Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish (Hardcover)

by David Alderton (Author) "This encyclopedia is divided into three main sections, covering freshwater aquariums, marine aquariums, and ponds..." (more)
Key Phrases: tiger barbs, blue discus, archer fish, South America, Southeast Asia, East Africa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In the fine tradition of its excellent how-to guides for raising houseplants, DK here offers a practical and visually appealing manual for all who would keep fish. The author has written various natural history titles and is a consultant to the pet industry. More than 800 individual fish, invertebrate, and plant species are described.

The book begins with a short introduction to the natural history of fish, their classification, and the history of fish keeping. The first major section covers the most popular kind of fish, those that live in fresh water. It begins with the practicalities of setting up and maintaining a tank, including descriptions of common problems and how to address them. Next is a very rich directory of fish organized by family or genus, with commonly available strains (including a few well-known rarities) discussed in terms of their size, temperament, and required conditions for culture. A brief directory of freshwater plants rounds out this section.

For those who like more of a challenge, marine fish are treated next. Following the same general structure as the freshwater fish section, Alderton divides marine fish into parts on culture and fish by family or genus, then finishes with a section on marine invertebrates. A shorter but still very useful section on the basics of keeping pond fish, again with sections on setup, fish by family or genus, and plants, finishes up the body of this volume. A glossary of terms, a handy list of Web sites, and indexes (one by common and scientific names, the other of more general terms) round things out.

This book is a fun read for fish keepers and voyeurs alike. The well-organized and authoritative content lives happily next to beautiful photographs. School and public libraries should strongly consider this volume for their reference shelves. A few circulating copies are a good bet to get heavy circulation in recreational collections at all levels. Jeff Kosokoff
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
A lavishly illustrated reference covering all aspects of keeping fish, the Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish is the first book on the market to provide care and identification information on all types of fish for every possible environment, from indoor aquariums to outdoor ponds. The book contains a directory of over 800 of the most popular fish freshwater, saltwater, coldwater, and tropical‹showing not only what each fish looks like, but what food they eat, which species they can cohabit with, how big they grow, and much more.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (February 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756609410
• ISBN-13: 978-0756609412
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,129 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #82 in	Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Fish & Aquariums

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow - What Color and Info!, July 30, 2005

By	Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

The jacket of this beautifully illustrated book claims that it is "the definitive guide to choosing and keeping freshwater or marine fish, for aquariums and ponds." In addition to a color photographic rendition of each fish, information is provided about origins, size, diet, water preferences, and temperament. For example, on page 272, we learn that the Shy Hamlet, a six-inch blue, green, and yellow fish native to the Caribbean region, needs "nooks and crannies in the aquarium where they can hide." This fish obviously has an appropriate name! (summary by South Texas Library System)
At 400 pages, aquarium enthusiasts get a lot of information. DK is known for their high quality, colorful books. You can't go wrong with this one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Coffee Table Book, June 28, 2005

By	Darren Chong (Singapore) - See all my reviews

Typical of DK books, infomation are presented using interesting facts and statistics. This is an excellent coffee table book for leisure reading any time and by anyone. This is also a rare gem that combines all 3 general genres of fishkeeping - marine, freshwater, tropical, in one easy-to-read reference. There's even a fairly comprehensive section dedicated to koi (the author is either a fanatic or simply this is a prized pet).

However one must take note that this is not a good reference for marine starters. Basic information such as breeding, feeding, diseases are adequately explained but techniques and equipment talk are out-dated compared to many books out there.

Excellent high resolution photos. Eg. a shot of a seahorse staring at a brineshrimp (full recognizable with legs and eyes!), leaffish swallowing a prey, ghastly shots of 'L' Plecos...

In summary, this book is a Jack of all trades. Easy reading but not as a sole book for reference. You want starters? Try the excellent "The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide". You want comprehensive fish data? Try Dr Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes and Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes.

This is a book permanently in my coffee table collection. 5 Stars for the interesting read, no deducts for any lack of info because if you set your eyes on this book you should already be aware this is typical of DK books - never a comprehensive reference for novices nor for the experienced.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for all., May 4, 2005

By	Robert Blackwell (Corralitos, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is really a great book. It has just about everything you'd want to know about fish and aquatic plants. Every picture is vibrant and high quality resolution unlike many other books which may have faded or low resolution images. There is a section for diagnosing diseases and a nice glossary. This could be an excellent coffee table book.

The only problem I have is that it does not have a sewn binding. I believe this should really be standard on a book of this quality. That reason alone is why I gave a 4 out of 5 rating. Despite that it is still a very high quality book and should last a long time.