3 comments about Aquarium Care of Oscars (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. This book has many quality pictures but the info would only be helpful to a new aquarist interested in owning an oscar or two. I've counted at least two typos as well. This hints at a hasty release of this book possibly to turn a quick profit. There is not much attention payed to diseases and disorders of oscars. So in fewer words.....this book is meh.



2. Fast delivery & like new condition. Definately a thumbs up!



3. Still it is easy to read, and there are some interesting facts. Primarily for beginners, and as such pretty good in my opinion.

No comments about Wrasses & Parrotfishes: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Their Identification, Behaviors, and Captive Care (Reef Fishes).

5 comments about Rainbowfish Complete Owner's Manual.

1. As a new fan and keeper of rainbowfish, I am eager to learn as much as I can about these very lovely creatures. Whereas I found Gerald Allen's book interesting, it is geared more towards the scientific community than the home aquarist who aims to provide her or his fish the best possible care. Derek Lambert's Rainbowfishes book is also good but, in my opinion, this title by Gunther Schmida for Barron's fits my needs much better.
   
   Mr. Schmida describes many species, including some I have not encountered even in the more specialized shops or online. The color photos, including a nice series of shots showing Red Rainbowfish spawning and the males of other species displaying, are exciting. The information is written in a knowledgeable yet approachable style, as if the author truly wants to share with the reader. At the end is an index which includes both the popular and scientific names of the fish included. (Note to reviewer wass29 in Moline, IL: see p.22 for information on M. praecox "dwarf neon rainbowfish," the fish you are seeking.) All in all, there is much to like about this small but useful book!
   
   However, there is inconsistency in how quantities are presented. For instance, lengths of fish and recommended tanks are given in both metric and English measurements, very useful for those of us in the US. However, temperatures are given only in Celsius and that is an obstacle to my immediate understanding as I read. Given that this book was translated for the American audience by an American publisher, it is only reasonable to expect it to use the form of measurements we use in the US. If it were published in Europe or Australia, certainly I would not complain.
   
   Also, in the species' descriptions, Mr. Schmida recommends tanks of at least 157 gallons (an uncommon size) to hold certain species, even M. boesemani. However, for other species of the same size or larger he does not make such detailed recommendations. He does not explain why this unusually-sized tank is needed. Could it be because of the individual fish's size or because a school of a certain number is recommended or perhaps for some other reason? I take his tank specifications with a grain of salt.
   
   Even with these concerns of mine, I find this to be an excellent resource for those of us who are enthralled with these beauties from Australasia. I have been using a copy from my local library and now I am ready to purchase my own, I like it so well.



2. This book is a great addition to any collection. It has valuable information about rainbowfish and some of the different varieties out there, it is a quick informative book to read. However I felt it did not have enough information on all of the different varieties of rainbowfish. I didn't see anything on Dwarf Neon Rainbofish (a very popular one at the fish store where I work part time), also it did not describe all of the fish very well and the info on tank sizes and fish recommendations was incorrect. Even with its shortcomings I own and enjoy it anyways



3. This book has wonderful pictures and information about the different kinds of rainbowfish.. For anyone that is trying to research which specific rainbowfish they should like to keep it's definately a good choice.. The drawbacks are that the pictures and grouped together on seperate pages from the actual information that pertains to the specific species.. It's only a small gripe however.. I also think that some of the information can be a bit sketchy and there is a portion of the book dedicated to standard aquarium set up which I don't feel should be included in a fish specific book.. That's just my opinion though and if you are new to aquarium keeping it can be very helpful..



4. If you are a beginner at keeping rainbows, this is a very commendable book. It covers all of the basics for keeping and breeding rainbows and you can't ask for more than that from a beginner's book. Also, it provides references for seeking further information. It is leagues above the stacks of picture postcard pamphlets being passed off as "informative" books in the hobby. Still, like most books targeted at a relatively small tropical fish market segment, it is filled with many pictures and few words. A 15 - 30 minute read and you will have digested most, if not all, of the information in this micro-tome. After that, it's an inexpensive reference to the names of many species of rainbow with many excellent photographs and drawings of many species.

   However, the editors seemed to have been rather overzealous. In places the text runs just short of the information you would expect, practically begging questions, and I suspect that the author's original text had the information and the editors decided to cut it to save pages. The information in aquarium set-up and maintenance sections is especially abrupt. It's not that the data is incorrect , but a little information can be dangerous. For example, it mentions that carbon is one of the things you can use in a filter but it doesn't discuss the reasons for, or virtues and problems of, using carbon in filters. It appears the editors allowed the author about one sentence for the topic of carbon -- not enough to do justice to the topic but it keeps down the price of a book with lots of color photographs.

