Synopses & Reviews
Keeping an aquarium adds beauty and grace to your life. That elegant little world in a glass box can be your respite from the cares of the day and even can lower your blood pressure. It can be a great outlet for your artistic impulses, and educational for your kids. And when it comes to pets, you can’t go wrong with fish. They eat little, require minimal space, and need no training. They never stray, bay at the moon, or leave surprises on your lawn. They’re not prone to rude sniffing, and they won’t chase your letter carrier. And fish never get hairballs or scratch your furniture.
Aquariums For Dummies answers all your fishy questions about keeping an aquarium and makes it easy to get into the swim of things with your own freshwater, brackish, or marine aquarium. You’ll discover how to:
- Choose the right aquarium for you
- Select the best fish
- Create and maintain a healthy aquarium
- Locate good deals on equipment
- Design a dazzling underwater environment
With humor and without a lot of jargon, expert Maddy and Mic Hargrove cover all the bases. They give you step-by-step instructions on how to select equipment and set up your aquarium. And they explore an array of important and fun topics, including:
- Tanks, water sources, substrates and decorations, and water testing
- Live plants for freshwater and brackish aquariums and invertebrates for marine aquariums
- Fish anatomy and physiology (plus a guide to dozens of freshwater coldwater, tropical marine, and brackish fish)
- Choosing a quality dealer and developing a good relationship with them
- Deciding what the right species for you and selecting fish
- Fish diet and nutrition
- Diagnosing and treating diseases in fish
- Breeding fish for fun and profit
A fun and easy guide to creating and maintaining a beautiful aquarium, Aquariums For Dummies is your entrée to the fascinating and rewarding world of fishkeeping.
Synopsis
If you're looking to dive into the wild world of aquarium ownership, this is your best guide to setting up a marine reserve of your very own. "Aquariums For Dummies" is your go-to guide for creating the underwater world that fits your lifestyle. Discover the pros and cons of a variety of aquarium types. From freshwater to marine to brackish, you get the lowdown on what it takes to maintain all these environments so you can make an educated decision on what fits you and your lifestyle.
After you know your environment, you can start choosing your little fishies. But where do you start? Authors Mic and Maddy Hargrove have included a whole section on the kinds of fish to choose from, which types of fish match up well, what to look for, and where to go to get the best deals. They also include fast, friendly advice on how best to care for you new aquatic friends (and even how to breed them for fun or profit).
Get started today as an active aquarium owner. Look on "Aquariums For Dummies" as your step-by-step manual to creating the aquatic environment that matches your lifestyle, your interests, and your living room.
Synopsis
"Get this book. Your fish will thank you!" Robert Rice, President, National Fish Conservancy
Step-by-step instructions help you set up your aquarium
The fun and easy guide to creating and maintaining a beautiful aquarium Setting up your first aquarium can be a daunting task. Not only do you need to choose the right fish, but you also have to maintain the right environment for them to flourish. This friendly guide answers all your "fishy" questions and makes it easy to get into the swim of things!
Discover how to: Choose the right aquarium for you Select the best fish Create and maintain a healthy aquarium Locate good deals on equipment Design a dazzling underwater environment
The Dummies Way Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun
Get smart! www.dummies.com Register to win cool prizes Attention pet owners! Get free Dummies Daily e-mail newsletters Sign up for tips on dogs, cats, or birds Keep your pet healthy and contentthe Dummies Way
About the Author
Maddy Hargrove writes regularly for every major fishkeeping magazine, including Marine Monthly. Mic Hargrove, an expert technical advisor on aquarium equipment and water chemistry, writes for tropical fish magazines.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
PART I: Aquarium Setup.
Chapter 1: The Practice of Aquarium Keeping.
Chapter 2: Finding a Good Location.
Chapter 3: The Tank and Stand.
Chapter 4: Substrates and Decorations.
Chapter 5: The Equipment (And Other Technical Stuff).
Chapter 6: Water Sources (All Water Is Not Created Equal).
Chapter 7: Those Crazy Chemicals.
Chapter 8: The Nitrogen Cycle and Water Testing.
Chapter 9: Putting It All Together.
PART II: Plants and Invertebrates.
Chapter 10: Live Plants for Freshwater and Brackish Aquariums.
Chapter 11: Invertebrates for the Marine Aquarium.
PART III: The Fish.
Chapter 12: Fish Anatomy.
Chapter 13: Species Guide.
Chapter 14: Purchasing Your Fish.
PART IV: Caring for Your Aquatic Friends.
Chapter 15: Diet and Nutrition for Your Wet Pets.
Chapter 16: Diseases and Treatments.
PART V: Breeding Your Fish for Fun and Profit.
Chapter 17: The Breeding Room.
Chapter 18: Let's Spawn!
PART VI: Fun Stuff.
Chapter 19: Recording Data and Photography Methods.
Chapter 20: Fish Shows.
PART VII: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 21: Ten Cool Aquarium Gadgets (For Work and Play).
Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Kill Your Fish without Even Trying.
Chapter 23: Nine Horrible Fish That You Never Want to Own.
Chapter 24: Ten Scientific Fish Laws.
Chapter 25: Ten Aquatic New Year's Resolutions.
Chapter 26: More Than Ten Resources.
Appendix: Tank Figures and Facts.
Index.