Customer Reviews

DK Handbooks: Aquarium Fish

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This reference book provides pictures and the basic information on the most commonly available aquarium fish. It also briefly covers and discusses tank setup and maintenance disease, properly choosing fish, fish biology, and other information that would be useful to beginners. The book is arranged by scientific groupings and species. The common names are given with each fishes photo along with a written description of the species, its natural habitat, diet, tank swimming level, temperament, its full grown size, and more.

I have found that there are a couple species' temperament and size have been wrong but for the most part the rest of the information for each species is accurate.

This is a handy little guidebook that features very high-quality photographs (it's another DK book) of just about every aquarium fish you are likely to encounter. It is useful primarily for those looking to distinguish their Five-Banded Barbs from their Checker Barbs or their Madagascar Rainbowfish from their Siamese Tigerfish - i.e. it is a book for fish nerds. I do recommend this book for the enthusiast and the beginner alike, however the beginner should not rely on this book alone as it does not provide nearly enough information on setting up the aquarium, choosing compatible fishes, and trouble-shooting. My main criticism is that while the design and layout of the book, and the large, clear color photos of the fish, makes it a pleasure to read, it provides only very basic information about each fish. For some unknown reason, the critically important subject of water chemistry and temperature is practically ignored. I also find it disturbing that the author does not really indicate which fishes are good for the beginner, and which are more fragile, and suitable only for more advanced aquarists. This is an unfortunate exclusion given the fact that so many fish languish and die in tanks owned by inexperienced people who lack the knowledge to properly choose and care for them. If you're looking for information you can really use, there is not much point in learning to distinguish between 500 different varieties of fishes, but not knowing which of those fishes you would be most likely to be able to keep successfully (taking into account such factors as your level of skill/experience, local water chemistry, the size of the tank etc.). Still, it's worth a look.

Really a little gem of a book. It's small enough to fit comfortably in your hands and it's just stuffed with information and tasty graphics. The Art Director must have been giggling with delight, the book is really a showpiece. The colorful photos jump off the page and the text is handled in the usual effortless DK manner. Even if you have zero interest in fish, this book is a joy to page through. Beautifully put together.

Although I have read very few aquarium books, this is definitely a very useful resource for aquarists, either freshwater or marine. The book begins with a brief description of the history of fish-keeping, and a little about the physical characteristics and differences between freshwater and marine fish. It also supplies information about the holding capacity of different aquariums and how to set up both freshwater and marine tanks. The maintenance chart and the section on fish diseases and how to select healthy fish is very useful. Various diagrams are also helpful and informative. And the main body of the book has excellent fish photographs, information on max. size, diet, aggressiveness, etc. This is an especially good book for beginning aquarists, but also for those who have kept fish for years. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in aquariums. Dick Mills did a very good job

This is a good quick reference guide & has has a good collection of species & varieties. You couldn't raise any fish from the information in this book - but it certainly makes choosing those right for you aquarium a little easier.

I read this book and found it to be pretty worthwhile. It contains good information, but I don't think that it's completely thorough, though. What I like the most about this guide are the very good photographs that are in full color. You can't beat them. Dorling Kindersley always does an impressive job with the photos in all of their books that I have. One thing about this guide that I noticed is that it fails to discuss the nitrogen cycle. That's a very important subject that should have been included. Some of the various topics that are discussed are choosing your fish, aquarium equipment, and aquascaping. Also, information on several species of fish is included. This guide has some good basic information. It really just scratches the surface, though. I consider it to be a good reference guide, but not a definitive one. Worth a read.

I found the book to be eye-catching, and informative about the specific physical descriptions.

However, I find that much of what I'm looking for isn't in the book-- specifics on water condition needs, behaviors and other details that seem to be included in a number of other aquarium books.

I bought this book nearly a year ago and I'm now back shopping for something a bit more satisfactory to my needs in the way of specifics on the fish.

Also, it is sometimes very scanty on other specifics-- such as diseases. For instance, it doesn't even mention "shims" or "shimmying" which has several causes, one being that the fish has gotten chilled, and other causes as well that are more disease-oriented. One-quarter page of one-line descriptions on diseases without any suggestions on treatment just doesn't qualify as an adequate, all-around aquarium book to me.

This 'reference' is a huge dissapointment. All you get is a bunch of pictures that don't even look like the fish denoted. This can be very confusing for anyone without alot of previous fish knowledge. Aside from the 'pictures', there is nothing to this book. A sentence or two vaugely attempting to describe the organism's natural habitat (ex: fast-flowing streams in southeast asia). No numbers or values on any of the important fascets of Aquariology besides length of the fishes (and even this is incorrect in some areas). This book wouldn't be a complete failure if it contained quality photographs, but it dosen't even come close. It is very ironic that this book is titled 'Eyewitness Handbooks: Aquarium Fish' when it can't even depict the animals correctly. What a waste of money.

This is a good book to highlight basic steps to setting up an aquarium but lacks detail needed for a beginner to understand. Nice book for the price, but I would not recommend it as the only book to buy when setting up your first aquarium. The book has nice pictures but just is lacking in substance.

I thought that this book had some great information for the new aquarium owner. The pictures were also great. However, if you know a little about aquariums, don't get this book thinking you'll learn many new things. The pictures and the explanations about types of fish were great but not enough fish were covered.