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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. ...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.



4. 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.

3 comments about Mini-Aquariums.

1. This is a great addition to my library of aquarium books. Although I can not condone squeezing any fish into a tank smaller than 10 gallons. These "Micro tanks", Would be great for a temporary display of plants only. Even small shrimp would be stressed in these small environments.



2. This is my first time writing a review but I was so diappointed I didn't want someone else to make the same mistake. Because this book is definitely not what I thought it was going to be! It is VERY basic! Good for only someone very very new to the hobby!The first four chapters are about basic fishkeeping (water quality, pH, filtration, sickness) and personally I have read it much better explained in other books. As the owner of 7 saltwater aquariums (125g,75g,29g,55g,46g,10g,2g) I was hoping for more info about saltwater, but I found that the book talked alot more about freshwater. I also had not expected to find info about lizards and frogs! Personally I wouldn't try setting up any tank using only the advice in this book (much less a nano tank!!!). If you are a saltwater aquarist interested in starting a nano tank read "The Nano-Reef Handbook". It is a very informative book that I reference all the time. In fact it has been helpful in caring for my larger aquariums too. Basically I think you shoundn't waste your money on this book! Wish there had been a review I could have read when I bought this book! Anyway happy fishkeeping!



3. This book provides a good reference for basic information about fish that stay small. I would not want to use a tank smaller than 5 gallons, though, and I definitely do not recommend a saltwater tank of less than 30 gallons. My only exception to the small-tank rule would be a single male betta, which I have kept by himself in a filtered three-gallon Eclipse tank. If you want to consider the best types of small fish to keep in your 10-20 gallon setups, this is a good reference. I also found his thoughts on frogs, newts, and other non-fish interesting. Basically, consider this book a helpful reference rather than a general how-to manual about fish husbandry.

4 comments about Freshwater Aquarium Models: Recipes for Creating Beautiful Aquariums That Thrive.

1. A real disappointment! It promises so much but delivered so little. The book would have been excellent if it had included photos, pictures and layout diagram of most or all the different tanks. The 16-page color insert is not an inspiring catalog of fish and plant varities as metioned, in fact it's rather pathetic. I can't understand how the back cover of the book can promise that the book would show readers step-by-step and fish-by-fish how to create the aquarium models. I can't find any step-by-step instructions anywhere. If this was a cookbook, which it is not, then it would only been average. I hope the author would expand the book in his next edition with real step-by-step instructions with photos, pictures and diagrams. He could take advice from the old adage, "a picture paints a thousand word". All in all, too much words and just simply boring. Anyone can write a receipe, readers need some proof of the finished aquarium models. I think readers will find books by Takashi Amano more useful and inspiring, at least they have a picture of the model aquariums in which to aspire for.



2. This book would be useful to a beginner or advanced aquarist. The plant layouts for various types of fish was very easy to understand. A great all around book.



3. I was most impressed with this book and the tecknickal information but this book lacks the pictures and diagrams to make it an outstanding book.
   The information is there but words cannot convey it without additional pictures and diagrams to make it clear. Most fish raiseing hobbest do not want a school type text book. They are looking for answers and new ideas that require pictures and diagrams to make the discribed sceens come alive and understandable.
   
   I would give this book a 10 star rating if Pictures and Diagrams were added.
   
   Skipper Roy
   (Member of Exectutive Council, Missouri Aquarium Society, Inc.)



4. This book covers an interesting subject, but it has almost no image, so think about it if you want to buy it. It has many description of aquarium biotopes, but only in textual form.

5 comments about African Cichlids of Lakes, Malawi, and Tanganyika.

1. One expects when buying a book by such a respected author to acquire a truly great book. This is not the case with this book. First of all, most photography are of very poor quality. Second, not all pages are numbered! This make the job of identifying fishes a lot harder. I'm very disapointed.



2. I bought this book in order to gain practical information on cichled species and their identification but I am highly dissapointed. It is full of pictures with a lot of missing information (such as sexsing, behaviour or breeding) and it is full of technical descriptions which are not helpful for an amateur aquarist. Photos of the lake Malawi and Tanganyika fishes are all mixed up; pages are not organised at all.



