4 comments about Dwarf Cichlids (American Cichlids).

1. After purusing the book, and noticing the detailed information submitted by the authors I'd say this book is a must for South American Dwarf Cichlid lovers.



2. The book is entitled American Cichlids I - Dwarf Cichlids. You won't find any African cichlids here, but you will find an in-depth useable reference for Apistos, the various dwarf acaras and checkerboard cichlids, etc. Much easier to read than the Mayland & Bork book, although that one is slightly newer and covers more Apistos, more in depth.



3. This is a book to own. It has many dwarf species info. from South America. And it gives very useful care and breeding guide for people who want to take care of these fishes. Beautiful pics and printing are very readable. Try to get one !!



4. This is a beautifully illustrated book with great information, if you are interested in American cichlids only. It is clearly stated on the front cover and spine that this book covers American Cichlids, but that fact is not mentioned anywhere in Amazons info. The book is worthless for what I wanted.

5 comments about Aquarium Filtration (Complete Authoritative Guide).

1. I wish now that I did not buy this book, the information is just too general. Basic design and filter sizing are topics that I expected to find in this book.



2. Before you can become an expert at anything you need to know the basics. What this book does well is explain aquarium filtration and the equipment involved to those who may have little or no knowledge on this matter. Many aquarist books explain filtration very briefly, often leaving the reader with questions and incomplete information about the process. This book will tell you how and why filtration occurs, and explain various filter products and how they work. Includes filtration suggestions for different tank set-ups, but could have included more. Marine tanks are covered, but I would say that freshwater tanks are more the focus of this book.



3. This book describes good filtration systems, some may be considered as old, others too bulky, but what surprised me the most was to find in page 6 referring to nitrite as NO3 and nitrate NO2 (it is nitrite NO2 and nitrate NO3)! After that I took all information with care and check in other book for confirmation. How is it possible for the author to miss this? If you want to see nice photos, fine, but be ware some pages stick together and seem they are going to break, so be careful.



4. If you are looking for a book to help you understand new filtration methods for your marine aquarium. Do not buy this book. It might work for fresh water tanks.



5. This book helps alot for beginners. Filtration is a complex subject for a beginner but with this book you can manage lots of diffucult things. Articles and photos are fine. I recomend this book.

1 comments about The Interpet Encyclopedia of Koi: A Comprehensive Introduction to Keeping and Displaying These Magnificent Ornamental Fish, from Choosing Healthy Stock to Installing a Fully Equipped.

1. Good conprehensive book on koi. Very good photos and description of the various types of koi with their proper Japanese names.
   As with most koi books, too much detail on pond building and not enough on maintenance.
   Photography is very good with lots of examples of finished ponds.

5 comments about Reef Life: Natural History & Behaviors of Marine Fishes & Invertebrates.

1. What a delightful and informative book! As I've been able to do more diving and snorkling in SE Asia the past couple of years, identifying the underwater life has become a hobby as much as my love of birding. But I wanted to know more than just identification. This book is very readable and informative, suitable for adults and older children. The photographs are gorgeous and very clear. I'm reading it cover to cover. Many thanks to the Tacketts!



2. I have the complete set of books now and I really enjoy having the infromation so when I go diving in Cozumel each year it really helps me identify the different species. This really helps when you are one of the few that does not know it all.



3. This is a beautiful book with incredible pictures. Additionally it has very informative text. It is a great book for anyone with a serious interest in reefs & reef life.



4. I have been waiting for this book! Burt Jones got me focused on the 'one metre' dive a few years back and I've been enjoying macro critters and muck diving ever since. In this awsome new book, the Tacketts bring you their personal experiences with the macro world and incorportate a great deal of useful information which can help all of us better understand the interrelationships amongst all the critters. That understanding is one of the keys to making better images of the critters.

   If you are a diver and you really want to get acquainted with the underwater world, stop swimming and start looking. And this book gives you step by step pointers on how to go about looking and helps you understand what you are seeing.




