5 comments about Tropical Marine Fish Survival Manual, The.

1. I bought this book in 1996 when I was thinking of going from freshwater to saltwater. I found the information extremely helpful in making general decisions regarding stocking the tank. The rating system of 1-10 for each fish's ease of care has proven true over and over again. The fish the authors chose to describe are very common in the aquarium trade. If nothing else, it prevented me from making disastrous choices regarding tank mates. This is a beginner's book, an introduction to the world of saltwater. If I had read "Natural Reef Aquariums" by Tullock first, I probably would never have set up a tank. I would have thought that marine fishkeeping was too expensive and complicated for me, when in fact it has been very rewarding and worth the effort and the price! Maybe this should be classified with one of those "For Dummies" books because it provides an easy to read, enjoyable introduction, but you would never consider it to be your only reference. This book was lost while I was visiting my mother in the hospital and I missed it so much, I bought another. I'm glad I still have it in my library along with the other, more detailed, books. I rate it 4 stars because it's an excellent starting point.



2. This book is basicly a fish guide, and that's fine because that's what I expected from it. The problem is it only gives maybe a paragraph or 2 per group of fish, and then only a paragraph on about 4-8 of the particular species. The info about the fish is fine for the most part, I just expected a more fish info and less pictures and large fonts.

   The bottom line is, I wouldn't buy this book again and I'll keep it if for no other reason then the pictures are very nice.




3. Every book has its strength and weaknesses. To criticize this book for lack of reef information is unfair because this book was targeted towards the audience who either have not owned a fishtank before or who has freshwater experience but getting into salt water setup with fish only tank. I read the book cover to cover in a very short time and I feel that I've learned so much in just two hours which I would not have if I read a "more detailed" book. I got an excellent overall view of the marine fish keeping, the physiological differences between salt and fresh water fish, the evolution between the two, etc. The colorful brilliant photos printed on high quality paper for popular marine fishes is worth keeping the book for its price as a quick reference to show friends. My personal favorite and if not the only reason to keep this book is the picture of the "Picasso Triggerfish". Literally, that fish looks like an artist random dabs and stroke colorful paint all over the fish's body and it has the personality of a true pet who sleeps like a hog and rearrange and personalize its own shelter. Doesn't that make you want to go out and collect such an adorable fish? That is a mark of a good book to inspire a beginner to study more and to learn more so that one day you can keep one of those. If Clown Triggerfish cost over a hundred, that Picasso (Rhinecanthus Aculeatus) must cost much more! Reason for not being a 5 star is that this book could have gone into more detail into the poison of the Mandarin fish and how it may or may not be harmful to its surrounding ecology and fish. I really don't understand why the author would put such information to make a reader curious yet not satisfy their curiousity? Points OFF. Also, I think the tank setup is a bit outdated and I would recommend visiting a local marine fish store or the internet for updated filters/skimmers currently available. Can't really blame the author because the book was written about 8 years ago and wet/dry filtration would be too expensive for most beginners back then. Reason for not being a 3 is that each photo selected for this text is meticulously hand picked to represent the most beautiful of breed, not just some randomly obscure photo as in most pocket hand books for fish identification. Solid, easy to flip quality photo book to show friends.

   Excellent overview book to guide a beginner for introducing the types of marine fishes available to help them decide what kind of fish they would like to keep in their collection. Unless you already own a more comprehensive photo handbook, this book is a good place to start.




4. It gives good identification of commonly available marine fish with a lot of great photos in high quality prints. It is specially useful as an aid to choosing fish. Pretty basic on setup and disease. Overall, it is a good beginner book for stocking a fish only aquarium system.



5. The author (or his 'consultant') have several mistakes in this book - amongst the species descriptions for example, they say the Catalina Goby "will thrive in a tropical invertebrate aquarium" though "Not a true tropical animal..." WRONG. This fish will perish quickly in a tropical environ. There is a photo of Engineer/Convict Gobies identified as catfish! And the author highly recommends a Cleaner Wrasse in every system - foolish, these are obligate cleaners and should be left on the reef. They'll harass your other fish like crazy, and usually refuse regular food. The coverage of system setup, maintenance and disease are very, very lightweight, and rather outdated. If you're looking to get started in Marine Aquariums, buy a book from John Tullock or Robert Fenner. They're more expensive, but worth every penny. This one belongs on the shelves of elementary schools' libraries - well, even that's not fair to elementary students!

1 comments about Adventure Aquarium: Creating and Observing.

1. This book was a great help to me. I was setting up my first community fish tank, and the book gives suggestions as how to set up the entire tank. It is focused around a 20 gallon "high" tank, and tells you what fish and how many of each to put in, with several different suggestions. Following the guidelines made my life much easier, and took the stress of research on so many types of fish and plants away. The book is very well written, I would highly recommend it for someone nervous about setting up their first tank.

No comments about Acuario de Agua Dulce, El.

No comments about A Practical Guide to Tropical Aquarium Fish: A Fully Illustrated Introduction to All Aspects of Keeping Tropical Freshwater and Marine Fishes in the Aquarium.

No comments about The Aquarium.

2 comments about Gouramis and Other Labyrinth Fishes.

1. You could write much more extensive book about gouramies and bettas easily. I would have wanted to see much more pictures and more specific information about species. This book isn't bad but it could be much better too.



2. It is concise which is fine and in the beginning has general information that applies not only to Gouramies. Then it describes the various species but there is not enough data about the behavior of each of the species and also not enough information on how to breed.

No comments about Aquarium Careers.

No comments about Teach Your Dog Lead Training (Teach Your Dog).

No comments about Aquarium Fish (101 Essential Tips).

No comments about River Carping.