Best Plants Book

[geowashlaw]

Looking for a book that will tell me all about aquatic plant care. Would want it to have in-depth discussions of fertilizing and utilizing CO2, i.e., how it affects all the different water parameters, etc. I know very very little, but want to learn it and need a book that explains all the stuff to me in laymans terms but also does so in a complete way.

Suggestions?

[PUNISHER VETTE]

Here's a link to doug z's blog in which i remember him doing a review of a lot of aquarium books back when he started it.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/journal.php?do=showjournal&j=128&page=7

Don't mean to take his thunder but...

BOOK REVIEWS

The Complete Book of the Freshwater Aquarium
By Vincent B. Hargreaves

A decent if dated (with regards to the equipment, especially) book. Good profiles on plants and fish, though the orginzation was a little odd..


500 Freshwater Aquarium Fish: A Visual Reference to the Most Popular Species By Greg Jennings ***

As the name suggests this book contains brief profiles on 500 of the more popular freshwater aquarium fish, from Chichlids to Plecos. Covers maximum size, behaviour diet, and aquarium requirements (temp, substrate, water PH). It's a good visual reference for a wide variety of fish, but of course concerning habitat, etc. brevity is the word of the day


Setting up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week
By Stuart Thraves ****

A fairly comprehensive guide to the set-up and stocking of a planted freshwater aquarium. Lots of helpful diagrams and fish and plant profiles.

International Encyclopedia of Tropical Freshwater Fish
David Alderton *** 1/2

Covers the basics of aquarium set-up, and has quite a few fish profiles, covering temp req, feeding, and compatibility. Though covering most tropical freshwater fish, it is neccesarily a master of none, when it comes to details.

Tankmaster series: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Aquarium Plants
By Peter Hiscock ****

Some good, practical advice, and many profiles on several different types of aquarium plants.

The Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants
by Peter Hiscock ****

A great book, but I was a bit disappointed that it was merely an expansion on what he'd written in the Tankmaster book, A Practical Guide to Choosing Aquarium Plants.. It was still a great book, but it was "been there, read that" . Even alot of the photos were the same..

Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium
By Gregory Skomal ***

A little light on the details, but a good place to start.

The Nature Aquarium World trilogy (vol 3)
by Takashi Amano ****

The entire book is comprised of photos of these huge aquariums.. Some gorgeous, gorgeous tanks.. Just beautiful.. I wish I had his gift..

Aquarium Plants: the Practical Guide
by Pabloo Teapoot *** 1/2

I was a little disappointed with this one..

I was a bit baffled by the German and French translations.. Could they not justify separate printings for those other languages?

And the photos are excellent, but frankly I thought the Hiscock encyclopedia did a better job of describing stuff like optimal growing conditions, maximum plant heights, etc..

The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium
by Diana Walstad ***

Ok, this book just blew my mind, in a bad way..

SOIL as a substrate? Bi-ANNUAL water changes? No vacuming of the substrate? No C02 injection required? Go crazy on the fish food? The more direct sunlight the better?? No need for liquid or tab ferts?

I mean, it all sounds good..

The soil already has the bacteria necessary to sustain fish from the get-go, and the other micro nutrients such as iron for the plants..

The breaking-down of the fish food and the soil provide the C02 and nutrients for the plants..

But it flies in the face of everything Dave66 and others have been telling me..

She does say that there are problems inherent in using soil, but she says they are temporary, and can be gotten around.. But she doesn't elaborate..

I'm at a bit of a loss, frankly, and will have to ask Dave66 what's going on here..

More questions than answers.. :(

Corydoras Catfishes: The Complete Authoritative Guide
by Warren E. Burgess ***

I was a bit disappointed..

Scads of stuff on spawning, which I don't really need, but barely anything on stuff I was hoping for, like step-by-step live live food prep or tips on aquarium conditions..

The Complete Aquarium by Peter W. Scott **1/2

Lots of photos of different biotopes, with the breakdown on plants and fish stocking.

But the info, especially on equipment is quite dated ('95).

In my opinion "The Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by P. Hiscock and "Setting up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week" by S. Thraves are much better books when it comes to the themes covered here.


Tetras and Other Characins by Mark Philip Smith ****

Short and sweet.. Good info on classification, water changes, husbandry, breeding, and live food culturing for tetras, and other Characins..

Manual of Fish Health: Everything You Need to Know About Aquarium Fish, Their Environment and Disease Prevention by Chris Andrews ****

A comprehensive guide to fish health, with plenty of photos and diagrams..

Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies by Maddy Hargrove ***

Not bad, but definitely geared towards the beginner..

(Again, not a bad thing)

The Inspired Aquarium: Ideas and Instructions for Living with Aquariums
By Jeff and Mike Senske *** 1/2

There's something here for the expert and beginner alike on tank set-up, maintenence, and design.. Most gratifying is the fact that being published in 2006, the info isn't as dated as some books on the subject.. The book covers both freshwater and saltwater tanks.



Still to go:


Live Food Culturing by Frank L. Hoff, Florida Aqua Farms

Culturing Live Foods by Micheal R. Hellweg

Baensch Aquarium Atlas vol I to IV

Aquarium Plants Manual by Ines Scheurmann and Dennis W. Stevenson

Tropical Fishlopaedia : A Complete Guide to Fish Care
by Mary Baily and Peter Burgess