( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jan 12 2008
Excellent resource on aquariums and how to get started. I stiff refer back to this book when any issue comes up.
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Posted: Jan 24 2007
Great at telling you what to what to watch out for--look out for temperature. PH is important, etc. But your next question is of course, what is the right temperature? What PH should it be? It's not in this book. If you're a new person to this you need a more informative resource. This is only good at telling you what to look for, but not good at telling you what it should be, and certainly not how to fix things that go wrong.
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 29 2006
I picked up this book at a local bookstore and paid full price. This was a mistake. I would have felt ripped off even if it was in the bargain bin for a buck. About the only thing I would use this book for is a firestarter. I as of yet own no aquarium, and even I could see that this book was sorely lacking in useful information. As others have pointed out, the most important topic of all, aquarium maintenance, receives scant coverage. Their coverage of fish species overall is spotty, and there is little to no information on acceptable Ph values, temperature, compatibility with other species, diets, common diseases, or suitability for beginners. IMHO, a book for beginners should contain pretty much everything a beginner needs to know to get started. This book is woefully lacking. I have no ability to know how accurate the information in this book is, but I can say that I would not rely on it for a second. The copy I have was the 12th printing of the book, yet the quality of the text is something I would expect from a rough draft. Most glaring are the same sentences or facts repeated in two separate close-together sections. In one case, I saw the same thing phrased two different ways in successive paragraphs. Even the most blind and incompetent editor would have spotted this in a casual reading. Given the major style issues, I have absolutely no confidence in the accuracy of the information presented in this book. If this book never went through a copy-editor, I doubt it was reviewed properly for factual content either. If you have the misfortune of owning this book, try and get your money back.
