# Aquarium and Natural History Books



## Tim Harrison (21 Sep 2018)

I found this book today in a secondhand book shop. I instantly remembered it from my childhood as one of the books that I had out on permanent loan from the local library...that is I just kept renewing it.

It was published in 1970, and like it says on the front cover "With a special colour section on Aquatic Plants". I remember being excited and somewhat frustrated in equal measure by this section. On one hand it was great to see plants I only previously read about in full colour. But on the other it was way too short and the plants weren't exactly presented very well.

Anyway, I'm really pleased I found it and got the opportunity to add it too my collection, especially since it also has several very informative paragraphs on "Aquascaping"; which I'm guessing wasn't a word you heard too much way back then...






Seems pot scapes are nothing new Karl @Zeus. 




Check out the algae on the plants in the large righthand frame 





Some fine internodal etiolation, bottom left...




'_Rockwork may be very pleasantly incorporated...'  _


IMG_1420 by Tim Harrison, on Flickr


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## John S (21 Sep 2018)

I have these Tim. These are from the late 50's to mid 60's. They were my Dads but I've never looked at them. I must make time to do so to see what opinion was back then.


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## Tim Harrison (21 Sep 2018)

Fantastic selection of old books, thanks for sharing John  
Dr Herbert Axelrod in particular, was a hero of mine. I often read about his fish hunting expeditions; many read like boys own adventure type stories


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## zozo (21 Sep 2018)

Tim Harrison said:


> Some fine internodal etiolation, bottom left...


And holes in the leaf top left.. 

Those were the days.. We looked beyond the algae and holes to see the beauty..


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## Tim Harrison (15 Jun 2021)

Just taken delivery of this weighty tome, 780 pages of sheer joy. Always wanted a copy.  Growing up Dr Axelrod was a hero of mine.
It's in great nick considering it's 36 years old and has travelled all the way from the States in a brown paper bag 






Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and found this...





Signed by the legend himself


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## Tom72 (15 Jun 2021)

Wow, can’t believe I gave mine away 😢


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## Geoffrey Rea (15 Jun 2021)

Snap...





This one is from the 80’s too @Tim Harrison and has been a great reference book. It would also double up as a decent murder weapon at 994 pages 😂 Think the use of ‘Mini-Atlas’ was meant ironically.

Nice one on getting a signed copy - most welcome bonus I would imagine 😎


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## castle (15 Jun 2021)

I’ve got at least a dozen copies of this book, in various versions. Was planning on selling a few at the carboot this weekend. I’ve been picking up every (cheap) copy I’ve seen since ‘04.

I adored these books as a kid, they were my view into the world of tropical fish and my reference when putting in orders for “oddballs”. Need to check my parents loft, I must have 12 different (but the same) copies. Imagine my pain buying these to see that year to year there was a few switches and maybe, a few new fish 😅


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## Geoffrey Rea (15 Jun 2021)

Tom72 said:


> Wow, can’t believe I gave mine away 😢



Sounds like @castle may be able to help you out with a replacement @Tom72 🙂


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## ceg4048 (18 Jun 2021)

Hi Tim,
            Yeah Dr. Axelrod was my hero as well. I used to read his books on the racks in the pet shops when I was a kid because I couldn't afford to buy them, haha. 
A shame what happened to him though. He was hiding out in South America and cannot return to USA because he was charged with federal tax evasion, which is a crime 100X more serious than Grand Theft, Auto. Really bizarre...

Cheers,


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## Tim Harrison (18 Jun 2021)

Similar tail to me. I had his books out of the library on permanent loan. I was always gutted when someone else put in a request for them and I wasn't able to renew them  

Yeah, he was a complex character, a self made man and very probably a polymath. I've read about his checkered history.  He was finally extradited to the US and spent 18 months in the clink for tax evasion. The US treasury discovered he'd funnelling $millions in to Swiss bank accounts over a 20 year period.

He was also a gifted musician and had a Stradivarius  collection worth $millions which he donated to the Smithsonian. But even that wasn't without controversy. There were accusations he'd invented backstories to improve the provenance and vastly inflate the price.  Which led to accusations that he'd also vastly inflated the value of TFH publications.

