MFK Book Review

Dan F · Jan 21, 2009

I'm not sure if this has been done before, but I thought it would be nice to see what kind of books are out there for the Monster Fish Keeper. If you have a book you've found helpful (or useless, for that matter) post a review!

~First Book~

Title: The Manual of Tank Busters
Authors: Gina Sanford & Richard Crow
Publisher: Tetra Press
Copyright: 1991
Hardcover, 160 pages

This is one of the few books out there that deal specifically with Monster Fish Keeping. There is a relatively short section on tank setup. While it can't compare to MFK's DIY section, it does deal with large tank construction some. It also has good basic information on filtration, water chemistry, aquascaping, and fish health.

The majority (2/3) of the book is made up of species descriptions. Most of the favorites are there and the information is pretty good.

There are sections on:

Lungfishes
Paddlefishes
Sturgeons
Garpikes
Bowfins
Knifefishes
Bony Tongues
Electric Fishes
Characins
Cyprinids
Catfishes
Swamp Eels
Siamese Tigerfish
Cichlids
Sleeper Gobies
Anabantids
Snakeheads
Spiny Eels

Overall I think it is a good book for the library. Copies can be found on Amazon.com for around $6.00+shipping.

krichardson · Jan 21, 2009

I bought this book at That Fish Place on my first visit there in 92,lent it out never got it back and bought a used copy last year.It is a little dated but one of my favorites in my library.

Lupin · Jan 21, 2009

The Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish, by Dick Mills, Quarto Publishing
This book has over 224 pages and comprises species profiles of freshwater and saltwater fish alike. It certainly is a good book with more new species included in comparison to other books. Photos are also included for every species written in it. You will however need to research further before considering a fish because most species profiles do not include the certain level of aggression of a fish.

The Natural Aquarium Handbook, by Ines Scheurmann, Barron's
A nice handbook with over 150 pages of information on several fish species. Over 15 pages consist of colorful photos of fish arranged in categories where respective species profiles are being discussed. It's pretty much a good book and is recommended even for beginners.

Guide to Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Fish, Simon and Schuster, Inc.
Another good book although the version was done in the late 1970's so the information by now is outdated although it's pretty much basic and still can prove very usefil. It includes plenty of photos for every fish being discussed and comprises of 300 pages of good information.

Cichlids, by Georg Zurlo, Barron's
A good book for the cichlidophiles. It comprises of 70 pages of photos and species profiles. It's pretty much basic and explains almost everything you need to know about cichlids. I recommend this to beginners who wish to keep cichlids out of passion.

The Complete Aquarium, by Peter W. Scott, Dorling Kindersley Limited
This is one of my most favorite books when it comes to attempting a biotope tank. Everything you need to know about biotopes is there. An appendix on the basic fishkeeping is included along with 180 other pages of good information on fish, invertebrates, biotopes and many more.

The Ultimate Encylopedia of Aquarium Fish and Fish Care, by Mary Bailey and Gina Sandford, Anness Publishing Limited
It is a very nice ultimate encyclopedia indeed containing 256 pages of good information and neat photos of fish. This was my second book and I kept reading this over and over as I cannot just satisfy myself by taking only one glance over the information written. Definitely, this is a must-read for every hobbyist.

Practical Fishkeeping, by Mary Bailey and Gina Sandford, Anness Publishing Limited
This was given to me as a birthday gift. I did not intend to buy this one since it is simply a smaller version of the book mentioned above minus the fish profiles. Basically, this book focuses more on the aquarium upkeeping more than anything else.

Tropical Freshwater Aquarium, by Gina Sandford, Barron's
This book focuses on how to start an aquarium without too much problems. I recommend it especially for beginners and it also includes a few species that make fine additions in a new aquarium.

The Complete Aquarium Guide, Konemann
Another book I can recommend. This was translated from French by Matthew Clarke, who is currently an editor in Practical Fishkeeping of the United Kingdom. It is really a comprehensive guide and contains detailed information of everything you need to know.

Vicious_Fish · Jan 21, 2009

Dan Feller;2676239; said:
Title: The Manual of Tank Busters
Authors: Gina Sanford & Richard Crow
Publisher: Tetra Press
Copyright: 1991
Hardcover, 160 pages.

Hey, I have that book! I found it at a discont book store years ago. It was well worth the buck I paid for it.

krichardson · Jan 21, 2009

LOL I wish I could have stolen it for a buck.

krichardson · Jan 21, 2009

Jurassic Fishes-Haruto Kodera Another favorite of my collection it covers the entire Arowana family with good pictures.Other groups covered-Polypterus,Knifefishes,Sturgeon,Lungfish,Freshwater Rays,Mormyrids,Bowfin,and the gars.This is one book that I dont like to lend out. Jumbo Fishes for the large aquarium-Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod Another good monster book,this one delves into Snakeheads and ATF's but somehow Discus found their way in here,oh well they do get to a nice size.These are two books that specifically discuss monster fish as opposed to being general aquarium books,they are good to have if they can be found.

Dan F · Jan 21, 2009

krichardson;2676685; said:
Jurassic Fishes-Haruto Kodera Another favorite of my collection it covers the entire Arowana family with good pictures.Other groups covered-Polypterus,Knifefishes,Sturgeon,Lungfish,Freshwater Rays,Mormyrids,Bowfin,and the gars.This is one book that I dont like to lend out. Jumbo Fishes for the large aquarium-Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod Another good monster book,this one delves into Snakeheads and ATF's but somehow Discus found their way in here,oh well they do get to a nice size.These are two books that specifically discuss monster fish as opposed to being general aquarium books,they are good to have if they can be found.

I have the book Jurassic Fishes, It's one of my favorites. I'll have to look for Jumbo Fishes - A LFS owner/importer I knew when I was young claimed to know Axelrod well.

I posted this a while back.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127963

pupumole · Jan 21, 2009

"Tropical Fish and Plants Super Catalogue 2007-2008" ( written in Japanese) its a fully colored book glossy pages , best photos ive ever seen, it has special profile of some people's tank in Japan... it has pics of Almost All specie of fish. even some special varients such as platinum ornate and endli ( yes, ornate not senegal) , and lotsa really nice pics of rare fish such as leopoldi , tigrinus, widebar.... even cichla azul kelberi, lates japonicus..... not to mention, there r also pics on plants and community fish, AND SHRIMPS, japanese loves shrimp

if anyone is interested, i mite be able to get a couple of these for yall fellow mfkers

Dan F · Jan 21, 2009

Author: Midori Kobayagawa
Publisher: t.f.h.
Copyright: 1991 (English version)
Hardcover, 187 pages

Mostly a picture book, it has 112 pages of high-quality color photos of different catfish species. There is an "Introduction" (starting on page 113, curiously enough) that has good information on taxonomy and classification. The remainder of the book is titled "Care and Breeding" and is not that exciting. I think it may have lost something in the translation from Japanese.

krichardson · Jan 22, 2009

I have that catfish book also,good for identification.Vince can you get anything else besides shrimp?


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