Up To Date Tropical Freshwater Book

[Squid]

As much as I love this place and trawling round the internet looking at info, I do like to sit down with a book on the subject sometimes. However, fishkeeping techniques move on like anything else and my books seem a little outdated. I won't be using an undergravel filter

So, can anybody recommend a good, detailed, and up to date book?

Squid

 

[nmonks]

Depends what you're after. A while back I put together a list of good books that I, Bob Fenner, and some of the other Wet Web Media crew thought particularly useful. But I can't think of any one book that is all things to all people.

For example, Peter Scott's "Complete Aquarium" is great for inspiration, covering a series of different biotope tanks in great depth, in the process explaining things like planting, water chemistry, which rocks to use, how to landscape, and so on. But it doesn't contain all that many species. On the other hand, the "Baensch Aquarium Atlas, Vol. 1", is perhaps the best all-around book for cataloguing freshwater fish species, but in other ways its a bit dated and not all that easy to read.

A good approach is to think about what fish interest you. There are particular writers associated with particular fields of the hobby. Almost anything on cichlids by Paul Loiselle will be worth reading, or Ad Konings on Lake Malawi, or David Sands on catfish, or Frank Schaefer on oddballs. If you want a book about fish rather than fishkeeper, I cannot recommend too strongly "The Diversity of Fishes" by Helfman, Collette and Facey. It's pricey, but it's possibly the single best textbook about fish ever written.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Squid]

Thanks Neal, that helps.

I guess i'm looking for one that has more information on fish, fish groups, stocking, what they can live with, their requirements etc. Also for different types of setups, what those setups require. i.e certain fish need high levels of filtration.

I believe this is the book you refer to, which looks like it has been updated last year, which is good.

As you say, perhaps I need a couple or three books to cover it. i will have a look through your list in more detail.

Again, many thanks,
Mike

 

[nmonks]

I guess i'm looking for one that has more information on fish, fish groups, stocking, what they can live with, their requirements etc. Also for different types of setups, what those setups require. i.e certain fish need high levels of filtration.

Have a look at the Peter Scott book. It's about the best one on putting together communities I've across. That you can get it for 27p on Amazon.co.uk is a plus, too!

I believe this is the book you refer to, which looks like it has been updated last year, which is good.

Yes, this is the book.

Cheers, Neale