Dr. Axelrod's Atlas Of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes

[blackers92]

Hello,

I am considering buying the book

Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes

it is quite expensive and there is little information on it, amazon had about 7 reviews :\

so i thought I would consult all of you before I take the massive plunge

I already have 3 books, "the interpret bumper guide (dick mills)", "the perfect aquarium (jeremy gay), and a DK Aquarium and Pond Fish guide" all of them have been helpful but are quite brief

any opinions on this book would be greatly appreciated, i read that the author kind of went nuts haha

thanks

 

[Shred]

I don't think you looked too hard.

http/www.amazon.com/Axelrods-Atlas-Freshwater-Aquarium-Fishes/product-reviews/0793800331/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

 

[jacko32]

how much is it on amazon ?

 

[blackers92]

yes I must admit, 7 was a bit of an exaggeration

I guess i wanted more of a experts review of the book, I find that a lot of people base their reviews of things upon other peoples reviews on amazon. Rather then talk about the product they try to defend it against someone who puts it down, similar to fanboyism in video game consoles lol. About 30 of the reviews on amazon talk about how it lacks information, granted their are some good ones I just was looking for a in-depth review.

practical fishkeeping sometimes has in-depth reviews of books, it had amazon:below the water last week which I found to be quite informative as there is literally nothing on the book.



thanks for the pm jacko32, I will most likely purchase it off bookdepository.com it is $127.65 Australian

 

[DJ Day 1]

i understand the attraction to books on fish.. i've got one myself, but really... all the info we can possibly dream of is already available online for free... even some conflicting opinions. i'm a fanboy of real peoples experiences more than scientific sounding explainations - but i'm also incredibly stupid

 

[blackers92]

I can understand where you are coming from, and 90% of the time I source my information directly from this forum or the net, but sometimes i think the scientific theory behind various things is best left to the books. For something serious I might consult this forum and then cross check with a book.

at the end of the day, i just want a big book to go on my coffee table haha

 

[Rafael Dilone]

If you are looking for an extensive book with good fish information that would rival that book and is cheaper i recommend getting this.
http/www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4538+13053&pcatid=13053
I have a copy of the book and it is split up into 2 parts. First part is 6 chapters on History of Ichthyology, Systematics and speciation, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and feeding, reproduction in fishes, aquarium management. Now those 6 chapters go in great detail on those subjects. Then part 2 is splitting up all the fishes by their taxonomy. On each fish they give you such information as their scientific name, natural range, size, water chemistry, behavior, dietary requirements, and a small sentence to a paragraph on remarks to it. So individually on each fish it does not give you amazing depth. But it covers the very basics. Overall i think this is the book that has done one of the best jobs as of recently. I read the atlas of aquarium fishes 7th-10th edition and the encyclopedia of exotic tropical fishes to be better. If you are still not convinced then perhaps you can get the mini edition of the atlas at about half the price.
http/www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4538+2690&pcatid=2690

I own the mini atlas and its very similar to its larger counterpart but just smaller in size. If you are leaning to have a great interest towards a certain family of fishes then i suggest get a book on that and you will receive the smallest of details on them. I have books specifically on betta's from IBC. Books on cichlids and planted aquariums. Hope this information has helped you decide on which book to purchased. I have always felt that people could have managed on a cheaper book for the specific information they were looking for rather than buying the ones that are a bit more expensive.

 

[blackers92]

thanks for the detailed response rafael dilone, i was originally considering that book but was turned off it after reading that it had quite a few typos on amazon, but your detail response has swayed me towards getting it. I guess I thought that the Atlas was the best one to buy but it seems kind of redundant when you can get the "mini" (900+ pages barely mini) atlas for about half the price. i will take all of this into consideration and make a decision thanks for all the help