3. I thought that this book will have all the info i'll need for my African cichlids aquariums, but this book is a total flop ,
   surprising with the names that were responsible for its release.
   It has little info on the life of the African cichlid of lake Malawi & Tanganyka and nothing else , it is mainly a picture book (more then 90%) WITHOUT any data on the fish in the pics.
   It seems i'm stuck with it but you can find much much better books to spend your money on.



4. First of all the book is 448 pages long (you would think there would be an abundent amount of usefull information) well THINK AGAIN ! The book is full of pictures with outdated scientific names, the only information about breeding any type of cichlid (being malawi or tang) is that you throw in a male with two or three female keep the water clean and BAM, you will have fry everywhere! It takes him about 20 pages to say this, in which he keeps repeating about just putting the fish in together and keeping the water clean. This book is trash and I am highly dissapointed, I wouldnt sell it for the simple fact that I would feel as though I am cheating someone out of money. If you are, on the other hand, looking for a book because your 2 year old seems to be fascinated by fish and fish pictures, then this would be ok for you. Out of the 448 pages 300 are pictures with no information about keeping the fish in an aquaria whatsoever, no explanations & poor "guessing at the correct names"; as he refers to over and over again "this is probably a ___ sp " Very jumbled and poorly organized ; even with the photos ~ this book doesnt even deserve 1 star!



5. What an amazing book!!! Amazing content with very useful information and beautiful pictures to boot. I dare you to find a better book out there on African Cichlids.

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

1. The title of this book says it all. Freshwater stingrays need more care and attention than most other freshwater fishes. This book covers the precautions regarding usage of heaters (esp. submersible), pH, diet, disease, etc. and watch out for their stings (spines), breeding, etc. It's a good collection in a small book. Some readers may find information that are easily found in other beginner fish books like filtration, etc, but all information are well-presented. I have been searching information for freshwater rays and compare with the info in this book, there are some things that I had not known or realize before, for example, regarding the sensitivity of the china rays and also regarding selection---avoid rays showing "death curl" and undernourishment.... which is the first step in starting the hobby.

   Anyone thinking of keeping freshwater stingrays should read this book first as these fishes needs much care and attention and also to avoid making expensive mistakes.




2. This is a great book if you are going to buy or if you have
   a stingray. As it says in the book, you should have an aquarium
   sized 4 feet by 2 feet for the smallest of rays. A+ Book.



3. The book jumps around a bit. I think that the information could have been organized a little better but it's all there nonetheless.
   
   Great information! For the price you can't go wrong. Buy it!



4. Great book. Lots of info on feeding, caring and general stingray keeping.
   it's a nice little book that says the same than other more expensive similar books.



5. For the basics on Freshwater Stingrays this book is a great introduction into their care. For those interested in Rays for the first time this booke is an excellent primer for further investigation into Ray keeping. An excellent beginners book.

5 comments about Dr. Axelrod's Mini-Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes (Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes).

1. Need to know if a certain breed of unusual fish is compatible with, say, your angelfish? Dr. Axelrod knows. This atlas is amazing in it's depth for a "mini-atlas," with page after page of freshwater fish. And then he gets into the real meat of fishkeeping after that! Although it can occasionally be difficult to use (the fish are listed by their scientific name in general, not their common name, which can make looking up a certain fish difficult), all in all this is an incredible book, and one every fishkeeper should have on their bookshelf.



2. From the reviews, I expected alot from this book. I know that it is old, but I was really disappointed. The information is not consistent and incomplete. Here are my issues:
   
   (1) All the pictures are grouped (i.e. Ciclids, etc.) together followed by the complete text instead of a picture with text of each kind of fish.
   (2) Everything is ordered by scientific name instead of common name. This makes the book less usefull to those who are new to freshwater fish.
   (3) Compared to other books, the photographs are not that good. In fact, some of them are out of focus.
   (4) The fact guide is totally useless as the information on how to intepret the what the legend means is not clear. For example, you see a temparature guide but not the upper or lower temperature.
   (5) With that many pictures the book, I expected the book to focus on different species but instead there are multiple pictures of the same kinds of certain fish just because they have different color scheme.
   (6) The biggest complaint that I have is that the information is not consistent and some are missing. Some pictures have both scientific and common names while others have just one name. Some have complete information, while others have partial (i.e. tank size, compatibility, etc.) or NO information at all.
   
