Aquarium Fish Handbook : The Complete Reference from Anemonefish to Zamora Woodcats

Rating:
Summary: All the fish I need to know about
Review: I've been keeping fish for 17 years and this is the best book I have found that describes all the fish I've owned! Great descriptions on cichlids and includes scientific names and common names. Very easy to read (not tiny print and not boring). I love this book - the photos are clear and not all blurry or cheap quality. DK books photograph quality! The fact that it's spiral bound means I can lie down in bed and browse all the different fish without having to push the cover back. I can do my daily stretching while reading about fish! How relaxing and convenient! GREAT BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: All the fish I need to know about
Review: I've been keeping fish for 17 years and this is the best book I have found that describes all the fish I've owned! Great descriptions on cichlids and includes scientific names and common names. Very easy to read (not tiny print and not boring). I love this book - the photos are clear and not all blurry or cheap quality. DK books photograph quality! The fact that it's spiral bound means I can lie down in bed and browse all the different fish without having to push the cover back. I can do my daily stretching while reading about fish! How relaxing and convenient! GREAT BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: I'm returning this book
Review: I've got to disagree with the previous reviewer, Gen, on this one! I would NOT recommend this book. It is very attractive with lovely pictures, but I found it full of errors and contradictions. Here are a few I found in about 20 minutes of browsing:

page 12: the graphics of tropical and marine fish are reversed, making it look like it's okay to keep 36 inches of marine fish when it's really 9 (the text is correct)

page 103: the Altum Angelfish is desribed as "an extremely difficult and delicate fish to keep," but the it gets a 1 (easiest) on the "ease of keeping" scale. Huh?

Numerous examples of fish being given a "safe with small fish" symbol, but being described in the text as eating small fish, See porkfish (page 239), flame hawkfish (238) and long-nosed hawkfish (239), for example.

I bought this book to help me select peaceful marine fish that would be reef-safe, but because of these issues it's useless to me and I'm returning it. It's a shame, because it is a great-looking, well-organzied book.