Covers ichthyology, aquarium management, aquarium plants and diseases of fishes and their cure.

Volumes in this brand new series present aquarium enthusiasts with virtually all the facts they need to create beautiful and healthful environments for fish and other aquatic life. Dazzling color photographs with detailed, informative captions and step-by-step instructions will quickly turn beginners into capable aquarium hobbyists, while providing advice and ideas that will inspire experienced fish keepers to add variety and interest to their tanks and ponds. Handsomely laid-out pages present essential information at a glance. This volume tells how to choose a suitable tank, select gravel and other substrates, select plants, manage water filtration and aeration, introduce fish into the tank, and maintain correct lighting and heating. Explanations are easy to follow for beginning hobbyists. More than 200 stunning color photos.

(back cover) WHAT FISH? A GUIDE TO TROPICAL FISH Buying fish for your tropical freshwater aquarium can be an uncertain process. This book puts your mind at rest by providing vital information about a wide range of fish. The advice is accurate, up-to-date, and easy to access. As an added bonus, there is a star rating guide to the price you might expect to pay for each fish. Make the right buying decisions with confidence.

Discusses how to care for tropical fish, covering such topics as preparing an aquarium, selecting fish, nutrition, and health care.

For beginning aquatic fancier looking to start out right with fish, Freshwater Aquariums by David Alderton is the ideal primer. A vertebrate that breathe primarily by means of gills and swim by means of fins is the author’s lead-in to the first chapter called “What are Fish?” Alderton builds the reader’s confidence by providing solid information about what fish are anatomically speaking, how they evolved, how they breathe, how they move, where they live, and how they behave. The new fancier’s aquarium begins in chapter two with instructions on setting up the tank, including selecting the right size, figuring out how many fish, setting the tank, equipment, substrate, heating, lighting, filtrations, plants, water chemistry, assembly, and more. Choosing the freshwater fishes that appeal to the reader is the subject of “Introducing the Categories of Fish,” which schools readers in seven categories: Cyprinids (e.g., goldfish, minnows, and barbs), Characins (e.g., tetras), Cichlids (e.g., oscars, angelfish, and discus), Anabantoids (gouramis, bettas/Siamese fighting fish, and paradise fish), Toothcarps (guppies, swordtails, platies, black mollies, and killifish), Catfish, and others (loaches and Chinese algae eaters). The purchasing, maintenance, and feeding of fish are described in considerable details, and the author gives a basic overview of breeding and keeping fish healthy as well. Resources, glossary, and index conclude the book.

Choosing aquarium accessories. Care of tropicals. Latest species. Feeding. Breeding. How to treat common ailments.