Customer Reviews

Nature Aquarium World Volume 2

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are looking to be absolutely blown away by the exquisite beauty of lush aquatic plants and delicate fish composed in a harmonious aquatic "painting," here you go. the shear lovliness and mastery of Amano's aquascapes could inspire anyone to become interested in the care and arrangement of aquatic plants. Some of the English translations are a bit awkward, but the point is the fabulous images. Get this book for the purpose of inspiration, but don't expect it to go into advanced detail about the processes involved in creating an Amano-level aquascape - at least not without a CO2 system (which Amano's 'scapes seem, unfortunately, to depend on). Also, don't expect to be able to run out to your local pet shop and order up a batch of many of the plants Amano uses. In spite of how the above sounds, I've read the other reviews so I was forewarned, and my overall opinion is that this is a must-own, beautiful book. NOTE: If you want to look at examples aquariums that would fit in the avarage household, or if you're not an owner of a 200 gallon tank, I would recommend Nature Aquarium World II - it deals strictly with small tanks. The printing processes and page layouts are not as spectacular as Book I, but you may find the examples more practical.

The 2nd book of the series maintains the same photographic quality of the first, and improves on the organization and information. It presents small to medium tanks (from only 1 liter up to 150 liters). The data presented with each tank is almost the same as in book one, except that the scientific names of the fish and plants are now included. It is truly amazing how Amano can make such delicate and beautiful setups in even the smallest tanks.

As usually with Takashi Amano's work it has superb aquascapes and pictures. Although, they have changed the paper used to a cheaper kind and not the glossy type of the earlier editions. It also states some of the tank's data like temp and the species of plants and fishes used in the setup. However, if your planning to buy this book to learn to how to take care and maintain aquatic plants, you will be disappointed. This is not for aquatic plant reference, this book is more on inspiring you to make good aquascapes. If you want a better reference on the care and maintenance of aquatic plants maybe Pablo Teepot's book is for you.

Besieged by ugliness in the aquariums that you've seen? Grown tired of the neon plants and gravel in every color of the rainbow-type typical petstore displays? This book is the answer.

Breathtaking photos and exacting descriptions (of both the photography techniques and the plants, stones, substrates, etc. used to create the scenes are included. I would've given it the full 5 stars, but..like most amazing 'how-to' books, these scenes are more of a nirvana that aqariums could wish to attain instead of practical set-ups for Joe everyman. However, even the lush (and very expensive) plant materials and displays can serve as inspiration for current or potential aquarium owners to harmonize their little underwater worlds with nature...instead of masking it over with horrid fluorescent colors.

The high quality photography and stylish layout of the book will inspire any would-be aquarist. However, this is not an encyclopedia. So if you are looking for detailed information on specific plant species and aquarium setups, look elsewhere.

This book is a fantastic coffee table book. If you are looking for aquascaping inspiration BUY THIS BOOK!!. However if you are looking for instruction on how to aquascape it does not give you this. The only gripe is that Takashi Amano hasen't named any of the wonderful flora or fauna used. In my opinion it is the best book out of the three 'Nature Aquarium World' series although his other two go into more detail. Buy it and you won't be able to put it down. Beautifully enchanting, a true work of art.

Takashi Amano is a highly revered aquarist whose planted tanks have won him recognition and awards the world over. He is also an accomplished photographer and understands what it takes to capture a great tank photo. Is it any wonder that this book is a hit amongst those aspiring to a more beautiful planted fish tank? On top of being an inspiring book (and a great coffee table book), Mr Amano teaches you the fundementals of tank design with some great insight into balance and colour harmony.

While this book is very inspiring, it is not a comprehensive planted aquarium book. You would do well to purchase this book alongside a general "how to" book on planted Aquaria.

I have continuosly used this book and it has so far gave me much insight and joy over and over again. This book is undoubtly the best book on the topic of aquarium landscaping. However, it has a little weakness due to the translation from Japanese to English. The scientific name for certain plants and fishes are not universal or probably not existent at all. In addition, the author claim that the fishes he uses in some tank setups are native to Japan, but unfortunately it is not.... That's the weakness that I can identified so far. Other than that, it is of excellent quality in terms of photography and presentation.

I own Books I and II (anticipating purchase of Book III), and the only reason I give Book II four stars is that it's page layouts don't compare with the striking images from Book I. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. I do recommend II over I simply because the tanks it features seem to me a more feasible size for someone just getting started, or someone short on space. The fact is that, while the small tanks in Book II are gorgeous, they can't compare with the larger aquaqscapes in Book I. So, if you only get one Nature Aquarium World book, get Book I. Otherwise, become an Amano acolyte like myself and get them all, and if you are the least bit interested in aquaria, you will not be disappointed!

One buys this book for the pictures. They deserve five stars. I am using this book for inspiration as to what can be achieved with nano and micro tanks.

The shortcomings of this book are only to blame this book for being what it is not and what it does not claim to be. It does not claim to be a 'how to' book, though I believe many readers (me included) wish it WAS a 'how to' book. As such, one can continue moaning about how inaccurate the scientific names of plants are; how little information there is on planting, propagating and maintaining the plants; what the mineral contents of the substrate and fertilizers are; what the light spectrum and intensity is; etcetera...

So, although I love the book. I'm going to minus one star for the lousy reason that it isn't what I want it to be.