5. The Tacketts have achieved something remarkable with this book. Not only is the quality of the photographs consistently high, but the detailed information within the text is logical and accessible to any diver whether they be experts in marine biology or simply curious fish watchers.
   This American husband and wife team seem to have lived many divers dream existence. Travelling the Indo Pacific for 13 years, they would camp on a beach with their own compressor and make three dives a day collecting sponge specimens for medical research.
   The scientific information is clear and broken down into digestible chunks, enlivened by well annotated pictures - everything from mantis shrimps eating coral shrimps, to frogfish camouflaged against cup corals. Predation, reproduction, camouflage, feeding and mimicry are all wonderfully explained. And, in keeping with the mood of the times there is a final section on reefs in danger - overfishing, cyanide, pollution etc, complete with appropriate photos including a poignant shot of an octopus trying to cover itself with a piece of broken plastic audio-cassette.
   A substantial glossary at the end of the book covers everything from allelopathy to zooxanthellae.
   The strength and value of this book is that it is not just a collection of good underwater images, I suspect it will become an invaluable primer for any diver who wants to look at reefs in an intelligent way.

No comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

3 comments about The Cult of the Koi.

1. Great book! Equally helpful for the novice and experienced Koi lover alike! Great pictures and detailed descriptions.I highly recommend this book.



2. I don't think this is the best book on Koi. Although it covers all the standard topics (Koi identification, pond building, filtration system, diseasees, etc.), it does not give enough details in each topic. The "Tretra Encyclopedia Book of Koi" is by far the best . I know, it is not available for sale any more, but try to find it in a library. It is well worth the effort and you can save money as well.



3. The book is an excellent reference for beginners and experts as well. It gives a great overview of the history of Japanese, Domestic and German Koi. It gives an excellent review of the different types of Koi that have help me a great deal in identification.

   My local Dianichi and Sankaye Koi dealer also says that their consensus is that Cult of the Koi is by far the best they have ever seen.

3 comments about Marine Aquarium Keeping.

1. This is the book that I am looking to learn the know how of hatching brine shrimps. I haven't finished this book yet so i only can tell you what i felt before i purchased this book.

   Before i got this book I found this book is a bit old ( slightly out-dated or out-dated ) in every espect. The info that they given seems does not saying more about the filtering systems, tank setups, and so on in more details. So this is the most disadvantages of this book. The books does not have much details on the details of the Marine Fishes, reefs, lightings, and so on.

   This book does generally teaching or telling what is Marine Fish keeping and teaching those very basic things on the aspects of marine fish. They just telling you what is the important espects of taking care of Marine fishes. They are seems good in the Maintenance, foods & feeding sections only. The info's that they given is very good for peoples want to know what to do when he or she want to hatching brime shrimps. They even teach what, when, how to do in general language. Its a very straight forward explainations so it is good for people who does not know much about Marine Fish. If this book is for those people who want to use for referrences in details and i think this book is not be enought resources or info to make people to know about the technical know how about Marine Fishes. I am not saying that this book is not good. I am saying that this book is suitable for people who want to know what to do with hatching brime shrimps??? Feedings and Maintainance's. SO i would like to introduce people to know about this book is Good in these chapter 10 which is Maintenance and Chapter 11 which is Foods and Feeding.

   I noticed that most of the books do not cover well about the Hatching Brime Shrimps, and the collections of seawater. Teaching what to do with the Seawater that you collected from the Sea.

   OK I have to stop here, because I felt that this is the only things that i want to say.

   Before I wrap it this messaage, this is what i want to say.

   This is a Good Book for those people wanna to know how and what to do with Collections of sea-water from the Sea and the know how of Hatching brime shrimps.

   Thats all.




2. This book is great. I have found that in my time of marine fishkeeping that this book has become of great importance to me and my fish. I would recommend this book to anyone, beginner or avid, fishkeeper. If you purchase this book you will surely become an expert at the art of fishkeeping.



3. A great reference, but not the best book to start out on. The writer is set in his ways and does not talk about all the options, just what he thinks is best. The three pages on filtration only talk about a subgravel filter, with on mention of live sand and rock. However, it is otherwise very though and would be very helpfull. A good book to have, but you should plan on buying others.

