3 comments about Fishkeepers Guide to African Cichlids.

1. I have had cichlids since my first tank, which was 6 years ago. I have only ever had cichlids since then, and always had much luck with them. After owning this book, I was able to breed my first cichlids without even trying. Apparently, just by maintaining a very good tank (which was helped along by this book) my fish bred themselves. I had two sets of babies, and finally had to remove "mom" from the tank so that I could manage all of these fish.
   
   The book starts out describing what lakes the different cichlids come from, then gets into the water composition in each of the different lake regions. It also gets into how to handle water pH, ammonia and other toxins, etc. Then, what the different filters are, proper tank lighting, and then what specific plants go well with cichlids of each type described in the book. It also has a great section (which is what prompted me to purchase this book) on specific symptoms of disease in cichlids and how to treat them. This is just in the first half of the book.
   
   There is a short section on breeding, and then the last half of the book is more specifics on various types of cichlids (with pictures).
   
   This book is short but very concise. My first 6 years of amateur tanking was done without any direction besides other people's advice. This is the first and last book I ever purchased on cichlids. Unless you plan on starting a fish farm or running a fish store, this book is more than enough, and short enough to enjoy reading.



2. This book was very samll (116 pages) and was not what I had hoped for. I am a new cichlid owner and this is not the first book I bought. I already had my tank and my starter fish. I wanted some information that was not in your average "dummies book" which I had already read. What I got was some new information, but for the most part, it was just a review book.
   Also, I wanted an idea for some more fish to buy. This book has profiles of 40 cichlids, which sounds like a lot. However, when you take into account the size you want (in my case 4 or 5 inches) and the disposition of the fish (a lot of reviewed fish would not do well in a community species tank), you end up with just a small number of fish you would even want.
   In conclusion, it was an informative introductory book, but I wish I would have spent a few more dollars and gotten a more complete species guide.



3. This was good book for someone buying their first Cichlid (Like me). However I very quickly wanted to know more! The book is great for setting up the tank and gives nice reviews of some species. I think it is a good first book, I found it very helpful, but it is not for experienced cichlid breeders.

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

3 comments about The Proper Care of Malawi Cichlids.

1. I had great expectations from this book but found it very dissappointing. As a new hobbyist I was hoping that this book would give me an idea on how to set up a tank and all the information required for keeping my fish happy but the book was very vague and did not talk about the very marked variation in the different types of cichlids and their needs. The basic tank set-up did not talk about how to introduce new fish into the tank or about the numbers of fish suitable in a tank. Although it mentioned all the equipment it did not really discuss what important features a new hobbyist should be looking for when buying equipment. This book can be used a begginers introduction to Mbuna but not really worth the money.



2. For the beginner Mbuna keeper an easy ,readable book to start.Well organized content,good pictures,wealth of useful info.After 18 years of Mbuna keeping I still use it as a reference.



3. Mary Sweeney's "The Proper Care of Malawi Cichlids" only covers Mbuna cichlids. More than half of the book talks about tank setup that is all common sense. She overemphasizes obvious points and barely covers or doesn't cover at all the important information. The pictures are not varied enough - alot of pictures of the exact same fish. I think this book would be better titled "Proper Care of Mbuna Cichlids of Lake Malawi". I am very disappointed in this book.

No comments about Breeding Aquarium Fishes, Book 3 (Breeding Aquarium Fishes).

1 comments about All about Guppies.

1. Actually this is Paul Hahnel's book, the inventor of the modern delta strain. This is the best book ever written about guppies. Very little of the information is dated. Learn about the care of guppies from a master who kept it simple.

1 comments about Understanding Tropical Fish (Interpet Handbooks).

1. Sandford takes an unusual approach to educating current and potential aquarists about the hobby. Rather than the standard "buy this" and "do that", she begins by showing us where pet store fish come from in the wild, then moves on to how they are shaped, what they eat, how they breed, and what all this means about how to determine and meet their needs in captivity. Sandford is an excellent writer who manages to balance scientific terminology with common language and her text is beautifully illustrated with drawings and photographs. I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone who has the most passing interest in tropical fish. As a well-established aquarium hobbyist, I learned enough to be reading it again a year later, plus I found that short exposures to specific topics increased my spouse's rather slim interest in my pets. This book would make an excellent starting point for a parent or young person considering a first tank. I would recommend it for the classroom or home schooler as well. It is extraordinarily well done and, at the low price, a real bargain as well.

3 comments about A Practical Guide to Creating And Maintaining Water Quality (Tankmaster S.).

1. This is a well-written pamphlet providing elementary information on water and aquarium chemistry. If that is what you are looking for, this book should probably be a 5* book. I was looking for more detailed and more in-depth information than this book provides and was a bit disappointed.



2. Book covers details on water cycle, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chlorine, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, nitrogen cycle, pH, hardness & salinity, temperature, various filtrations, maintenance, and plants. It covers briefly on all other aspects of aquarium and fish, but the author does it well in a clear, concise manner. Lots of pictures and graphs. The book is packed with wealth of information in just 80 pages!



3. Book covers details on water cycle, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chlorine, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, nitrogen cycle, pH, hardness & salinity, temperature, various filtrations, maintenance, and plants. It covers briefly on all other aspects of aquarium and fish, but the author does it well in a clear, concise manner. Lots of pictures and graphs. The book is packed with wealth of information in just 80 pages!

1 comments about South America Cichlids: Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity (Re-615).

1. If you are keeping South American Cichlids this book can be a good choice for you with it is price. It has brief and simple information but if you are expecting lots of high quality photos you will be dissapointted. It emphasizes on breeding much more than keeping them.

2 comments about Platies and Swordtails: An Aquarist's Handbook (Aquarist Handbook Series).

1. The authors, Derek & Pat Lambert, are widely recognized as livebearer experts. They are the founders of Viviparous. This book gives detailed information on platies and swordtails, including thorough coverage of wild species. From the back: Covers natural and aquarium environments with full details of their classification, care, diet & breeding. Chapters: Classification, Anatomy, Natural Environment, Stocking the Aquarium, Diet, Diseases, Breeding, Cultivated Varieties & Strains, Wild Platy & Swordtail Species. The last chapter is nearly half the book. Many, many photos -- beautiful and useful for identification. Highly recommended for the livebearer fancies, whether they prefer wild or tank-bred strains.



2. this book gives you all the information you will ever need on any Xiphophorus species,including collection data.
   It will be your best companion for years to come if you are keeping wild Xiphophorus species.

No comments about The Interpet Bumper Guide to Tropical Cichlids (Interpet Bumper Guide To...).