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This book could be a good tool if it was organized a little bit. If you have the time to read it as you would a novel, you might find useful information. I found it difficult to locate the information I was looking for from the index. If, like me, you need a guide to setting up a fresh-water aquarium and some info on fish and plants, it is a little too scattered in various sections that didn't make much sense to me.
However, this book is a great resource or "refresher course" for those already interested and involved in the fishkeeping hobby.This book is an overview on the main setup of a freshwater tank. It will help you to not make common mistakes. I read it cover to cover. I have lent this book to friends who were troubleshooting common aquarium problems, and they too have found it to be extremely useful. I often refer to it as "my fish Bible".
This book is an outstanding and easy to read resource for anyone who is interested in setting up an aquarium. The parts about individual species are not very in-depth.Overall -- this is a fantastic resource, and your fish will thank you for getting this book.Good luck, and happy fishkeeping. The goal of the book is to give you a wealth of information BEFORE you buy your tank and your fish. While it does go into individual species a bit, you may want to get more specific and specialized books about the species you are interested in.
I purchased this a couple years ago after having been out of the Aquarium hobby for several years and then deciding to get back in again. I found it to be very informative, building on what I learned 20-30 years ago and outlining many considerations that, today, are common knowledge in the hobby, but was unkown by the average aquarist of the 70s & 80s. Very good book to read before you add fish to your new aquarium.
I just started my first tank with my roommate and we refer to the book as the fish bible.It has been so helpful to have a source of info like this so we know what we need to get and what the pet store people are just trying to sell us to make a few bucks. Also very helpful on how to keep your first fish alive and how to go about getting a full tank. Very good info on how to set up the tank and which fish to put in. Overall I'm extremely happy that I bought this book as it has walked me through starting my own tank.
Some people use peat moss. The author's suggestion to give with larger tanks is also sound advice. Larger = more stable water parameters.When mentioning substrates, I don't feel the author went into quite enough detail. For someone just starting out, this book offers plenty of simple instructions and explanations to help you on your journey.I especially appreciate that Boruchowitz encourages those new to the aquarium hobby to go with lower lighting and low-light plants. If you decide to go with a substrate specifically designed to stand alone in your aquarium, ADA AquaSoil, Carib Sea Eco-Complete, and Seachem Flourite are great options. For inert gravel, you can add laterite to the bottom layer. This will save you so much money, time, and frustration in the beginning, making the tank a lot easier and more enjoyable to manage. Or they can be mixed with or added to the lower layer of inert gravel.
10-gallon and nano tanks are better left for the more experienced hobbyist. However, if you do have moderate experience in managing aquariums, this book probably won't be as relevant. They're great for cleaning algae off plants though they are fairly sensitive (not very hardy). He tells of the proper pebble sizes for inert gravel but does not include examples of what can be combined with it to create an environment more suitable for your aquatic plants. ;)When stating which catfish are suitable for beginners, I do think Otocinclus catfish ("oto") deserve recognition too.
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