   Did I mention the photographs and drawings are absolutely excellent?




5. As a rainbowfish enthusiast, I didn't expect much from this short book, but ordered it because it was the newest available book on the subject. I was delighted about the amount of information packed into its 64 pages.

   The authoritative reference on the subject is Gerald R. Allen's "Rainbowfish: in Nature and the Aquarium," but this book is nearly impossible to find lately. Derek Lambert's short 1998 book "Rainbow Fishes : Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity" had wonderful photography, but little new species information.

   This new book by Gunther Schmida is similar in format and photography to Lambert's book, but unlike the Lambert book, this one includes lots of new rainbowfish information. The pictures and descriptions of dozens of new rainbowfish species (not described in the other works) make this book a must-have for serious rainbowfish enthusiasts. It also includes a number of tips and advice not found in other books on the subject.

   The photography in the book is top-notch, and the author includes a few tips about how he gets the pictures.

   I only have a few criticisms of the book. This book is translated from German and there are a number of editing mistakes and improper metric/english conversions. There is also a short sidebar discussing legal issues regarding keeping an aquarium, but no indication on what country's laws the advice is based upon. This is important because this is a book sold in America, written by a German living in Australia!

   But overall I recommend the book. If you could get only one book on Rainbowfish (and can find it!) get the Gerald Allen book. Otherwise get this one, or do what i did, and buy both!

4 comments about Aquarium Care of Bettas (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. I bought this book for my Mom, she has a new male Betta. We learned so much and the pictures are colorful. We were also happy it arrived so quickly.....thank you!!!!



2. I bought this book and have read it cover to cover. I thought I knew how to maintain a tank and feeding for a betta until I read this book. It uncovers all the myths that surround betta care even in the pet shops!!!
   Excellent for anyone thinking of buying a Betta! They need more than just a bowl to survive. Bettas also need a mini heater, mini filter, and at least a 1 gallon tank per Betta!!!



3. Ok, this was a kind of nice little book. But not really. The information inside of this book was VERY basic. It never went into details about betta housing (just kept on referring to betta bowls, tiny little bowls in which a betta WOULD NOT be happy in). So thats what took away some starts, was the lack of useful information.
   
   This book had a lot of pictures. Pictures are all well and good, but not in this book. Most of the pictures were of older, boring 'veil tail' finned bettas. Those are bettas of the past. Now we have half moons, and crowntails, so much better. But there was one image of a half moon, and one or two of delta tailed bettas. So the betta community was not represented in the least by this book. Just old veil tails.
   
   Overall, not a good book.



4. This book is extremely helpful; with honest advice and clear, concise explanations.

5 comments about Encyclopedia Of Exotic Tropical Fishes For Freshwater Aquariums.

1. I HAVE WANTED THIS BOOK SINCE IT WAS PUBLISHED, AND WHEN I COULD
   GET IT FROM YOU, I TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY. I FIND IT TO BE THE BEST
   OF REFERENCE BOOKS AROUND TO DATE. THANK YOU.



2. I enjoyed the book immensly. I read it in one day cover to cover all 900+ pages. Very informative and great pictures of fish. I have been a hobbyist for 20 years and I still learned something from it.



3. The author doesn't even include the temperature to keep the fish.



4. I wanted one great dictionary for reference as I just got started with my aquarium a few months ago. I found this to be badly indexed, and since it is alphabetical by Latin subspecies and then Latin name within it, they assume a great deal of knowledge right off the bat. Then you need to look up the common name in the index to find the latin name and my most common fish aren't even in there under common name (ie., Molly, Platy). Guppy is under "D" in the index, a typo for "G" - which makes me think this wasn't even proofread. I really didn't need information on freshwater fish like bass and pike, since those aren't aquarium fish, so don't understand who the audience is supposed to be. Many fish in here measure over a foot in length. I have an aquarium, I'm not going fishing.



5. Unlike many previous Tropical Fish books from the Tropical Fish Hobbyist publisher that were not much more that an unorganized child's picture book, this Encyclopedia is well oganized and has a great common name and scientific name index. A desciption of the fish is on the left page with two corresponding pictures on the right page which makes for easy reading. I would rate this book 5 stars if the descriptions were more detailed. It leaves out temperature range, PH range, sexing information, etc. even though there is sufficient room in the description area for about 40% more verbiage. I recommend this book to be used in conjunction with the 4 Volume set of the Baensch Aquarium Atlas which provides much greater detail of each fish species.

