Books?

[mcordelia]

Does anyone have any good fish books to recommend? You know, like the kind that you hold in your hand that don't have a battery?

I remember way back when, when I got my puppy (who died last year at the age of 15, holy cow...), I had one of these "how to care for your new dog" kind of books that had a little bit of everything: this is how you feed it, this is how much excercise it needs, here is a basic obedience teaching program, these are common illnesses and how to treat them, etc. It was a tome, but I read it through and then it acted like a reference I could check every time there was some kind of issue.

Does anything like that exist for fish? I'm not talking "aquariums for dummies" but a good quality book that will actually leave me with a well-rounded general set of knowledge, instead of the type of knowledge you pick up on the internet where you know a lot about a few aspects of fishkeeping, but have gaping holes in other knowledge areas.

Thanks!

 

[eatyourpeas]

Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad
I know is not fish, but a good book to have

 

[AbbeysDad]

Dianna Walstad's book is very good, but many hobbyists are led astray. Her method involved lots of plants with few fish which just doesn't match the average aquarium.
I'm uncertain of any great books, although there's likely many, but if you have an open mind, I'd like to introduce you to my Blog where three authors with over 125 combined years in the hobby have written many articles on tropical fishkeeping. Have a look and let me know what you think. MJV Aquatics Blog

 

[Colin_T]

There is/ was a book review section in this forum but no idea where it has gone. Too many sub sections in this forum now, whoever owns it.

Any way, the book I recommend for beginners that want lots of good information, or intermediate aquarists is "Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol 1".

It covers everything from the nitrite cycle, diseases, plants, lighting, etc, and includes a lot of common fishes and plants. It's a bit pricey but you can get them cheaper on Ebay or go for soft cover rather than hard cover.

Other than that, read books on marine aquariums. They tell you all about filtration, lighting and water chemistry. Yes there is a difference between salt and freshwater aquariums, but the lighting, chemistry (except for salt) and filtration are the same. You will learn a lot more from a low priced marine aquarium book compared to a low price freshwater aquarium book when it comes to these points.

If your brave enough to go outside, visit your local library and check out the books there. Most libraries have a good selection of aquarium fish keeping books and many have books on local native species to that area or country.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Dianna Walstad's book is very good, but many hobbyists are led astray. Her method involved lots of plants with few fish which just doesn't match the average aquarium.
I'm uncertain of any great books, although there's likely many, but if you have an open mind, I'd like to introduce you to my Blog where three authors with over 125 combined years in the hobby have written many articles on tropical fishkeeping. Have a look and let me know what you think. MJV Aquatics Blog

That is true. I started with the best intentions to remain filter free, but soon realized that by introducing fish, plants were not going to be enough to handle the bioload. It still taught me a lot about patience and learning to observe. It is a beautiful moment when you see your plants pearling.

Perhaps printing out relevant information and keeping them in a binder might be the best way of documenting freshwater fish?
I really like MJV, have been looking at it a lot lately...

 

[itiwhetu]

I like the book " The living Aquarium " by Peter Hunnam. and for tank design you can't beat 'Nature aquariums the complete works " by Takashi Amano

 

[Essjay]

There is/ was a book review section in this forum but no idea where it has gone. Too many sub sections in this forum now, whoever owns it.

It seems to have been removed - but there were no posts in it, which is probably why.

Edit: Just had a quick look on Wayback Machine, and the empty Book Review forum was here on 24 September 2020.

 

[mcordelia]

Awesome, thank you all for the great suggestions!

Interesting point @Colin_T about reading up on saltwater! Makes sense, though I worry that I'll just end up getting the saltwater bug hee hee I didn't yet Google the atlas reference you gave me, but I suspect it might be just the ticket!

Thanks @AbbeysDad for the blog, I'll definitely look into it! Not quite the same as curling up with a book but the fireplace; I've tried all sorts of kindles and tablets and phones etc, but they just don't quite do it for me like a book does. I suspect I'm in the minority there...


@itiwhetu those sound like solid titles. I've actually heard about the Takashi Amano book, when I was last active on forums in the early 2000's his name was everywhere. I've been surprised people don't talk as much about him anymore it seems. Or maybe my sample space is just too small leading to a biased conclusion lol

And finally, @eatyourpeas , I've seen references to the walstad book a lot and have been thinking of looking into it,it's really nice to get affirmation that someone else recommends it too!!

I am really excited about all these recommendations, I get to make all my family members' eyes roll by putting a fish book on my Xmas wish list

 

[TheTenthDoctor]

I find the walstad method works spectacularly with bettas. All of my betta aquariums are walstad

 

[eatyourpeas]

As the cold weather approaches, I treat myself to a cup of tea and a little inspiration:

Then of course, I want another tank!

 

[AbbeysDad]

I really like MVJ, have been looking at it a lot lately...

So you're the one!