   If you are buying this book because you just want something to read, go ahead and buy it. However, if you are buying this book because you are new to the freshwater fish keeping and need information about different kinds of fish to choose from...this book is totally useless. Useless, I say because there are more books out there with more complete information. If you look at the index and can't find the names of the fishes that you commonly see in aquarium fish shops, then the book is useless.



3. Definitely a very good reference guide for any freshwater enthusiast. The mini-atlas has every freshwater species beautifully diplayed in color photo. Under each color photo is a group of symbols. These symbols are defined in the book itself. The symbols convey what water conditions are appropriate, size of tank, food, swimming level, breeding type and level of aggression. The mini-atlas also has separate chapters on breeding, fish diseases, aquarium plants and tank set-up.
   
   The only negative point is that each fish is called by its scientific name. If you desire to know the common name (the name used in aquarium shops) you have to go to the back of the book and search an index of scientific names which then refers to the common name. This process is a bit cumbersome.
   
   All in all, this book is a nice addition to one's personal freshwater library. It's very complete and I find myself referring to it often.



4. Nice big book with lots of nice pictures. My daughter is very interested and pretty knowledgeable of aquarium fish and found this book useful.



5. The bulk book is just hundreds of photographs of fish fallowed by basic information about the fish therein. It is organized by fish family as many things are in the aquarium hobby. The book has three Indexes, fish alphabetized by scientific name, fish alphabetized by common name, and an index for the text portion of the book, and I think that is brilliant. The photos are a tiny bit grainy however the photos are taken in such a way that the fish in the picture are very detailed, and you could easily use this book to identify an unknown fish. There is information about many common plants, the book also has short basic sections about health, breeding, maintenance, equipment, the stuff that is in most fish books, etc. My one major complaint is I wish there was more information about each individual fish such as sexual dimorphism, water chemistry, and breeding, also the common names are not with the photos only the scientific names are so they must be cross-referenced in the index. I think many people have given this book a bad review simply because it comes so highly recommended that people expect it to be allot more than it is. its no holy grail of the fish books, far from it, but I think for what it is it does good.

5 comments about Guppies, Mollies, and Platys (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. I am an amature, first time fish owner and I found this book to have everything I needed to raise healthy happy guppies, mollies and platys. I would highly recommend it. The author explains everything in easy to understand terms. You'll have no trouble raising your fish to be as healthy and happy as mine.



2. If you are a new fish keeper don't buy this book for the setup tips. If you are looking for a book about live-bearers the sections about specific species are good and can be helpful but the other sections on care and aquarium setup are lacking.
   I would suggest a more comprehensive book that can be used as they advance through the hobby. I've seen several more comprehensive guides to get someone started, and I've found the Aquarium Atlas series by Baensch to be helpful in species selection and even the sections on setup and equipment are good.
   CONCLUSION:
   Buy this book for the info on live bearers, if you want info on other aspects of fishkeeping as well, look elsewhere.



3. This book was helpful for me, as I am learning how to breed and care for mollies, guppies, and platys. It was useful in identifying and treating diseases, perfecting my tank, and recognizing the sexes and different types of live bearing fish. The photos are also spectacular



4. This book was helpful, but did not have as much on Mollies as I hoped. It still is packed with lots of good information.



5. This book had lots of good information on live bearers. I think it's an excellent source to start out with. If you are looking for very specific information, this may not be the book for you. I was really looking for some Platy specific requirements that don't necessarily include breeding, and other than a short paragraph, there wasn't hardly any information tuned especially for Platys. That being said, It's a great starting place for breeding live bearers. The pictures of Guppies & Mollies were lovely. The fish illness discriptions were well written. But you should not use this as your sole source of information on these types of fish.

4 comments about McClane's Field Guide to Saltwater Fishes of North America.