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

1. As I read the summary of the book it states that angelfish don't attack gourami's etc. NOT TRUE! I have an orange veiled angelfish for about 5 years now and they get very territorial as adults at around 2 years old. She will beat another fish down just for raising it's head up. My angel and the gourami grew up together. When they both got to be the same size. She beat him with her nose. But to be fair he chased her also. Fish I would put with angels are catfish, clown loaches and red barbs or mollies. These fish don't try to occupy the same tank depth as angels. They congregate on the bottom to mid tank. Angels like mid to top, but you may find them resting on the bottom when they are not feeling well. So, though I was hopeful about the book I did not purchase it.



2. This book is totally not for those who aren't into breeding Angelfish. It is not in basic termonology in some areas. Very brief in areas you want more information on. If you want a book about Angelfish that is helpful to anyone wanting to know more than how to breed them and worth your time, look beyond this one.



3. The book is small, but very informative, and you feel you KNOW a lot about angelfish after reading it. I recommend this book highly to all angelfish lovers! A "must have"!



4. As a previous reviewer noted, the editorial review is incorrect -- this is a book about freshwater angelfish, not reef-dwelling saltwater angelfish. Whoever submitted the editorial review is a doofus, but that shouldn't be held against the book or its author.

   For a small, inexpensive book Angelfish: Everything About... provides a tremendous amount of information.

   The sections I found most valuable were those on selecting and purchasing angelfish (appropriate size and age, how to maximize chances of a breeding pair), genetic traits of fancy angelfish (veiltail, black, black lace, marble, new gold, commercial darks and marbles, non-allelic gold, smokey, chocolate, ghost, blushing, zebra, half-black, and pearly), breeding angelfish, and raising fry.

   While I'm not interested in angelfish genetics per se, the descriptions of the fancy traits are very helpful when browsing the sites of angel breeders like Angels Plus. It also explains why some fish are so much more expensive than others.

   History, tank selection (for show or breeding), feeding (the section on live food is better and more comprehensive than most I've seen in general aquarium books), diseases and treatment, and water quality are all well covered. The book has an index, glossary, and dozens of color photographs.




5. I have not read this book, and based on the book description I would not buy it:
   "Editorial Reviews
   Book Description
   These tropical reef-dwellers make beautiful additions to any tank, "

   The fish pictured on the cover is a freshwater angelfish, pterophyllum scalare. "Reef-dweller" refers to the marine angelfish, a completely unrelated species. Freshwater and marine aquaria are wholly different fields, and whoever wrote this blurb had clearly not even looked at the book. It doesn't bode well.

3 comments about The Super Simple Guide To Breeding Freshwater Fishes (Super Simple Guide To...).

1. I feel tricked, but it's my fault for not doing my research. I was surprised when I got the book today. I was expecting a small coffe-table book but what I got was something just slightly better than a pamphlet! Well, like I said, I know it's my fault. If you're serious about the hobby, stay away from this book.



2. Award-winning journalist Laura Muha presents The Super Simple Guide To Breeding Freshwater Fishes, a practical guide for both commercial and private freshwater fish owners. Chapters discuss the history of breeding fishes in aquaria, how to condition adult fish, raising the fry, disease prevention, notes on hybrids, species-specific guidelines and instructions, and more. The species catalogue includes such popular types of fish as livebearers (guppies, etc.), anabantoids, catfish, characins, cichilids, cyprinids, and rainbowfish. Color photographs on every page beautifully illustrate this handy, plain-terms guide, printed on sturdy, water-resistant paper stock. A "must-have" for anyone interested in successfully breeding freshwater fish.



3. Award-winning journalist Laura Muha presents The Super Simple Guide To Breeding Freshwater Fishes, a practical guide for both commercial and private freshwater fish owners. Chapters discuss the history of breeding fishes in aquaria, how to condition adult fish, raising the fry, disease prevention, notes on hybrids, species-specific guidelines and instructions, and more. The species catalogue includes such popular types of fish as livebearers (guppies, etc.), anabantoids, catfish, characins, cichilids, cyprinids, and rainbowfish. Color photographs on every page beautifully illustrate this handy, plain-terms guide, printed on sturdy, water-resistant paper stock. A "must-have" for anyone interested in successfully breeding freshwater fish.

5 comments about Handbook of Fish Diseases.

