs: Complete Pet Owner's Manual.

1. I picked up this book because we recently got two hermit crabs and I wanted to learn more about taking care of them. While this book was among the more helpful I've come across on the subject, I was hoping it would be more detailed. Everything in it was useful, and it helped me know what to do for the basics, but I want to go a little more advanced.



2. I found the book to be extremely informative and helpful.
   there was a great deal of information that i found very useful. Very pleased with this product.



3. With there not being out the in pet stores on how to care for your hermies, this book is very helpful for the novice owner or even for a brush up for someone more experienced. I like to try and read as much as I can. It explains the background of the species as well as how to care for them properly. Thru that, it shows that they are NOT just a disposable pet to live in a little plastic container w/ a 1/4 inch of sand :-( hopefully someday that philosophy will change. They are so interesting and can live a very long time if taken care of properly. It is only a lot of work if you do not have the time.



4. This book has everything that the novice hermit crab owner needs to know to take care of and enjoy their hermit crabs! Information on food, water, environment and behavior can be found easily. This book really helped us learn about our new pets!



5. I bought this book and WOW, it totally helped me take care of my hermit crab Sidney. It tells you all that you need to know to let your hermit crab live safely and happily ever after!

1 comments about The 101 Best Saltwater Fishes: How to Choose & Keep Hardy, Brilliant, Fascinating Species That Will Thrive in Your Home Aquarium (Adventurous Aquarist Guides).

1. This book provides many pictures and descriptions of various saltwater fish that are easier to keep and maintain. The book also provides a list of fish not suitable for most aquarists. There is a problem shoot guide in the back of the book as well as tips for maintaing a healthy saltwater aquarium.

5 comments about Aquarium Designs Inspired by Nature.

1. Outstanding book. It helped me visualize the design and layout of my aquarium. An excellent resource for beginners or pros.



2. This book give you more of an idear of setting up aquariums for specific bio types or areas with certain fish and plants. Very good if you want to set up and aquarium with plants and fish and dont quite know where to start and what to do. Even for experienced people you still can learn somthing form this book. Not a stand alone book but partnered with a couple of others is a very good referance .



3. Is java fern found in an Australian river, I don't think so. This book is not accurate!
   All of the aquarium displays are not even mature, probably because most of the plants would be quite unhealthy by the time the display is mature enough to photograph, very unprofessional!
   Another example: there are no mangroves in the mangrove swamp design, Hygrophila corymbosa was used instead with the author stating it is a good substitute for mangroves, what the, right up until the brackish water kills it! What's almost as worse is that the heater is not even hidden in the aquarium background.



4. As an experienced fishkeeper, I can't say I learned a lot from this book. However, I think it is an excellent overall reference for hobbyists above a beginner's level. The pictures are just gorgeous! Each of the 200 pages has at least one or two photos. You will definitely be inspired! The biotopte profiles are in-depth enough, but I feel Hiscock could have better explained how to actually assemble some of the tank features--namely the Chinese Stream waterfall. Although some of the plant types listed do not always "go" with the specified biotope, the finished product looks great and could be easily modified for the purists out there. The only complaint I have is that most of the designs are intended for large tanks. I think you could probably scale down some of the designs, but they might not have the same impact. Regardless, this is a great book for the money!



5. Given the glowing reviews I read on this site, I was somewhat disappointed with the book when it finally arrived. The general information is fine, as far as it goes, if on a rather basic level. I guess what annoyed me most was that the author makes only a half-hearted effort to use plants indigenous to the various biotopes he describes--for example, Anubias, an African genus, finds its way into the Amazon acid pool. Also, the lists of appropriate fishes are fairly sketchy. And maybe I'm alone in this, but I found it odd that none of the finished biotope aquaria are photographed with fish in them!
   
   What I was hoping for was information on a par with that provided on the Italian website www.natureaquarium.it; this book, while pleasant enough, doesn't begin to reach that level of sophistication or specificity.

2 comments about The Ultimate Koi.

1. A good intro ductory book on the hobby. More information about building the pond than an established koi keeper might like and not enough detail on their dietary habits.
   Would recommend to anyone who needs koi help.



