Book Reviews

A Step-By-Step Book About Guppies by Jack C. Harris, 62 pgs.

There is a lot of information and colour photos packed in this small book. Excellent for anyone starting up with guppies.

Aquariums For Dummies by Maddy Hargrove and Mic Hargrove.

On the whole, this is a helpful book, but it uses (what seems to me) like inappropriate humour. It covers many aspects of the hobby and may be a little confusing for the beginner, to whom it is directed. Some misinformation may lead one down the garden path - for instance, it says that adding food daily to a tank will cycle it.

The Manual of Fish Health By Dr. Chris Andrews, Adrian Excell and Dr. Neville Carrington. 208 pgs. By Tetra Press.

This book is pricey but well worth the investment. It covers the basics of water chemistry and how it affects fish in easy-to-understand terms. An A - Z description of diseases and pests with their remedies includes excellent photos. All the pros and cons of treatments are covered, relatively up-to-date and plainly laid out.

Guppies, Mollies, Platys - A Complete Owner's Manual by Harro Hieronimus, 72 pgs

The author provides information from his years of experience, sometimes different from most sources (for instance, he says quarantine is not important for new healthy-looking fish). It also has lots of facts and information on these 3 live bearers, as well as a brief description of others. A helpful little book.

The Proper Care of Guppies by Stan Shubel, 255 pgs.

This is a handbook-sized book written by a famous, experienced breeder. Some ideas will be new to those who read it, however Stan enjoys experimenting. There are special sections on showing your guppies and raising brine shrimp. The Guppy Health section includes photos and paintings depicting diseases and parasites. Colour photos throughout the book judge guppies based on their show qualifications.

Dr. Axelrod's Mini-Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes by Dr. H. Axelrod, Dr. Warren E. Burgess, Dr. Cliff Emmens, 992 pgs. Atlas

Called the "mini" atlas in reference to the larger Axelrod Atlas which had over 4,000 photos of fishes, this edition is about half it's size (still huge), and also includes information on photography, tank equipment, plants, water, physiology, foods, diseases, and breeding various fishes. An excellent addition to your library!

Guppies by Wilfred L. Whitern, 96 pgs.

This book seems slightly outdated; it leaves you looking for more, but generally helpful with an interesting section on guppy genetics. Lots of colour photos and information on large breeding operations, diseases, breeding, plants, etc.

Starting Your Tropical Aquarium by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod, 287 pgs.

Dr. Axelrod is a somewhat maligned aquarium expert and here he has created a beginner's book; however he expected that it would also serve as a "reference text for teachers and students of biology" - this is an interesting and varied collection of information, and Dr. Axelrod says, "there is no reliable remedy for sick fish, no matter what the cause". There are 256 colour photos of popular fish included.

Baensch Aquarium Atlas by Hans A. Baensch and Dr. R. Riehl Atlas1 Atlas2

Baensch Aquarium Vol.1 (992 pages): This is a very handy book with much information, which handles all the important aspects of aquarium keeping in a practical and uncomplicated way. It has photos and info on 600 species of fish, 100 plants. It also covers hardware, foods, pests, and diseases (though there are few photos in this section). This is a good starter book and an invaluable source as you grow in the hobby. Indexes in this series are user-friendly.

Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol.2 (1212 pages): While Vol. One was meant to be the only Baensch Atlas, there are now actually 4 in the series due to reader interest in the many species of fish. There are another 900 fish species covered in this book! A section on ichthyology details fish biology with many excellent diagrams.