1. Handbook of Fish Diseases is a wonderfully prepared book. The pages are printed on high quality glossy paper showing spectacularly detailed photos and microscope images. The first 50 pages contain a detailed flow chart to facilitate diagnosing of illnesses, as well as treatment(s) available. The author cites multiple treatments when available, as well as advises which one will be best suited to your application. For example, the author will state treatment A is most effective, but risky for plants/certain kinds of specified fish, etc.; treatment B is safer for these situations, and so on and so forth. I personally love the fact that I have choices in treatments and methods, which the author clearly explains in detail.
   After the flow charts, the author goes into a chapter on fish anatomy, primarily from the view of an autopsy. This section boasts fantastic photos and illustrations that will take the novice right up to the intermediate level almost immediately. If you are one that seeks knowledge and understanding of fish diseases, the author provides information that will bring you to the expert level in short order.
   The author next introduces separate chapters on Viral and Bacterial Diseases, Fungal and Algal Diseases, Pathogenic Protozoa, Worm Diseases, Arthropods, and Diseases Not Caused by Specific Pathogenic Organisms. Don't worry if you have no clue as to what those mean, the author quickly brings you to a complete understanding of those things.
   The chapter on Treatment of Diseased Fish gives an in depth explanation of the different treatment methods available, as well as detailed instructions for mixing of treatment medications and chemicals. Each method is given an alphanumeric code by the author. These codes are referenced throughout the text, allowing the author to include tons of detailed information, without repetitive inclusions. Very efficient indeed!
   The author includes a chapter on Microscopy in the Diagnosis of Fish Diseases. The first line of this chapter reads "The most important tool for diagnosing fish diseases is the microscope." The author goes into microscope selection information, magnifications, etc. If you're new to microscopes, this chapter will quickly make you feel comfortable. This chapter alone is worth buying the book. No where else have I found such a complete guide to using a microscope for aquarists. You will love learning how to prepare slides, collect specimins from your fish, stain, make permanent slides, using measurment, and making custom easy to make components that you can use with your microscope that will increase it's capabilities. The author has detailed lists of items that will help you, such as petri dishes, forceps, etc. The author lists chemicals and the quantities needed to perform slide preparation and to preserve specimins. The author discusses camera attachments to microscopes, what information should be included on your permanent slides, and descriptions of film types to guide you along your learning path.
   The last chapter is entitled Pharmacopoeia, and includes names of chemicals and treatment medications, their many synonyms, how they are used, chemical compositions, sources to purchase, and so much more. If the microscopy section wasn't enough to purchase this book, this section contains a alphabetical listing with descriptions that should be enough to purchase this book.
   The Handbook of Fish Diseases is one of the most asthetically pleasing, as well as most informative books on this topic I have encountered to date. When asked to recommend good reference material on this topic, I recommend this book. Not only will this book help you with any problems that you are aware of concerning the health of your fish, this book will show you how to look for things your fish could possibly be infected with. Certainly you will find some surprises that you didn't even know were problematic! No more will you be plaqued with 'why did my fish die' or 'why is this treatment not working?'. This book will show you how to use a microscope to find it!



2. I am very happy with this book, it helped me with a few things I was a little shaky on. It's well worth the money for adding to your library if you enjoy caring for your fish.



3. While this book was very detailed in the descriptions of the diseases, most of the diagnoses seemed to depend on autopsy of the victim after death. It also seemed that a microscope would be required to get full use from the book. I am not sorry that I bought the book, but I would not recommend it to most people looking for a reference on curing sick tropical fish.



4. I have been looking for a book like this one for a long time. Many books
   that I have seen previously were long on words, but short on actual photos
   of fish diseases. This is considered to be a classic book on aquarium fish diseases by many people who need to identify parasites through the microscope. I was able to save many of my fish in my pond by the use of
   this book, and the proper medications. Plenty of flow-charts and color photos to help step you through the process of disease identification.



5. I currently have six Betta Splendens Siamese fighting fish.
   Sadly, I've had two fish die last year and wanted as much
   help as possible to deal with health issues. This book helps
   with the often difficult diagnosis of illness. Without an
   accurate diagnosis it's hard to choose a medication and/or
   other treatment. I found the section on using a microscope
   and slides very intriguing, even if it is a bit advanced
   for most fish hobbyists.

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!

1 comments about Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solver (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. Every aquarium will have a problem at some point, so any aquarium owner and many a library catering to them needs Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solver. It provides detailed information on everything from balancing water chemistry and understanding equipment problems to fish health and diseases. Chapters pair color photos with sidebars of at-a-glance information and plenty of easy tips.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch