The Everything Tropical Fish Book [Paperback]

Carlo Devito (Author), Gregory Skomal (Author), Gregory Skokal (Author), Greg Skomal (Author)

Book Description

Series: Everything Series | Publication Date: July 1, 2000

Tropical fish are beautiful to look at, fascinating to collect, and totally relaxing to watch. And there are no simpler pets to own. For the hobbyist or novice pet owner, The Everything Tropical Fish book offers a complete resource for caring for freshwater and saltwater fish, whether you?re starting with your first goldfish bowl or assembling aquarium tanks full of different kinds of fish.

Inside, you?ll learn how to find and purchase the fish you want, and how to keep your new finned friends happy. From setting up the aquarium with the proper filters to outfitting the tank with the proper balance of plants and chemicals, The Everything Tropical Fish Book answers all your fish-friendly questions!

Learn how to:

• Buy the proper equipment to set up your own fresh or saltwater aquariums
  
  
• Collect tropical fish?which are the most popular and why
  
  
• Keep your pets healthy?with proper food, water quality, and temperature
  
  
• Build beautiful outdoor ponds and water gardens for goldfish and koi
  
  
• And much, much more!

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580623433
• ISBN-13: 978-1580623438
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,047,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He was also a publisher at Running Press Book Publishers, where he published books from Wine Spectator, as well as books with Greg Moore (of Moore Bros.), Matt Kramer, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He is currently VP, Editorial Director of Sterling Epicure where his authors also include Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Tom Stevenson, Terry Walters, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, and the Edible Communities cookbook program.

Mr. DeVito has also been the editor of many successful traditional trade books, including Strange Fruit by David Margolick, On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking, and three titles by Malachy McCourt. Other authors include John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, Philip Caputo, E. O. Wilson, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.

He is also the author of more than 15 books, including his highly acclaimed biographies of D. Wayne Lukas, Wellington Mara, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto.

He lives with his wife, pet publisher Dominique DeVito, and their two sons, on their farm, the Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the overwhelmed beginner!, June 3, 2004

By 

TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Everything Tropical Fish Book (Paperback)

Many books on this topic are as confusing as the vast range of fish supplies in the pet stores. As a first-time betta owner, I thought my fish was just aging till a slightly more knowledgeable friend told me that "gray" means "illness," and not "old age." The chapter on fish health was very helpful and now it looks like we may get the full life-span out of him. Information in this excellent book is easy to find, well-organized, straightforward, and is just enough to bring you to a level of competency without information-overload. If you're just starting out with an aquarium or trying to decide if you want one, this book is all you need! Save the more intensive books for when you're sure this is a hobby you really want to invest in for the long term.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable!, January 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Everything Tropical Fish Book (Paperback)

This book was well organized and provided lots of information on the Goldfish, Koi, freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

This is a good book for beginners and experts alike. I have read it cover to cover and will refer back to if often as I become more interested in my new hobby.

A bit lite on acutal fish information, but an excellent source on all basic information about setting up different types of aquariums

4.0 out of 5 stars A very infromitive book, though not for the expert., February 20, 2011

By 

The Phantom Renegade - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Everything Tropical Fish Book (Paperback)

I picked up this book, because my skills as an aquarist were getting a bit rusty, and I must admit, it is a fine book for any newbie, and even for the intermediate level aquarist, however, if you are a pro, you may be a bit disappointed in this book, as it offers little to no help for the advanced aquarium.

But, unless you are a professional, I highly recommend this book.

It has everything you would ever need to know to start your own small community tank, build, stock, and maintain your own water garden, and even has some information about salt-water tanks, although, I must say, not nearly what you need to know before undertaking the salt-water hobby.

The book is also fun to read, the author keeps the book interesting from the first page, all the way to the back of the book, which is something that I believe is very good, because a lot of fish books out there will put you to sleep... (and some are also very long-winded, with very little info, not the case here!)

The author also breaks down tough subjects, like the nitrogen cycle, and makes them easy for even a child to understand.

Long story short, I have read a LOT of fish books, and this is a very good one.