1. McClane's saltwater fish identification guide is a must for every angler -- sunburned beginner or salty old pro -- who casts a line into our bays and oceans. The most outstanding among this guide's many strengths are its clear, concise writing in the description of each fish, and the strikingly life-like, full-color artistic renditions of most of the fish. The fish are organized by family; so where there are related species on the Atlantic and Pacific sides (e.g., among sea bass), the book does jump somewhat to and fro. However, with its thorough index and vivid illustrations, any saltwater angler should be able to locate that "mystery fish" in McClane's within less than a minute. This book accompanied me on every fishing trip in my years of angling in South Florida and the Keys; and many an unknown fish was revealed through McClane's pages. With this book, the difference between sheepshead and spadefish (for example) is obvious -- in feeding habits, location, water preferences and any characteristic of appearance. Whether you catch a Spanish mackeral, ladyfish, jack crevalle or even the ugly (but tasty!) guitarfish, McClanes can teach you all the important information about it, quickly. It's the perfect size for the tacklebox; but be sure to put it in a freezer bag to keep it dry.



2. This book is very useful in every facet of salt water fishing, from fish physiology and habits to tackle selection. A must for every salt water fisherman.
   
   This book is equally as good as "McClane's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America."



3. This book has been a constant companion on nearly all of my fishing trips, regardless of location. I am currently on my second copy- the first was worn out from repeated use ! When a question arises about habitat,water preference, etc., we whip out the ole' McClanes to settle the argument.The pictures offer a true rendition of the fish which aides in rapid identification.The descriptions give vital information, while remaining brief enough to allow the book to function as a true "field" guide.I highly recommend this book to any angler or saltwater fish enthusiasts in need of a pocket guide.



4. This is a pretty good field guide. There is a lot of information on alot of species. I wish there were pictures of every species, but in many cases the descriptions are good enough.
   
   I would recommend this book as a companion to "A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes : North America (Peterson Field Guides)"

5 comments about Saltwater Aquarium Handbook, The (Barron's Pet Handbooks).

1. I spent months researching marine and reef aquaria for my own involvement as a hobbyist, and this was my first book. While it covers the characteristics of different vertibrates and invertibrates, as well as diseases and basic feeding information, it perpetuates many of the myths which cause so many tank "crashes", specimen deaths and discouraged hobbyists. This book does not address the most successful and widely-used water treatment and filtration methods used today: Protein skimming, live rock and live sand, and sump systems.

   The science of marine tank and reefkeeping has changed radically in the past few years, lowering the mortality rate of tank inhabitants and increasing the ease of tank maintenance. This book seems to focus on the out-dated methods, and in several instances, leads the reader to believe that certain animals best left to advanced keepers are suitable for immature systems.

   I would recommend this book only if you are "iffy" about starting a tank. It is a decent overview; but if you do take the "plunge", do thorough research first. Pariticipate in online forums, and buy "The Conscientous Marine Aquarist" before even purchasing your tank. You will have a solid foundation to build upon, you'll save money by purchasing the right equipment first, and you'll learn how to correctly cycle your first marine tank. From there, you'll want to pick up more specific and technical books to lead your way.




2. there are better books out there, but if you want a nice book to read on saltwater aquariums in general, then this book is quite okay.



3. If you are looking for a complete guide, don't pike up this one. I found it good for first time reader, who doesn't know a thing about reef tank, but it doesn't realy help to set up you own.



4. This book is outdated. About all it has of any value is pretty pictures. There are much better books for the beginner out there. I found this out the hard way.



5. this book was worthless, I am going to try to return it. I was not at all happy, very outdated information and some info I found to be quite incorrect. :(

5 comments about Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes.

1. This book has changed a lot since the first edition. Mostly, it has removed information and added pictures. LOTS of pictures. It is more of a coffee-table book than any kind of aquarium guide. But even the pictures are of uneven quality. I was shocked that the only picture included for a couple of fairly common fish were of dead, poorly-preserved specimens. Yikes!
   
   The authors' stated purpose for this book is "This book was created with the express purpose of making the identification of fishes easier for hobbyists, aquarists, and scientists alike."
   
