Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies (For Dummies Series)

FRESHWATER AQUARIUMS FOR DUMMIES BY MADDY HARDGROVE might not have a current publication day (2006) but it is still the best fish book I've read so far. I am returning into the world of freshwater aquariums after about a ten year hiatus and needed a refresher course on keeping freshwater fish & the aquariums they live in . I have always been a big fan of the "dummies" series because the experts who write them get down on my level using little technical terms and lots of one syllable words that I can understand. This book is not only good for people like me returning to the fishy world by newbies & even experienced people can maybe learn a thing or two from it. One good thing about the book is you dont need to read it all you can skip chapters that are not needed & the information keeps coming and coming . Well worth the cost this one is going in my shelf of reference for when I and my finny friends need a little advice.

I read this book from cover to cover. It is packed full of interesting and helpful information. I appreciated the basics outlined in this reference guide, being a beginner to the hobby. I learned so much from it. It gives a wonderful overview of everything I needed to know to get started with confidence. It presents many of the most common species that are easily obtainable in pet stores, which I found very helpful in getting started, rather than presenting a vast array of fish that I will probably never find in the store. If you examine the Table of Contents, you will see the vast amount of information presented. I could not begin to put it all down here. It touches upon numerous aspects and gives pertinent facts, without delving into an overwhelming account of the topic. It presents what you need to know to get going. And the information contained therein is extremely diverse but informative. I would recommend this guide to anyone getting started with an aquarium. I wish I would have read it prior to actually setting up my aquarium. I am continually picking it up to re-read a topic referenced in the book.

I've been an aquarium aficionado since childhood, but only seriously entered the realm since 1999 and own a great deal of books on the topic. This one is useful for the beginner, but don't believe everything you read in it. Remember, fishkeeping is subjective. Each fish keeper has their own ideas on how to keep fish successfully in a tank. I know I do. I've found by trial and error and sadly by reading some of these books out there. If you keep your mind open and read more than one book about aquariums, then I don't hesitate recommending this one to others. Overall, if you can get it for a low price, don't hesitate adding it to your shelf. It covers all the basics that one needs to know to set up your first aquarium.

This book is a MUST buy for anyone who is looking to get into the freshwater (or any type of aquarium) hobby. It takes all the complicated things like water changes, pH, chemicals, size and takes your expectations and gives you a realistic vision of the hobby and the work behind it. I read the book in less than a week and started coming up with a plan for my tank. The book is very user friendly, great as a reference book for experienced hobbyists and newbie's alike! Definitely the best buy I have found when buying equipment for my tank. Also: compared to other books for beginners, this book is entertaining and doesn't just give you information on the fish you could have, it gives you everything!!! Such as qualities of a great fish dealer/store, types of food and habitat, etc. Definitely fueled my fire for the hobby!

I was thinking about setting up a 10 gallon aquarium and had no idea how to start. I got this prior to even purchasing anything else for the tank. It has a lot of good information. It tells you how to set up your tank, your different choices of fish, filters, substrate/gravel, plants, how to test your water and what the results mean and much more. My 10 gallon has been set up now for about four months and its doing good. It does have a lot of information you might not need when setting up a simple one like mine but it is a good reference guide.

I bought this expecting to get a step by step on how to start a new fish tank from scratch. It does that but the instructions are boiled down into about 2 paragraphs (per type of environment) about halfway into the book. There is a lot of information here that is going to be great for keeping up the tank, maintenance, and solving problems. It also seems to repeat certain points over and over again. Overall it's a good reference. I think the organization could be better. I would not get the digital copy, get a physical copy. The kindle app just is not built for reference books like this.

The aquarium is up and a happy home for two pleckos, a number of small snails and one beautiful betta. I will be adding guppies (boys only), but I'm really enjoying it as it is right now. This book gave me the information I needed to make a number of choices and also to understand what my fish need and how I can best give it to them. It also remains a resource I will use if and when something isn't working well. It's a good book.

Being a first time aquarist, this book provided me with A LOT of great information that definitely saved me from headaches and from wasting a significant amount of money in dead fish. I would highly recommend this book for anyone considering setting up an aquarium. There’s a lot more to it than you think, and this book makes it easy to read and understand.

Useful easy and quick starter...well worth having on hand as covers all the basics

Good Book -- very expensive

Me pareció un manual muy completo y bien estructurado con trucos, advertencias y ejemplos. Únicamente le añadiría más sobre anfibios, porque tiene poquísimo.

This book provides a broad range of information and is witty with it! Overall I found it very useful and it was a pleasure to read

This book is great. I refer to it all the time. If your new at aquariums it will be a very helpful. The pictures make it easier to understand when trying to figure out diseases and such. Good Book.