Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The jacket of this beautifully illustrated book claims that it is "the definitive guide to choosing and keeping freshwater or marine fish, for aquariums and ponds." In addition to a color photographic rendition of each fish, information is provided about origins, size, diet, water preferences, and temperament. For example, on page 272, we learn that the Shy Hamlet, a six-inch blue, green, and yellow fish native to the Caribbean region, needs "nooks and crannies in the aquarium where they can hide." This fish obviously has an appropriate name! (summary by South Texas Library System)
At 400 pages, aquarium enthusiasts get a lot of information. DK is known for their high quality, colorful books. You can't go wrong with this one.

Typical of DK books, infomation are presented using interesting facts and statistics. This is an excellent coffee table book for leisure reading any time and by anyone. This is also a rare gem that combines all 3 general genres of fishkeeping - marine, freshwater, tropical, in one easy-to-read reference. There's even a fairly comprehensive section dedicated to koi (the author is either a fanatic or simply this is a prized pet).

However one must take note that this is not a good reference for marine starters. Basic information such as breeding, feeding, diseases are adequately explained but techniques and equipment talk are out-dated compared to many books out there.

Excellent high resolution photos. Eg. a shot of a seahorse staring at a brineshrimp (full recognizable with legs and eyes!), leaffish swallowing a prey, ghastly shots of 'L' Plecos...

In summary, this book is a Jack of all trades. Easy reading but not as a sole book for reference. You want starters? Try the excellent "The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide". You want comprehensive fish data? Try Dr Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes and Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes.

This is a book permanently in my coffee table collection. 5 Stars for the interesting read, no deducts for any lack of info because if you set your eyes on this book you should already be aware this is typical of DK books - never a comprehensive reference for novices nor for the experienced.

When I first bought this book it was for information with fresh water fish and it covers them with a commendable amount of detail. The book contains almost every fresh water fish that you are likely to encounter in a -mart store and the majority of average local fish stores. There are large pictures of every species covered as well as information on what kind of tank requirements that the fish will need helpful notes on a lot of the "beginner" fishes on how to get them to spawn in your home and if they can be placed in a community tank of if the fish should be kept alone. There are a few areas that the book has slightly outdated information and a anyone that has ever had a tank of Discus will quickly find a number of inaccuracies with there two page listing. The only criticism that I have about the freshwater section of the book is that the kill fish section is small, while this is common in most books it is always a disappointment.

The freshwater plant section of the book has some helpful information but is lacking light guides, but if you find a plant that is in the book and are thinking about adding it to your tank 30 seconds with google will give you all the missing information.

I have been keeping fresh water fish since I was in grade school and now 20 something years later I am setting up my fist salt water tank. The book assumes that I know a lot of things that I don't and there are a number of items referenced but not explained that someone new to saltwater does not know often leaving me with more questions then answers, maybe when I have a little more experience with salt water the information will be handy.

I rely can not comment on the pond fish area of the book, I don't have any experience with ponds or any idea if the information is complete.

This book is one of the better books on aquarium fishes I have ever seen. It covers all kinds of fishes: freshwater, marine and pond fishes, but the tropical fishes section alone is worth the price. The photos are super. The information on each fish is concise; scientific name, origin, size, diet, water preference, temperament and a brief description are all in one place with the photo. That makes the book very easy to read. I particularly like the info on water hardness. Few books have this kind of information. Although it missed some very common fishes, it covers most of the fishes we likely find in the local pet shop.

This is really a great book. It has just about everything you'd want to know about fish and aquatic plants. Every picture is vibrant and high quality resolution unlike many other books which may have faded or low resolution images. There is a section for diagnosing diseases and a nice glossary. This could be an excellent coffee table book.

The only problem I have is that it does not have a sewn binding. I believe this should really be standard on a book of this quality. That reason alone is why I gave a 4 out of 5 rating. Despite that it is still a very high quality book and should last a long time.

This book is a decent source for an overview of a number of fish. It does seem to be missing a lot of fish that are somewhat common in fishtanks, such as puffer fish, etc. If you're looking for a general book with lots of pictures then this book can satisfy. However if you're looking for more in depth information or specific fish, this book can be hit and miss.

This book actually has a section for salt water fish and a section for freshwater plants. It is trying to cover everything with limited pages and left out some very important information.

Such as in the plant section, it does not list the information for lighting or CO2 requirement, which I think it is critical for any plant care.

If the book can add some information such as easy/hard to care indicator for all fish and plants, that will be a great help too.

I also find that there are some very common fish missing, such as shovelnose cats, some rainbows, rams (it does not list the rams but has some information scattered all over the book).

On the plus side, the pictures are all good and I really enjoy them. Overall, it is an OK book. I just wish it has more information. Consider what I paid for this book, I guess it is not bad at all.

The definitive guide to choosing and keeping freshwater or marine fish for aquariums and ponds. Discover hundreds of different types of fish and invertebrates for all types of environments. Includes complete practical advice on setting up a tank or building a pond, as well as caring for your fish and breeding. At-a-glance directories provide useful information. Also includes sections on aquarium and pond plants.

The only thing not included in all the descriptions was what part of the tank the fish like to swim in. I know that corydoras stay on the substrate and hatchet fish usually swim to the top but what about all the other fish? Not at all disappointed about this because few fish books provide this information. Another thing I liked was the hundreds of color photos. Much better than black and white pictures found in a lot of books. They are fish, they are supposed to be colorful.

i have a lot of books on aquariums but this is the only one i really use, i suggest any DK book for that matter, great price of $5 in the used section

Every hobbiest has to agree and oppose that this practical useful expert information reference advice guide is both a confronting challange and a very costly endeavour for anybody going into or embarking in fish aquarium tanks.What this book lacks in having a firm price fish pet index resource reference it makes up for or replaces in having a unique beautiful respectful photography directory with side bar information on individual seperate species of fish.Also on the plus side of this hobby amazon readers is that you will get a greater deep understanding about the lifestyle of fish in giving you a assured confidence.