Rating: 
Summary: Fine addition to an aquarist's library
Review: Full of great photos and accurate information. While not a complete reference guide it is certainly well worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: bad!!!
Review: I have one word for this book, BAD!. The content of the book was very thin, there many plant references but hardly any information on them. It was basically just a picture book of plants, not the reference guide it is made out to be.
Rating:
Summary: Best book for the price you will find
Review: I have read a lot of aquarium and plant books but this is an example of a poor book. It looks like the publishes went to the library and collected a bunch of ideas from other books and through them together. I can't say that they give any bad advice, except in my opinion they mislabled two plants. Plus, there is a lack of a coherent theme through the book. They combine a few ideas that IMHO don't work together (this is from personal experience). Also the section on water chemistry is confusing, and before I read the book I knew it flat. The pictures are okay except they are all stock photos and you will see them someplace else in other books. Don't waste you money on this book. I would give it zero stars if I could.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother buying this book.
Review: I have read a lot of aquarium and plant books but this is an example of a poor book. It looks like the publishes went to the library and collected a bunch of ideas from other books and through them together. I can't say that they give any bad advice, except in my opinion they mislabled two plants. Plus, there is a lack of a coherent theme through the book. They combine a few ideas that IMHO don't work together (this is from personal experience). Also the section on water chemistry is confusing, and before I read the book I knew it flat. The pictures are okay except they are all stock photos and you will see them someplace else in other books. Don't waste you money on this book. I would give it zero stars if I could.
Rating:
Summary: great for the beginner
Review: I started my aquarium hooby when i was 8 and i'm now 32 so i think my opinion counts for something. this book is well priced and gives a significant amount of information in a small package. the more advanced enthusiasts may find it lacking in detailed information and setups using plants. My rating is based on audience targeted and price. Great value for around $5-$10!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Beginners Book
Review: If you are a non-scientific or beginner with aquatic plants, this is a terrific reference book for the price. You won't find anything this good for less than 20 bucks. It has excellent pictures so you can ID plants correctly. It has solid info on substrates, co2, and fertilizer. It is the most accurate cheap book on water conditions, ph, buffering, etc.It also has crystal clear easy to understand explanations of complex things such as photosynthesis and respiration, biogenic decalcification, and iron use. It also has terrific clear info about how to recognize plant problems. It clearly IDs the most popular species and these are outstanding pictures--much better than those most other and even more expensive books offer. And the writing and diagrams are absolutely fuss-free, clear and plain. A monkey could read this and grow a decent plant! This will not be particularly useful to an experienced aquatic horticulturalist but it is hands-down the most accurate simple intro level book available. If you are a botanist or water chemist, you'll be dissappointed, but for the average person trying to grow some decent plants in his or her tank, wow. It's fanatastic! And a great bargain. For 30-40 more you could get great books by Teepot and Walstaad, but this slim volume is essential for the beginner.
Rating:
Summary: Best book for the price you will find
Review: Okay, don't bother if you are an expert. But if you aren't, if you are a beginner looking for a GREAT cheap book that has basically all the info you need to get started, this is it. You will not find a better book for(the price). For example, if you already know about photosynthesis and how it differs from respiration and what the effects are in your tank, you don't need this book, But if you don't, and you want a SIMPLE explanation, here it is. It has very clear pictures to ID plants. It has very clear info on water chemistry--esp. on co2 and biogenic decalcification. It offers an excellent list of plant problems and reasons why, and it will explain what kinds of plants need which types of conditions. This is not a detailed book, (see Teepot or Walstaad for those). It has nice pictures but they will not inspire beautiful tanks (see Amano). But if you want to now what to do with that weed you picked up at your local FishyPlace is and how to grow it, here you go. You can't miss.... Hooray.
Rating:
Summary: Best planted aquarium book [for this amount]
Review: Please excuse me, I'm about to gush. If you are just going to buy one book, and you have [little] to spend, buy this one. (If you have unlimited funds, buy this one plus Aquarium Plants by Christel Kasselmann). As the planted aquarium chairman at our aquarium club, I get a lot of questions. The answers to most of them are in this book. It is a great beginner reference, but be sure to go back and reread it after you've been in the hobby for six months, because you'll learn a lot more about pruning, aquascaping, trimming, etc. Just buy it!
Rating:
Summary: confusing beginner's book
Review: The book has very few species, a terrible index, discusses plants it has no photos of, and seems to jump all over. If one of my past college students had given me this book as a report, i'd have given them a C-. Poor organization, repeats itself, constant references to peat filtration, but no advice on the proper way to do it... really a disappointing conglomeration that leaves the user wondering what in the world is the best way to set up a planted aquarium. Don't buy.
Rating:
Summary: Where Are The Fish Supposed To Go?
Review: There are books out there that are sensitive to the interaction of fish and plants. This is not one of them. Please invest a little more money and purchase one of those other books. The sample layouts are incredibly overcrowded. Even some of the photographs reflect the overcrowding!
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