A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species [Paperback]

Scott W. Michael (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

---Comprehensive: 500+ species photographs, covering all popular and commonly available aquarium species ---Authoritative: expert advice on feeding and captive care ---Informative: aquarium suitability ratings for every species ---Easy to use: complete species name and common name indexes

Editorial Reviews

Review

Absolutely indispensible. Don't buy a fish without it. -- Dennis Reynolds, Aqua Marines

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: TFH Publications (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890087386
• ISBN-13: 978-1890087388
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fish & Sharks
  • #12 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Animal Care & Pets > Fish & Aquariums
  • #12 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Marine Life

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Value for your aquarium dollar, April 1, 2000

By 

Schelly Numrych (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species (Paperback)

Interested in setting up a Fish Only Marine aquarium? Concerned about fish that will be compatible with the invertebrates in your Reef aquarium? Want to expand your knowledge beyond the 10 basic marine fish that your local aquarium store has in stock? Then this is a good book to consider. Loaded with full color pictures (on glossy paper)of marine fish, the book gives a concise summary of hundreds of these salt water inhabitants. The book itself is easier to handle than the smaller dimension Baensch Atlas and the print is larger. And the price is good value for your aquarium dollar. Bring this book with you to the aquarium store, and when you see that incredibly beautiful marine fish that you have never seen before, a quick read in this book will give you some of the information you will need to make an informed decision as to whether this fish will fare well in your aquarium at home.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biggest Bang For Your Buck Out There In Aquarium Books, June 1, 2005

By 

Jacob Hantla "hantla.com" (Chandler, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species (Paperback)

The two "500+ Essential-to-Know Aquarium Species Books" are the biggest bang-for-your-buck aquarium stocking and general information books out there. Even though both of the books, Marine Fishes (ISBN: 1890087386 by Scott W. Michael) & Marine Invertebrates (ISBN: 1890087661 by Ronald Shimek) are pocket guides, they offer so much more information than the other books that I have seen. They don't waste space telling you about fish that you will never see in an aquarium and instead give relatively in-depth information on the species that you are likely to encounter. Neither do they present the information in hard-to-decode picture format; they use sentences: A very underused communicated technique in most aquarium handbooks out there. Not only is the selection of species perfect but the provided information on care is perfect as well. The Marine Fishes version provides the following well-presented information on each fish:

* A color picture
* Scientific name (genus & species)
* Common name
* Maximum size
* Minimum suggested aquarium size
* Aquarium suitability index
* Reef aquarium compatibility
* Captive care tips and information

Likewise, in an equally well-presented manner, A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Invertebrates: 500+ Essential-to-Know Aquarium Species presents the following information on each specimen discussed:
500+ Marine Invertebrates by Robert Shimek

* A color picture
* Scientific name (genus & species)
* Common name
* Maximum size
* Naturally-occurring range
* Lighting requirements
* Foods & feeding
* Aquarium suitability/Reef aquarium compatibility
* Captive care tips and information

Don't take my word for it, just try it with a few species that you already have in your tank or that you are considering buying by using Amazon.com's "Search inside the book feature." I recommend you buy these on Amazon.com; you get free shipping (with a $25 order) and don't have to pay sales tax.

http://www.hantla.com/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=17

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book, January 4, 2002

By 

"pedrop123" (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species (Paperback)

I love this book. So far it contained all the fishes that I have seen at my local fish store and the best feature of the book is that it rates each fish from 1 to 5 where 5 indicates that it is an easy fish to keep alive in the aquarium, and 1 means it is hard to keep alive in an aquarium... This is great for me because I don't have the best track record with keep my fish alive and want to only buy fish which are easy to keep. The notes about each fish are really good to. It is like having 20 aquarium guru's giving you their experiences with each fish. Also, if you have a reef setup, it tells you if each fish is reef safe.