 Apparently, he could also be thoroughly unpleasant to deal with and very often ruthless, at least by some accounts. But that wouldn't have mattered to me even if I'd known at the time, he was simply doing what I grew up dreaming about; having epic adventures exploring the Amazon basin hunting for tropical fish. He had a massive influence on me, it's one of the reasons I became an ecologist, specialising in wetlands


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## Tim Harrison (18 Jun 2021)

In retrospect I thought this might be a good place for members to  post images of their favourite aquatic hobby books. So I've changed the tile of the thread accordingly in the hope it might spark discussion 

I'm a hopeless collector of books in general but have just started to collect those written by Dr Axelrod. I received another this morning, Aquarium Fishes of the World 1998.
It also has a pretty good plant section. The introduction  makes reference to Takashi Amano and shows one of his scapes...


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## castle (18 Jun 2021)

Humble, but this is my book shelf.









I'm very fussy about aquarium books so I think they have to be "very good", or different to be kept. I have some more behind them, and there is a box I need to sort through in my parents loft.


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## Tim Harrison (18 Jun 2021)

Nice collection and they all look in great condition. My copy of Nature Aquarium Complete Works is a bit worse for wear it's been looked through so many times.


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## castle (18 Jun 2021)

I'd love to get hold of books 1 and 2 of nature aquarium worlds.

I need to go back through all of my books, really. The Living Aquarium I've had since around 13/14 years of age, bought from Oxfam and that got me started with Vallis and Java Fern. Before this, I was neons, gravel and sticks..! I keep hold of it for sentimental reasons, but it's not bad. Walstad's book is an invaluable resource, but it's far too science for me - I could live without that book, I think. 

Amano's I've read through a lot, but I am hugely erratic with tanks he's created, either I adore or I do not like. They're big books too, so I mean I get them off the shelf when I have space! Labyrinth fish is just well written, but I wouldn't go out searching for it unless curious. Aqualogs are okay, they serve a purpose. Culturing Live Foods is indispensable, but actually this time of year I don't really reference it. Ornamental Fishes of India, this is a pretty darn good book - when scoping out inhabitants for specialist tanks of the past. Aquarium Plants, is probably one of my favourites; very useful. 

I just realised that shelf goes least read to most read!


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## Aqua360 (18 Jun 2021)

I like these, mostly for the great pictures to be honest lol, or when the bug bites for shrimp or scaping.


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## philljoynes (18 Jun 2021)

These are the books I currently have.  I have been trying to get a copy of Christel Kasselmann's Aquarium Plants.


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## castle (18 Jun 2021)

philljoynes said:


> These are the books I currently have.  I have been trying to get a copy of Christel Kasselmann's Aquarium Plants.



Aquarium Gardens have copies, I got mine from there and it’s also signed - which may or may not float y boat.


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## Paul27 (19 Jun 2021)

castle said:


> Aquarium Gardens have copies, I got mine from there and it’s also signed - which may or may not float y boat.


Do you have to pick this up in store?. Can't find it on there website.



philljoynes said:


> These are the books I currently have.  I have been trying to get a copy of Christel Kasselmann's Aquarium Plants.View attachment 170871


Opinion on origin of creation?


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## philljoynes (19 Jun 2021)

castle said:


> Aquarium Gardens have copies, I got mine from there and it’s also signed - which may or may not float y boat.


Thanks for the heads up!


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## PARAGUAY (19 Jun 2021)

Think in Axerods time as you will see in Sir David Attenboroughs documentary about him as a young man it was a lot more difficult to access the Amazon parts of Africa and Asia years ago . I have read some of Axelrods journeys were debatable when he was actually there. Anyway his contribution to the natural world is undeniable.


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## shangman (19 Jun 2021)

When I was a child my dad had quite a few books, since obvs that's how you learnt everything then, though sadly I think he chucked them years ago. I recently went to Aquarium Gardens and also got a signed copy of Christel's book. It's really fantastic, a great resource, and now I have a lot of beautiful plants on my list that I hope will pop up to collect over the next few years.

Since I'm quite new to the hobby I've been spending all my cash on stuff for the aquariums so that's the first book I've got so far, I'd love to get a nice collection of books to go with it. The book on my list which I really want is _Fishes of the Orinoco in the Wild _by Mikolji, which looks absolutely stunning.


