Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: high priced but has its value Review: anyone looking for information such as location and habitat of a fish species will not want this book. it is just a book of pictures that will allow you to find and indentify a species you may have trouble locating elsewhere. this book is most handy for me after i have visited the pet shop and saw something that i have never seen before and don't trust the labeling in the store. my atlas is then my reference. for further information i will look it up on the web. to lookup information i need to know what i'm looking for and this is where this book becomes very important. no other single book that i know of covers as many species. the latest edition may have more photos than earlier editions but it may have the same number of species as earlier editions. however newer editions will have the latest scientific names (you can still use older names most of the times when searching as it takes some time for everyone to get used to the change). there are no common names used in this book (sometimes in the index next to the scietific) and there is no introduction to water chemistry, tank setup and the like that you may see in other books. it's greatest use is as a pictorial refernce with basic information (pH, dh, size, recommended tank size, agressivesness and sociabilty) on all the fish included. ...however i recommend the earlier editions at a much reduced price giving the same information (i believe the 6th edition and up are all pretty much the same- i could be wrong). i have the 7th edition ...and i'm more than happy. you may want to purchase the mini-atlas that has a lttle of everything before looking into the larger volume to satisfy your needs. i used this book as a quick refernce more than any other i have.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes Review: Don't make the same mistake I did. Look at all of the pages and ask yourself "A thosand pages of this?" Yep, that's it.Example: The book has thirty two pages of Discus, none of the new red or orange breeds and not a single paragraph of information on any of them
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Not an Atlas - No Information - lots of pretty pictures. Review: Don't make the same mistake I did. Look at all of the pages and ask yourself "A thosand pages of this?" Yep, that's it. Example: The book has thirty two pages of Discus, none of the new red or orange breeds and not a single paragraph of information on any of them
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Impressive compilation Review: Dr. Axelrod's atlas is truly impressive in its scope to help the aquarist identify the numerous fish species available. Yet the book is more than just an illustrated compilation of fish; it is also a valuable reference resource on disease identification and prevention, as well as a useful pointer to the requirements of a particular species and an adequate if succint guide for the beginning aquarist. A must have for any aquarium aficionado.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: A disappointment from the Expert Review: Hi...I bought this book looking for a nice aquarium reference text and was extremely disappointed. I went on to buy Baensch's book and was infinitely more pleased. I was expecting more from the man who is almost like the Jacques Cousteau of aquarium fish. The text has excellent pictures, but, if you think you can easily find your most common local fish store fish in this tome by using the index, FORGET IT. Most of the fish I have in my aquarium I couldn't find, except, perhaps, by flipping the pages. I'd stick with Baensch's (will all due respect Dr. Axelrod). It's better organized, the index works and agree that it has a great plant section. Have fun.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Excellent book for identifying various species Review: I have had this book for some years now and it is an excellent book for identifying various freshwater aquariium species. The colurs photo's are clear and so far i have been able to identify almost all aquarium fish i have come across from this book. This is very useful to me because in Sri Lanka where I hail from we find so many endemic species but many of the local dealers and aquarium shops do not identify them correctly. Below each photo is some basic information on the species like ideal water PH, foods, and whether the fish likes to have a planted aquarium or rocks etc. The edition I own has a section on aquarium setup and some brief information on plants, diseases & breeding, however it seem Dr Axelrod does not profess the mordern idea of CO2 injection for growing healthy plants. I would recommend this book to the enhusiast who need a comprehensive "atlas" for identification purposes.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Very Useful, but lacks some detail on manteinance. Review: I know it would be an enourmous work to put toghether detailed information on all fish, but then, that would make a 10-rated Atlas. The pictures have excellent quality, and the variety of fish presented makes this book a must if you are a serious aquarist looking for rare species.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: The BEST freshwater fish photo book available. Review: I see a lot of reviews about this book. One of the most popular gripes is, "but there's no text". Yes, it's true: it's a photo atlas of freshwater aquarium fishes. The most comprehensive I've found anywhere. This book works great for coffee tables, aquarium planning, window shopping, daydreaming, identification of fishes, etc. Most importantly, you know the names of the fishes you are looking at. Once you have the names, you can search for more information on the internet, in other (text) books, in the library, or anyplace else. And besides, can you imagine how big this book would be (and how expensive!) if each photo had a bunch of text with it?
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: The BEST freshwater fish photo book available. Review: I see a lot of reviews about this book. One of the most popular gripes is, "but there's no text". Yes, it's true: it's a photo atlas of freshwater aquarium fishes. The most comprehensive I've found anywhere. This book works great for coffee tables, aquarium planning, window shopping, daydreaming, identification of fishes, etc. Most importantly, you know the names of the fishes you are looking at. Once you have the names, you can search for more information on the internet, in other (text) books, in the library, or anyplace else. And besides, can you imagine how big this book would be (and how expensive!) if each photo had a bunch of text with it?
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Excellent Pictorial Reference Review: I think the strength of this book is its encyclopaedic approach to fish species: a picture of each fish together with basic (but essential) information. It's probably more for the serious hobbyist/scientist who already has aquaria and is interested in fish indentification (rather than setting up aquaria & maintenance). Well worth the price - especially here in Amazon.com. For me (a hobbyist), it's excellent reference especially when I buy new fish because it tells me about the fish's basic facts such as aggressiveness, water conditions etc. With this mind, it's probably unfair when other readers say there are "no words in the book" etc. because that's probably the "database" intention anyway.
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