Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish - Hardcover

David Alderton

4.34

127 ratings by Goodreads

9781405302685: Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1405302682 ISBN 13: 9781405302685

Publisher: DK, 2005

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Whether you are an expert or have just bought your first goldfish this is the definitive guide to choosing and keeping freshwater or marine fish, for aquaria and ponds. Choose from thousands of fish to suit the right habitat with information-packed directories and clear photographs covering everything from diet to particular characteristics. Complete practical advice on setting up or building a pond or tank plus quick-reference sections for instant answers to specific questions provide all the information you need.

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About the Author:

David Alderton is an international bestselling authority on pets and natural history. He has sold over 5 million books worldwide, including the DK titles You and Your Pet Bird, Eyewitness Handbooks: Cats and Eyewitness Handbooks: Dogs. He is also a consultant for the American Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. David is based in Brighton.

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
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