Anders247
To start off, this is a very good book, even though it's outdated.
There are some faults though, but not too surprising.
First, there's the intro, which talks about the history of fishkeeping, benefits of fishkeeping, and the advantages of having fishes as pets. (No way there's any disadvantages- jk, lol)
The first chapter is about fish anatomy, and it's very detailed. They go into the different types of body shape, mouth shape, fin shape, and scale types. They also explain the bodily functions of fish, like do they sleep, excretion, (I learned something there- fish excrete ammonia through their gills), the difference of bodily fluid levels between saltwater and freshwater fish, and why most can't live in the other habitats, how they breathe, and all their senses. They have in-depth info on their sense of smell, sight, taste, eyes, hearing, lateral line, and swim bladder.
The second chapter is on choosing fishes, and goes on about assessing healthy and unhealthy fishes. It has some general advice on considering the fishes adult size, compatibility, if the fish are social, and how to introduce fishes to the aquarium. I disagree here, as they want you to dump the water from the bag into the aquarium.... obviously a no-no.
The third chapter is the 'species guide'. They don't have every different type of fish here, but they do have some coldwater marine species and coldwater freshwater species that are interesting. They also have some cool cichlids in this section.
The fourth chapter is about the indoor aquarium. It talks about choosing the right tank, different types of tanks, where to site a tank, tank/fish ratio (disagree here, there's no definite rule), aeration and filtration, types of filters, heaters, and conserving heat. It then talks about water- how it's 'made', the different types of habitats around the world, sources of water, and water quality. Lastly it talks about lighting.It talks about tungsten vs. fluorescent lights, safety factors, and the effect on algal growth.
The fifth chapter is about setting up the aquarium. Aquascaping, plants, types of plants, tank designs, and types of setups (the picture in this section is of several horribly overstocked 10gs..... ugh). They have a nice section on coldwater marine setups.
The sixth chapter is about feeding. It has an in-depth chart on all the vitamins a fish needs, what they eat in the wild, man-made fish food, collecting live foods, feeding methods, what to feed young fish, and even culturing your own live foods.
The seventh and eighth chapters are about health care and breeding. The health care chapter is the best in the book, imo, as they have a ton of info on disease types, preventing disease, and maintaining a healthy aquarium.They have a nice diagnosis chart, too. The breeding chapter is getting me excited, haha. I really want to breed gouramis now! They have great info there as well. Every type of breeding method, egg-scatterer, livebearer, mouthbrooder, egg-burier, egg-depositor, and nest-builders. As well as a tank setup for each, and how to raise fry.
Chapters 9 and 10 are different, not what I'd expect at least. They're about showing fishes (at a show), and taking photos of fishes. It tells you what types of fishes are best for these showings, and how it's judged. The photo chapter is really good too, but I doubt they have anything on Thunder_o_b's photos.
There are some faults though, but not too surprising.
First, there's the intro, which talks about the history of fishkeeping, benefits of fishkeeping, and the advantages of having fishes as pets. (No way there's any disadvantages- jk, lol)
The first chapter is about fish anatomy, and it's very detailed. They go into the different types of body shape, mouth shape, fin shape, and scale types. They also explain the bodily functions of fish, like do they sleep, excretion, (I learned something there- fish excrete ammonia through their gills), the difference of bodily fluid levels between saltwater and freshwater fish, and why most can't live in the other habitats, how they breathe, and all their senses. They have in-depth info on their sense of smell, sight, taste, eyes, hearing, lateral line, and swim bladder.
The second chapter is on choosing fishes, and goes on about assessing healthy and unhealthy fishes. It has some general advice on considering the fishes adult size, compatibility, if the fish are social, and how to introduce fishes to the aquarium. I disagree here, as they want you to dump the water from the bag into the aquarium.... obviously a no-no.
The third chapter is the 'species guide'. They don't have every different type of fish here, but they do have some coldwater marine species and coldwater freshwater species that are interesting. They also have some cool cichlids in this section.
The fourth chapter is about the indoor aquarium. It talks about choosing the right tank, different types of tanks, where to site a tank, tank/fish ratio (disagree here, there's no definite rule), aeration and filtration, types of filters, heaters, and conserving heat. It then talks about water- how it's 'made', the different types of habitats around the world, sources of water, and water quality. Lastly it talks about lighting.It talks about tungsten vs. fluorescent lights, safety factors, and the effect on algal growth.
The fifth chapter is about setting up the aquarium. Aquascaping, plants, types of plants, tank designs, and types of setups (the picture in this section is of several horribly overstocked 10gs..... ugh). They have a nice section on coldwater marine setups.
The sixth chapter is about feeding. It has an in-depth chart on all the vitamins a fish needs, what they eat in the wild, man-made fish food, collecting live foods, feeding methods, what to feed young fish, and even culturing your own live foods.
The seventh and eighth chapters are about health care and breeding. The health care chapter is the best in the book, imo, as they have a ton of info on disease types, preventing disease, and maintaining a healthy aquarium.They have a nice diagnosis chart, too. The breeding chapter is getting me excited, haha. I really want to breed gouramis now! They have great info there as well. Every type of breeding method, egg-scatterer, livebearer, mouthbrooder, egg-burier, egg-depositor, and nest-builders. As well as a tank setup for each, and how to raise fry.
Chapters 9 and 10 are different, not what I'd expect at least. They're about showing fishes (at a show), and taking photos of fishes. It tells you what types of fishes are best for these showings, and how it's judged. The photo chapter is really good too, but I doubt they have anything on Thunder_o_b's photos.
