Fish Books

[Megalodon]

found an old fish keeping book/dictionary i used to use as reference for purchasing fish. i cant believe how out dated it is.  it says the  common plec reaches 3 inches. i used to get fish books from the used book store, that was my source for aquarium info. before we had internet.  what did you do before internet? if fish books do you still read them?

 

[Wills]

I for one do still like reading fish books, I find them a great starting point for learning about fish from the pictures. Its a much faster way (once you have the book haha) to see pictures of a diverse cross section of a group/ family of fish with accurate (if not sometimes out of date) names.
 
Some books are hilariously bad though...
 
Wills

 

[MBOU]

I love fish books!! but it is just depressing...
 
We are stuck in a rut... of people wanting to use the internet for information.... but not having a clue of what they even want to ask.... (hence we get a LOT of questions here on really basic topics over and over... is because people search for their question and bring it up again)/
 
I ALWAYS advise people to buy a basic but good fish book, no mater how out dated it is... it will mainly be out of date on equipment... but the nitrogen cycle is still the nitrogen cycle..
 
That said... this book is a great 'modern' basic starter book to give you the information to set up and the questions you need to ask:
http/www.amazon.co.uk/Mini-Encyclopedia-The-Marine-Aquarium/dp/184286100X/ref=cm_rdp_product
 
 
I actually planned on writing a really basic fish keeping book on how to set up a tank... then settled for leaflets... then decided what was the point... people never listen to me when I tell them, is me handing it to them on paper make them listen any better!? Nope.... not really..
 
Shame... I had a goldfish one pretty much written...
 
But there is ***no*** money in writing books because people don't buy them... and yet people wonder why the exceptional books are extortionately expensive!?

 

[Sophie]

Oh I've spent an absolute fortune on fish books since getting into the hobby a year ago - everything from setting up the aquarium, to fish health, to plants, to one of Takashi Amanos £50 complete works!
I also take all the free goodies I can get - like Maidenhead Aquatics have little booklets on different topics, walked out with a stack of those the other day just to read through.

 

[MBOU]

Lol Sophie, was planning to replace ours with my own which would be less outdates. Think we as TFF should write our own!

 

[Sophie]

Lol Sophie, was planning to replace ours with my own which would be less outdates. Think we as TFF should write our own!

 
Agreed!
One of the most important things with any information is never take it as 100% fact straight off the bat, as you said, a lot can be outdated

 

[MBOU]

Trouble is.. my '1 x sheet A4' Leaflet turned to 3-6 pages per freshwater/marine/coldwater etc LOL

 

[Sophie]

It's very hard to not get carried away - you want to make sure you include everything, which ends up just being more and more information leading to something else you feel people should know. My manager at Pets at Home gets annoyed because I end up yabbering to customers for a good half hour about how to properly care for their fish

 

[MBOU]

My record is 4 hours
 
And yes.. hence a book was on the cards!! But... lost all heart in that idea..

 

[Sophie]

Haha it's a great way to make your shift go quicker

 

[Megalodon]

i find the internet to be more helpful...but im a serious researcher. it how i found this forum actually.
thanks to youtube and some other site,i found out i had been cleaning tanks the wrong way for years...that was sad feeling. realizing all the time i had wasted dumping a tank full of water and rinsing everything off....

 

[MBOU]

Now imagine you got a 50 odd page book with pictures with your tank when you hadn't a clue... descripting different tanks (trop, sub trop, goldfish, marine, brackish and pond) and basic info on nitrogen cycle and why its important and basic easy species to keep...
 
Personally... think its bad when a company doesn't provide that kind of information... but then... requires the staff to know it too which many shops just don't!
 
Books are a great way to start..

 

[Elrohirthehasty]

I really like David Boruchowitz's The Simple Guide to Freshwater Fish.  This book is the one that enabled me to successfully keep fish (I had no idea how to cycle or stocking ideas).  It's pretty straightforward and in a "for Dummies"-like style with many helpful tips.  One of the best parts is his suggested stocklists for beginners in 30g and 55g tanks.  He adamantly warns against 10 g tanks for beginners.  I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone looking to get started.  For those of you who are already awesome at keeping fish, you may consider buying it for friends starting in the hobby, especially if you're not always going to be around to answer questions.

I guess they always have the forum tho

http/www.amazon.com/Simple-Freshwater-Aquariums-Second-Edition/dp/0793821223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376004287&sr=8-1&keywords=the+simple+guide+to+freshwater+aquariums

 

 

[Sophie]

I'd recommend Jeremy Gay's The Perfect Aquarium for beginners - http/www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Aquarium-Complete-Setting-Maintaining/dp/0600612163
 
 
That and I am addicted to PFK.