An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish: The Authorative Reference for Fanciers of Exotic... [Hardcover]

Gina Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Hobbyists of all ages need look no further than this lavishly illustrated book, which is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of exotic aquarium fish. Many of the 700 species included are among the most sought-after by aquarists yet are often ignored in other books.

Concise yet authoritative information about each freshwater and marine fish includes family, scientific, and common name, distribution, size, food, temperature range, and pH and dH requirements. In addition, Gina Sandford suggests how to design the ideal, environmentally suitable tank and stock it with beautiful and unusual species. She offers advice on how to set up the right filtration, lighting, and heating systems.

Fishkeeping is a challenge from the outset, and An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish gives aquarists the means to meet that challenge and enable their stock to thrive.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Judging from the number of books available, keeping fish is a popular hobby. In RBB alone, five books have been reviewed in the last four years. Thus, this latest entry needed a unique approach: the author concentrates on the more exotic species of fish suitable for aquariums. In addition, she stresses the importance of breeding, since the habitats of many fish are being destroyed at a rapid rate.

The introduction encourages aquarists to consider keeping some species that they might not have previously considered or heard of before. This is followed by a brief explanation of fish biology, aquatic environments, tanks, filtration, heating, tank decoration, feeding, breeding, and problems. The remainder of the work covers freshwater and marine fish. Each entry includes family, common name, distribution, size, food, temperature, pH and dH (hardness of water), a brief paragraph describing the fish, a sentence on breeding, and tank setup. A color picture accompanies each fish described. The work concludes with an index of scientific names and one of common names divided by type, such as angelfish, catfish, and tetra.

Although many of the fish listed in the work are rare or unique, many standards such as the neon tetra are listed, too. More details on setting up and maintaining an aquarium might be needed for the beginner, but entries on fish describe them as easy to keep or for the experienced aquarist only. This beautifully done volume provides a tremendous amount of information for the aquarist. Although much of the information can be found in other works, the attractive organization and the ease of finding specific facts make this an ideal purchase for a library needing works on exotic species or breeding fish.

About the Author

Gina Sanford is a well-known and highly regarded author on aquarium care.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: New Burlington Books (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876059477
• ISBN-13: 978-0876059470
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,531,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for beginners, June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish: The Authorative Reference for Fanciers of Exotic... (Hardcover)

I got this book when I first started thiss hobby. It has really helped me learn more. It has common names on every fish that has a common name. I found a few errors (e.g. the scientific name of the clown pleco is wrong). It also has a great index. Before it states the fish by class it gives you the basics of setting up an aquarium. Though I would not reccomend it as a guide for physically setting up the aquarium. It is more of an encyclopedia. Its worth the money.

Jon

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guy's reviews, December 31, 2000

By 

Guy (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish: The Authorative Reference for Fanciers of Exotic... (Hardcover)

I have the most recent version of this book, and I would have to say it is one of the best reference books I have ever red, especially if you are thinking of setting up a new aquarium and don't have a clue what to put in it. It contains basic information about water temperature and chemistry requirements, along with size of the fish and other such basic information and colour photos of each fish mentioned. It is a good book to get a basic idea of the requirements of a certain fish, leaving you to research more detail about a fish elsewhere. If you only buy one such book for your aquarium library this is the book you should purchase.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reference for the hobbyist, March 28, 2000

By 

Michael C Johnson (Ventura, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish: The Authorative Reference for Fanciers of Exotic... (Hardcover)

I wish all fish books were so helpful! 600+ species are listed, and for each you learn natural distribution, temperature, ph & dh, size, food preferences, tank setup, temperament, and breeding. She often tells you what to look for in store specimens -- signs of ill health & such. Oh, and did I mention the color pictures?