Customer Reviews

500 Freshwater Aquarium Fish: A Visual Reference to the Most Popular Species

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great reference text for some common species as well as the unknown ones; especially if you want a quick reference of a variety of species to create a "species" or "community" tank this book will be helpful in decision making. The book gives good details regarding the expected size of the fish, general behavior and environment just to name a few. The photos contained within the text are well detailed. I would recommend this book to beginners and intermediate aquarists.

The same format graces Greg Jennings' 500 FRESHWATER AQUARIUM FISH: A VISUAL REFERENCE TO THE MOST POPULAR SPECIES. Over 500 species and varieties are covered with basic facts on size, behavior, diet, aquarium and breeding conditions accompanying a full-color, full-page facing photo. Any home or library collection strong in aquarium references - and many a fish store - will find this packed with in-depth detail perfect for setting up an aquarium.

Yes, there's probably every bit of 500 fish in this book, but it still lacks on a few of the more common species. It is also a little too vague on descriptions. There is a 4 page spread on Discus and Oscars, but that's not really necessary when all the other fish are given one page with one sentence descriptions.
It's still nifty to have at home, but if you want to see how the fish are going to cohabitate with your other tank mates, this is not your book.

I have been searching high and low for a book on only freshwater fish, and here it is! the information is valuable, the pictures are great, and they have a ton of fish in it!

I havent found a book in any store that even compares to this.

I highly reccomend it to anyone that owns, or wants to own, freshwater fish!

This book is very compact and the images of good quality. It is a lot smaller than I expected, though. Each page features one fish variety, with a photo and some basic info. The amount of information that fits onto such a tiny page is very limited. Despite the small size, the book is hardcover, thick and heavy and does not qualify as a pocket guide. I don't quite get what the idea was here : it is neither pocketguide, nor large glossy reference/ coffee table book. If I had actually seen the book before purchase, I would not have bought it...

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.

I owm saltwater fish but had gotten rusty on freshwater. I needed to relearn this for my new job so this book helped me get back on track. Information is very clear and pictures are excellent. It gave me a quick primer. I think it also a good beginners book since it is easy to understand.

This book has 500 of the most common freshwater aquarium fish species. It provides a basic description of each species and than care parameters.

Pros:

Pictures are good.
Enough information to get by with keeping fish.

Cons:

The most clunky feeling book I have ever had/read, 7"x7"x2".
Parameters are repeating and not very individualized.
All the information in this book can be easily found by browsing a few online stock lists.

This is a beautiful little volume. I only gave it 4 stars because of its diminutive size (6x6) 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 3x4 photo of each species included. All in all, it's a very beautiful albiet small book that any fish hobbiest would enjoy owning.

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.