Expert advice on freshwater aquarium fish.
Illustrated in full color, this comprehensive reference includes 500 of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish. It provides concise at-a-glance information on their behavior, diet and breeding, along with a recommended aquarium setup. Practical and well organized, this book is tailored to the needs of a wide range of freshwater-aquarium hobbyists.
A key decision for the aquarium owner, and also one of the most fun to make, is choosing the fish for a tank. 500 Freshwater Aquarium Fish is a “window shopping” trip, with an expert alongside to offer crucial advice. This thorough directory details every appropriate species. While most of the fish featured require a heated aquarium, there are other popular varieties, such as goldfish, that can be kept in an unheated one.
With more than 500 color photographs, the book is organized by major fish groups, among them : – Cichlids, including angelfish and discus – Catfish – Cyprinids, including barbs, danios, koi and goldfish – Characoids, including tetras, neons and piranhas – Oaches and suckers – Gouramis, including bettas, paradise fish and snakeheads – Rainbow fish and blue-eyes – Livebearers, including mollies and platies.
This comprehensive and useful reference, edited by a highly respected expert, will be welcomed by amateur fishkeepers of any age and expertise.
This is a beautiful little volume. I only gave it 4 stars because of its diminutive size (6×6) which makes it hard to hold while reading. Otherwise, it is a very concise atlas of the more common species of aquarium fishes along with a description of temperment and a brief summation of the proper conditions under which they must be kept. There is a small 3×4 photo of each species included. All in all, it’s a very beautiful albiet small book that any fish hobbiest would enjoy owning.
This is a great reference book for any serious aquarist.
I am still a beginner aquarist, and on my first attempt at an aquarium, many of my fish died. The problem was that I mixed different types of fish together. For example, I had Angelfish, Discus, and Gold fish, together with three other types, all in one tank. That was not very wise. The Gold fish were eating the smaller fish (though the pet shop told me they wouldn’t), and many who were not eaten died of bite wounds.
I removed the Gold fish and kept the other fish together. Still, six out of the eight Discus died. I couldn’t figure out why. There were no fish bigger than them in the aquarium. On further reading, I realized that the water temperature was the culprit. Discus like warm water, anywhere from 26 to 30 Celsius, even slightly warmer for breeding. Angelfish, however, prefer temperatures up to 28 Celsius, and not higher. The other types of fish had their water temperature requirements as well. The water temperature in my aquarium was too low for the Discus.
I removed the Discus fish and put them in an aquarium on their own with a water temperature of 30 Celsius. They seem to be very happy! It is to be hoped that I’ll get little baby Discus soon!
This book gave me details about the fish I have and how to create their specific habitat. Water temperature, as mentioned above, is very important, but there are other important factors as well. For example, Discus fish like water that is soft and acid. I put driftwood in my tank to achieve this water quality. I also heavily planted (with real plants) the back and sides of my aquarium. Discus like a densely planted environment. They like to lay their eggs vertically on plants or rocks. So I added natural rocks as well. Discus also like to be within their species. Putting one or two discus in an aquarium is not wise. The Discus might survive, but they won’t be happy, and this will show on their body color (usually faint colors). Put a minimum of eight Discus together and they will manifest beautiful skin colors.
Where do I get all this information? From this book of course! This book should be in every aquarist’s library.
Good quick reference for the fresh water aquarist looking for a portable guide. This is mainly a guide to fish species and has very little information concerning tanks, filtration, etc… Information on temperment and other important traits is sufficient to help the aquarist make intelligent choices for tankmates. I would have given it 5 stars but the book was not exactly what I was expecting in the way of the amount of information, but again, as a portable quick reference it is very good.
Althought the descriptions for each of the listed 500 freshwater aquarium fish is limited, it does give the basic requirements for keeping the fish. I would consider this an excellent reference book for both the beginning and experienced aquarium hobbiest. Also, any hobbiest interested to know what the grown fish will look like, the pictures are excellent, as we all know, in general, the pet stores generally sell young specimens, which can look very different once grown.
An accessible and well laid out guide. Easier to read than the Baensch books for example. But I misjudged the number 500. This really means it will not be very usefull for an experienced hobbyist: the book covers to few species! As I opened the newly arrived volume, I was surprised not to find reference to my recently acquired specimens of Acarichtys heckelii for an example. I was also surprised to find 5 (if not more) blank pages (88-89, 92-93, 96), wiping out P. scalare and 3 other references, in a second volume I had unwittingly ordered ([...] ). Thrity days past before I opened the repeated volume and noticed the fault, just before considering passing it on to a friend. So now I am stuck with it !!!!
Yes, an important point. Any reasonable guide, and principally visual references, should give priority to illustrations of native species over varieties that come and go with the season. This was not the case of the angelfish P. scalare. Of the 6 illustrations none are reminiscent of the native form. And the species presentation text, placed under a photograph of a dubiously attractive “Bright Veitail” , reads “This is by the far most known of the angel species. It is also…….”