   Well, if that was the goal, it fails miserably. The book is organized based on geographic area where the fish originates. Think about it. If you saw a fish and wanted to know what it was, would you somehow instinctively know which continent it came from? Of course not. You might want to identify it based on its colors or shape or whatever. The book does not function as an identification guide.
   
   Although most info has been removed, there is some very terse info below each picture as small text and icons. The text lists info such as pH, ideal water temperature (in Centigrade), maximum adult length (in cm), and minimum tank size (in litres). Although it does not tell you what these mean, any intermediate or higher fishhkeeper should be able to figure it out.
   
   The icons are not particularly clear unless you already know the fish. For example, the icon for egg-scatterer versus livebearer is only obvious if you know what the fish is to begin with. More importantly, I can find nowhere in the book where it actually tells what the icons mean. This is very sloppy.
   
   The index is also horrendous, failing to include a number of entries, and including numerous false entries. For example, the first page entry listed for Scleropages jardini sends you to a page that does not contain pictures of jardini, and in fact is a section for a different continent.
   
   Even the quality of the pictures is uneven. For some fish, the coverage is extensive, with a lot of pictures showing different color strains, breeding colors, and so on. Yet for other fish, the coverage is incomplete. For example, there are three pictures of Silver Arrowana, and all three show just-hatched arrowanas. Why not show an adult? The fish changes as it gets older. Also, there are only four pictures of Astronatus (Oscars), showing only 4 color patterns. It's absolutely shocking to me that the abino and tiger albino forms are not shown. They've been in the trade for well over a decade before this edition was published.
   
   My last complaint is that they have been adding pages by adding them as decimal additions. For example, they added 16 pages of pictures of Swordtails (16 pages!) after page 432, and numbered them as pages 432.01, 432.02, etc. The reason for this, of course, is that it means less work adjusting the index, etc., and 16 pages in one place from a publishing standpoint is easier, because it means not changing the rest of the plates. But from a reader's standpoint, it is sloppy and unforgivable, considering the price of the book.
   
   To summarize, this book contains an incredible array of pictures. On the plus side, it has pictures of many fish you'll find nowhere else. It is massive and impressive. The pages are slick and glossy and the physical production standards are high. On the down side, it is badly in need of extensive, high-quality, detailed editing to correct the numerous glaring errors and omissions.
   
   Frankly, this is overall a hugely disappointing effort and I simply can't recommend plunking down such a high price for this edition.



2. I bought this book to help me identify fish. Have it worked so far? No.
   
   First, it only names the fish in latin (scientific) name, which is a little frustrating to me. Sometimes, I need to cross info from other sources to reach the specimen I'm looking for.
   Second, you need to know the continent where it comes from.
   
   I've also found some errors in the information. The freshwater stingray, for example, is catalogued as an egglayer, while it's a livebearer fish.
   
   This books is huge, and looks great in your library or stacked in your desk.



3. The book delivered by Amazon was in Excellent Condition.
   This Book displays pictures and details of fishes not available in other Atlas I have bought, so it is worth every dime.
   Large, clear pictures of all freshwater fishes, great for reference.



4. I bought this book when I started getting really into the hobby and I absolutely am impressed with the quality of the photos, how the fish are separated by continent and other useful information. I frequently check back with the names of the fish and where these fish come from. I guess the only not serious complaint is that it does not contain the common name for the fish, only the latin. Although, I could see how hard it could be to list the several common names of each fish, since it's already so huge!



5. The book serves to identifying any fish provided if one knows the scientific names. If the target audience are technically competent it will serve its intended purpose. But for the general hobbyists/fish keepers or even fish dealers the scientific names are impossible to remember. Even to pronounce them correctly seems impossible. By far the common names are more acceptable and meaningful to them. Even speaking to technical people the common names are more often used. I am not suggesting that the scientific names be dropped but be mention as an additional information to those who needs it. What I meant was that; the far the majority of hobbyists/fish keepers; young and old, technically minded or not would appreciate the common names as a reference.
   Personally, I do find it difficult to locate a fish. It must be somewhere in the book! Maybe it helps if you know the region of the world it comes from as that will narrow down your search.
   On the whole I know lots of work and effort has gone into the making of the book and credit must be given to all responsible.