Customer Reviews

Nature Aquarium World-Book 3 (Bk. 3)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Important to note this is part III in the series. If you own part one, this is a nice addition. If you don't own part one, get it first. It's the best of Amano's photo books. Yes, these are well photographed coffee table books, not manuals to "do it yourself," although they do give you a lot of good info to work with.

The plant names don't correspond with Western plant names. You'll have to ID things yourself based on the photographs.

A great book of inspiration once you know the essentials of aquatic plantscaping & fishkeeping.

Amano's tanks are a living work of art. If you're already into freshwater planted fishtanks, get this book! After you've bought book one, Nature Aquarium World, of course

Its important to note that this book is a series of photographs. There is not very much information to read except how the author looks after the tanks. The photographs are awe inspiring and its worth a place on anyone's bookshelf. The author works WITH nature to set up these tanks and the results are stunning.

This book raises aquarium design to an art form. The author, who is also the designer & photographer, draws upon many aspects of nature and represents those scenes within the contained world of the aquarium.

Over 40 different designs for large to giant size aquariums are each presented on a 2-page spread. The enhanced printing of these photos reveals sharp details and brilliant color.

Each aquarium is titled, with the author describing his source of inspiration and how he interpreted it in the tank. Size and technical data are given along with a list by scientific name of all plants & fish used.

The use of plants and layout are emphasized over the fish. An interesting addition is several pages of beautiful microscopic photos of aquatic plants. This is a unique and inspiring look at the possibilities in aquarium design.

The 3rd book is a direct sequence of the 2nd (page count starts at 181), and comprises the medium to large tanks (180 to 4950 liters). The vision of a school of Cobalt Blue Discus hovering over what seems to be a vast grazing field is priceless!

I have been an advanced aquarist since 1994 and have read (and own) most of the plant books on the market. This book, as well as his others, are not meant for beginners (or even intermediate users) in search of a solid how-to manual. Better sources for that would be The Dynamic Aquarium: Building Living Ecosystems (by Adey and Loveland) or Peter Hiscock's 2 books, Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants and Aquarium Designs Inspired by Nature or The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad.

But, if you are a beginner looking for inspiration or scope of what is possible, this is a good beginner book. I suspect that majority of aquarists who actually get a lot of practical use from these books are those who can readily take the data from each photo and put it to good use. Amano's books, if used as such, assume the aquarist has an advanced understanding of lighting, water chemistry, nutrient balances, biological filtration, fish behavior, etc. For advanced aquarists, these books are invaluable in that they supply tested permutations that can be immediately applied. This saves the hobbyist much experimentation when it comes to combinations of plant placement, relative to CO2 levels and lighting and nutrient regimes.

In my opinion, this book is not required for beginners, although they can certainly learn from and enjoy it. But, it is required for any advanced plant-loving aquarist. I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves aquariums or appreciates the natural world.

As with all of Amano's books, the photography is spectacular and his vision is inspiring. I especially liked the sequence in this book showing the growth progress of one tank over an extended period of time, and the section of microphotography at the back was a nice bonus.

This really is a fantastic book. Try to understand the Japanese culture and you'll understand the way mr. Takashi Amano disigns his aquariums.
The use of simplicity is amazing but not easy to realize. For every aquarist is the whole serie 1,2,3 a must. Fantastic. Good written and very nice taken photos as well.

I got this book and I was suprized to find out that it had very little information whatsoever as to how his tanks were set up and the techniques he uses. I would not recommend this book for anything other then something nice to look at and wish that you hand the time to put into making your own tanks look like that.

the first two books were great with my personal fave being Nature Aquarium World 1 but this one was beautifully designed and illistrated. Not only are the illistrations wounderful but the "about takashi" section of the book made for some brief and enlighting reading.

Beautiful photography with good ideas on the set up and maintenance of a natural planted tank.