The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums [Paperback]

Mike Wickham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

Simplify the aquarium experience without sacrificing important knowledge with this clever guide that provides advice on what equipment to buy, the most popular fish, and how to maintain a healthy environment in the tank.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1 edition (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582451109
• ISBN-13: 978-1582451107
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,992,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike Wickham is a professional fish geek and amateur computer nerd. He has authored several books on aquariums, and more are in the works. Mike is a also a columnist for _Aquarium Fish International_ magazine, and contributes articles and photos to various aquarium hobby and pet trade magazines. He has been an aquarium hobbyist since 1964, and spent 25 years as an aquarium retailer. Mike was also a long-time sysop on CompuServe's former Fishnet Forum. He is active in the Northwest Arkansas Aquarium Society and currently serves as its webmaster.

Visit Mike's Web page at http://mikewickham.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good beginners book, January 17, 2000

By 

Christopher A. Butera "chrisbute" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums (Paperback)

I found this book very useful as a tool for getting back into tropical aquariums after a long hiatus. It doesn't go into much depth on the various filtration methods. The author admits that this topic is fairly lengthy. Other than that, the book covers all other freshwater aquaria topics very well. The author gives tons of useful shortcuts to simplify aquarium setup.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and helpful., July 26, 2000

By 

sauerkraut - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums (Paperback)

I read this book a few weeks ago and must say that it's very good. I used to be in the aquarium hobby when I was younger, but I forgot almost everything that I had known back then. This book not only restores some of the knowledge that I forgot, but it also adds to what I didn't even know in the past. This little book is very concise and informative. Mike Wickham has done a great job of writing it. Some of the topics that he discusses are what type of tank to get, choosing a filter system, heating and lighting, which fish to pick out, basic water chemistry, plant selection, foods, and disease. Learning about the nitrogen cycle for the first time was also a big help. There are some other cool things about this book, too. The writer includes in the appendix some sample shopping lists so you'll know just what you need when starting out. The lists consist of equipment, fish, and plants for different tank gallonages. This guide also includes a routine maintenance checklist and a section on myths, mysteries, and misinformation. The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums is very thorough, fun to read, and helpful. I'm glad that I have it in my reference collection. I find it to be very good and recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great and Funny!, February 25, 2002

By 

honeybfly (GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums (Paperback)

Mike Wickham does a wonderful job explaining freshwater fish in this book. He fills it with humor to keep you reading. I really learned a lot from this book and I didn't feel like an idiot when I started to get my fish and supplies.