2 comments about Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.

1. I bought this one for my nine year old son. He received a tank setup for Christmas. Before I would let him start it up, I asked him to review the book. When he was done, we talked about the different responsibilities of taking care of a fish tank.

   To my surprise, he grasped the fundamentals immediately. I took a look at the book and discovered that it truly held a wealth of information for the beginner. Everything from water filters to alkalinity.

   There were no in depth details, but enough to make the reader grasp the concept and be able to ask intelligent questions.

   An adult could probably go through this book in an hour or two. My son took several days and was pleased with his accomplishment.




2. I purchased this book back when I started this hobby. This book helped me out in so many ways I cannot explain. I especially like the part when it states all of the diseases that can occur. I would not purchase this book If you intend to use it as a fish encyclopedia. It does tell you about some good and bad beginner fish though. Happy Reading

   Jon

4 comments about Brackish-Water Fishes: An Aquarist's Guide to Identification, Care & Husbandry.

1. This is a very good book. Very informative good pictures may need a few more on the less seen species. Overall Great book



2. Well written and organized book, great graphics, and loads of information.
   Very thorough in listing all the types of brackish fish and their requirements. Worth getting if you are setting up such a tank. Makes the task less challenging.



3. Compared to the Aqualog Brackish fish book which focused a lot on brackish water habitats and chemistry this book focused mostly on various brackish water fish. This book will tell you where the fish are from, what type of water conditions they need, and behavior of the species or the whole genus.
   
   So why buy this? As I said it focuses on different types of brackish water fish (and their salinity requirements) listing a lot more species than any other book I have read. This is why this book is a must have for the brackish water enthusiast who wants to know of species beyond the usual stock most books cover or list as brackish.
   
   I give the book 4 stars because I think there could have been more on brackish habitats and on the plants found in them. THis book does tend to focus on what you are mostly like to find in a petshop but I wish it had told of plants and substrates not found easily but could be found for the persistent hobbyist like myself.



4. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by zoologist and aquarium fish expert Neale Monks "Brackish-Water Fishes: An Aquarist's Guide To Identification, Care & Husbandry" is a complete, 384-page, authoritative and 'user friendly' guide to rare, common, and easy-to-obtain species of brackish-water fish species which would prove ideal for the home aquarium. In addition to full color photographically illustrated descriptions of each fish, "Brackish-Water Fishes also features sound recommendations for themed aquarium tank setups, and tankmates for each identified species. Very highly recommended and an indispensable reference, "Brackish-Water Fishes" is a specialized and core addition to any personal, professional, academic, and community library Pets/Wildlife collection in general, and aquarium fish reference shelf in particular.

5 comments about The Guide to Owning Piranhas.

1. Before I got my Piranha, I bought this book. This book helped me decide what size tank I would get, helped me with the chemical levels that would be an ideal home for the fish, I learned about what they like to eat, and mor
   
   In February, for mt 12th birthay, I got a Red-Bellied Piranha. This book has helped me mantain the tank and keep my fish alive. It is now December and my fish is still alive and is about 5 1/2 inches. The book is a must for any Piranha owner.



2. What a waste of money. You'd better of reading an article or an expert advise on the Internet than reading the entire book. Which adds to my frustration is the extra cost I encountered on shipping the book internationally.
   
   It has absolutely neither a meaningful new peace of information nor a serious know how.



3. i first got this book b4 i got the fish and found it to be most informative with good pictures and information contained threw out a good buy for any person wanting or thinking about keeping these fish... it is a book that is serious in the right places but not a real professional book like some that i have read



4. 64 pages Over 10 Section (What Are Piranhas? , Aquaria , Understanding Them , Feeding , The Setting Up , The Truth , Breeding , Species , Keeping Piranhas Happy and Healty) . The pictures are extra ordinary high quality , very easy to read .




5. Good information, excellent photos, easy to read. I was expecting a upto date discussion about breeding and information on feeding (other than gold fish). I was disappointed