2. Helpful for understanding the types of koi and their origins; as well as care of koi. A good book for beginning koi keepers.

2 comments about Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. This is a great book to learn about guppies and has great pics, i do think this book is more for breeders then for beginners, as for just a basic home tank i found myself still asking some questions, but still has a lot of good info.



2. This book was purchased for my 12 year old daughter who has 2 aquariums in her room. One large tank is full of guppies happily breeding. This book has lots of useful information which my daughter refers to often. The book is easy to follow and many lovely photos.
   
   Thanks.

1 comments about Angelfishes of the World (Oceanographic Series) (Oceanographic Seies).

1. To put it simply, I ordered this book on a whim, recommended from a fellow marine aquarist, and since then I haven't been able to put it down. I have never seen a more comprehensive and affordable review of Saltwater Angelfish, including many images of extremely rare species and hybrids. The images of Angelfish Aquariums maintained by aquarists in Asia is a unique section that really makes you think about how we keep our own aquariums. The only section I found lacking was the section which covered the current captive rearing of marine angelfish - I believe the author could have done more in-depth research, especially into the farm-raised Pomacanthus currently being produced in Asia.

4 comments about Lake Malawi Cichlids (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. This book has a great overview of how to setup a Malawi Cichlid tank. It also has some specific information about some of the more popular cichlid species. This is a great book for anyone looking to setup a Cichlid tank or for people who would like some more specific information on Malawi Cichlids.



2. Good little book, but some stunning errors in husbandry descriptions which could be a potential disaster for beginning Mbuna keepers. I highly recommend that aquarists look for at least a second opinion before choosing individual species as described in this book.



3. This is THE best little cichlid book for Lake Malawi. But don't let the word little fool you, this book is packed with information on dozens of Lake Malawi cichlids. I especially like that the book breaks down the lake's cichlids into the two main categories of mbuna and Haplochromines. There are over 100 excellent color photos of the most popular species accompanied by descriptions of natural habitat, size, husbandry requirements, diet, and breeding. I always take this book with me when I go to a fish auction or my local aquarium society meeting. There are other books that contain information on more species but none that gives you this much information at such a great price!



4. Book Lake Malawi Cichlids describes natural habitats of Lake Malawi, different groups of cichlids and gives very good instructions how to set up aquarium that will match fish's natural requirements. It contains beautiful photos (some of them also taken in the nature!) and descriptions of some aquariums cichlids. It contains a lot of information given in very understandable way, I missed that in many other more comprehensive books. I recommend this book to all beginners and also to more advanced aquarists.

4 comments about The Complete Book of the Freshwater Aquarium: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to More Than 600 Freshwater Fish and Plants.

1. First sentence on Page 31: "Carbon dioxide is the end product of photosynthesis."
   
   The above statement is WRONG; it points 180 degrees away from reality. Of course, photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide, photosynthesis does not produce carbon dioxide. This is a glaring mistake that should have been swept away of the first edit - well before publication.
   
   A related discussion of Carbonate Hardness (page 30) has some very fuzzy chemistry. Not wrong, but not clear, not complete, not precise ... and not easy to follow. Since carbonate buffering can be a big deal in any aquarium, a much better discussion of this topic is needed.



2. ...for beginners and advanced alike. This book offers basic information on a wide variety of plant and fish species. Even has a small section about mormyrids which are rarely talked about in other books. The photographs are beautiful and very detailed.
   Previous poster may do well to actually take a look at the book instead of getting caught up in wording of other reviews.
   Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in freshwater aquariums.



3. I haven't had the opportunity to read or look through this book, but the editorial review discourages me from buying it. The editorial review states that the book contains hundreds of photos of colorful SEA creatures. No sea creatures could survive in a freshwater aquarium: so why include them? In a book of 304 pages, that would not leave much room for photos and text about the freshwater fish and plants that one would expect to find. The book should be retitled or its contents changed.



4. Some good work has gone into the production of this book, and there are plenty of helpful hints for the beginning aquarist, especially on the simple to read section on setting up your aquarium. There is a section on plants as well as a large section on some common fish breeds. However, in order to make the fish and plant sections include more species, the detail becomes a little lacking, so for specifics, get another more specialised book. For generalities, get this one.