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## Conort2 (19 Jun 2021)

shangman said:


> _Fishes of the Orinoco in the Wild _by Mikolji, which looks absolutely stunning


Great book, not the cheapest but definitely worth it for the quality of the photography.

Cant go wrong with any of the nature aquarium books either, however they do seem to be getting increasingly difficult to source.

cheers


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## mort (19 Jun 2021)

Not really got any recommendations as all my books were marine but it's just really nice to hear that people still love them. I live in the past where having a physical copy is the only way to go, I've been gifted a few downloaded books but I've never read them, there is something about just sitting there thumbing through a real book.


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## philljoynes (19 Jun 2021)

shangman said:


> Since I'm quite new to the hobby I've been spending all my cash on stuff for the aquariums


That is what is holding me back from buying more, the thought of a book or a set of Lilly pipes, etc.  Though the books help with the inspiration and education side 😃


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## philljoynes (20 Jun 2021)

So after seeing all these great books I compromised with myself and bought "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise" in kindle format. It is about 1/4 of the price of the hardback and I have an ebook reader so I think it will work.
A book like Aquarium Plants probably wouldn't work so well in digital format and I don't think you can get it in digital format either.


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## dw1305 (20 Jun 2021)

Hi all, 


mort said:


> few downloaded books but I've never read them


I like physical books, but as a download <"Rainbowfishes ~ Their Care & Keeping in Captivity Second Edition - 2011"> is a good-one.

cheers Darrel


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## philljoynes (20 Jun 2021)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I like physical books, but as a download <"Rainbowfishes ~ Their Care & Keeping in Captivity Second Edition - 2011"> is a good-one.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Thanks for the recommendation.


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## PARAGUAY (20 Jun 2021)

philljoynes said:


> That is what is holding me back from buying more, the thought of a book or a set of Lilly pipes, etc.  Though the books help with the inspiration and education side 😃


Jumble sales book fairs charity shops sometimes have books. Always worth a look


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## sparkyweasel (21 Jun 2021)

shangman said:


> The book on my list which I really want is _Fishes of the Orinoco in the Wild _by Mikolji, which looks absolutely stunning.


Yes, that looks amazing. If you sign up to Mikolji's newletter you might get a discount code. I think also if you follow him on social media.
He also has some great videos on YouTube (for those who didn't know).
Mikolji


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## Wookii (21 Jun 2021)

It is a beautiful book, one of a few I’ve bought over the past few months with my increasing Biotope scape obsession:


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## castle (21 Jun 2021)

I’ve got Bleher’s biotopes, I also recommend it 👍

Fishes of the Orinoco I’ve had on my list for sometime, but I’m not super fussed to go out and get it.


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## Conort2 (21 Jun 2021)

castle said:


> I’ve got Bleher’s biotopes, I also recommend it


Anyone know where this is available to purchase? Showing as available on Amazon, but is over a 100quid.


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## castle (21 Jun 2021)

Conort2 said:


> Anyone know where this is available to purchase? Showing as available on Amazon, but is over a 100quid.


RRP is around £100 iirc


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## sparkyweasel (21 Jun 2021)

Conort2 said:


> Anyone know where this is available to purchase? Showing as available on Amazon, but is over a 100quid.


A bit cheaper to buy it direct;
Heiko


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## Conort2 (22 Jun 2021)

castle said:


> RRP is around £100 iirc





sparkyweasel said:


> A bit cheaper to buy it direct;
> Heiko


Thanks guys, one to get once my aquarium is fully stocked I think. Would rather spend it on fish instead ha!

cheers


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## PARAGUAY (22 Jun 2021)

Conort2 said:


> Anyone know where this is available to purchase? Showing as available on Amazon, but is over a 100quid.


