Complete Aquarium [Paperback]

Peter Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 1995

Create the perfect aquarium for every type of fish.

The Complete Aquarium presents a systematic guide to aquariums based on freshwater and marine environments from all over the world. Clear, step-by-step instructions will guide you through planning, building, stocking, and maintaining any type of aquatic environment -- as well as an extensive practical guide to building and designing 16 diverse aquariums. Fully illustrated throughout with specially commissioned photographs and artwork, Complete Aquarium provides an informative catalog of aquarium fishes and their habitats.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (April 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789400138
• ISBN-13: 978-0789400130
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step by Step on how to set up different aquariums scenarios, July 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Aquarium (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book that starts with general knowledge and background of different water environments and fish, but doesn't waste half the book on this background information. The majority of the book is devoted to explaining how to set up different sorts of aquariums, with detailed examples of the plants, rocks, gravel, and suitable fish for each variety of tank. It is mostly freshwater, but 3 Brackish-Water, and 3 Marine Aquariums are also included. The end of the book has easy to understand GENERAL information about water chemistry, filtration, heating, plants, feeding, and breeding. The only fault is not enough description about individual fish. But if you buy a companion book that describes different fish in detail, along with this book you will be well on your way to setting up the exact sort of aquarium you would like. Great book for beginners and also intermediates who are looking for new ideas.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start here! Good for the beginner or as a refresher., January 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Aquarium (Paperback)

I found this book after I had bought my aquarium and set it up. I wasn't too sure what direction to go in - I just knew that I wanted healthy and happy fish. I read this book from cover to cover, took apart my tank and started over with great zeal. The book gave me lots of information on what to do and also allowed me to figure out what I wanted.

The best part is the various set ups that are included, telling you what fish, plants and environments go together, from start to finish. If the book falls down in any area, it is lack of information about specific fish. However, in conjunction with a good book specifically about fish (which I think you should have anyway), The Complete Aquarium is a wonderful resource that has made my new hobby much more enjoyable because I now know what I want and how to get it!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good info on themed tanks , maybe not so good for beginners, April 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Aquarium (Paperback)

This book does a great job of showing how to build different types of "themed" aquariums, be it a West African Floodplain Swamp or a Hawaiian Coral Reef. While these types of tanks are extremely beautiful in each of their own ways, I think that such projects are best left to more advanced aquarists and not beginners. I base this on a few reasons. For starters, many of the resources required to build these tanks are not common, and may require a lot of searching to scrounge up the necessary material (specific wood, substrate, plants, etc), basically a lot of things mentioned in this book I have never seen in any retail fish stores. Secondly, many of the themed tanks combine fish that are not suitable for a starting aquarist, who is not acclimated to the needs and wants of our fishy friends. I think
anyone who has maintained an aquarium and is reading this can recall mistakes that they made early on.
The "Complete Aquarium" does contain information on a community tank, which is fine for a beginner, but this occupies a small portion of the book comparatively.
Criticism aside, there are many good looking, full-color pictures and backgrounds on specific fish used in each tank project. There is also a chapter in the beginning of the book dedicated to the natural fish habitats and anatomy. If anything it is a nice book to have around if you ever want to undertake any of the "project" aquariums listed, or to read up on some of the natural habitats where aquarium fish come from.