You find these price differences all over wrongly justified by the name. A good example is vinyl records say the Beatles  Doesnt matter that some copies out there in the millions the very iconic " Beatles" means sellers try to get as much as they can without rareity at all. See a bit similar with  Diana Walsteds book. Shop aroundvas Smokey said


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## philljoynes (22 Jun 2021)

sparkyweasel said:


> A bit cheaper to buy it direct;
> Heiko


There is/was a 10% code for Fathers day on his Instagram site: Code link


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## Maxplantinstitute (22 Jun 2021)

The "foundation"  of my aquarium literature is: "aquarium atlas" by Hans A. Baensch and Dr Rüdiger Riel.
Vol 1 is in Swedish, has a section on chemistry, equipment and plants.
Vol 2 is only available in German (I think).
Vol 3 and 4 is in English.
Not really in depth presentation of species but a great tool for trying to identify fish.


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## Maxplantinstitute (22 Jun 2021)

For anyone who want to learn more about fish I highly recommend reading: Fishes an introduction to ichthyology. By Peter B. Moyle and Joseph J. Czech, jr.
Books on ichthyology can by very heavy reading for a layman (like myself), but this book is toned down a bit when it comes to the technical language used. So it is much better for a "beginner" in that regard. 
It roughly consists of these parts: structure and form, systematics,genetics,evolution, a presentation of different types of fish,zoogeography, ecology and more. 
This book made me avare that the blood of fish is in direct contact with water through the gills. Think about it.  Whatever is in the water is also in the blood of fish.
I particularly find the section on evolution interesting.


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## Ady34 (29 Jun 2021)

Some books in this thread are on my list for sure.
Currently my collection isn’t huge and I have to admit some are still unread


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## Deano3 (30 Jun 2021)

Same as ady i have a small collection but havnt read all of them recently got sunken gardens on ebay for £7 so not read that yet, i have had to re purchase the ada books as had them then sold them  but i now have them back and wanting a few more, love the look of the aquarium plants book bu Christina kasselmann what i will buy eventually along with origin of creation but agree i love physical books. Here is my small collection and i will get round to them at some point.



Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## John q (30 Jun 2021)

A bit late to the party but here's my humble collection, which contains a good number of books already featured in this thread.


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## Driftless (30 Jun 2021)

My small collection.


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## Wolf6 (2 Sep 2021)

When I was an 80s kid and got my first tank early 90s, I also got an aquarium book with it that I loved. I recently found it again and thought id share some pages of nostalgia. Its in dutch, but I still love the drawings. Its by Hans Frey published in 1960, title 'aquariumhouden blahblahblahblah u ook' (roughly translates into 'you too can keep aquariums'). A few pictures of some of my favorite pages. Its fun to see how despite being ancient much still applies. Using nature as example above all.


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## Wolf6 (2 Sep 2021)

Oh and the (well worn) cover:


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## noodlesuk (2 Sep 2021)

Looks like a lovely book, the illustrations are gorgeous. It looks to be ahead of it's time, almost, guess it's showing you how to collect hardscape?

It's funny how things like this just take you back. I remember a Tropical fish encyclopaedia I had as a child, been trying to find a copy, but the front cover of that just takes me back to the wonder of fish keeping.


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## Wolf6 (2 Sep 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> Looks like a lovely book, the illustrations are gorgeous. It looks to be ahead of it's time, almost, guess it's showing you how to collect hardscape?
> 
> It's funny how things like this just take you back. I remember a Tropical fish encyclopaedia I had as a child, been trying to find a copy, but the front cover of that just takes me back to the wonder of fish keeping.


Yeah these pages detail collecting hardscape and what to avoid, planning the lay-out and plants etc. The encyclopaedia wouldn't happen to be this one?  Also found again recently  amazing drawings...


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## noodlesuk (4 Sep 2021)

Wolf6 said:


> Yeah these pages detail collecting hardscape and what to avoid, planning the lay-out and plants etc. The encyclopaedia wouldn't happen to be this one?  Also found again recently  amazing drawings...
> 
> View attachment 173817View attachment 173818


It was a large A4 sized book, think it was a UK publication, one day I'll find one!


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## Tim Harrison (4 Sep 2021)

Nice book @Wolf6, I might try and get hold of a copy. This was my bible growing up, and still is my favourite aquarist book of all time.  Similarly edited by a Dutchman. Way before it’s time and still very much relevant, even though it was first published in the 1970s. It lives up to its title more than any book I've come across before and since with, amongst other things, sections on plants, fish disease, aquascaping, and a comprehensive section on fish that’d be the envy of Seriously Fish.


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## DeepMetropolis (8 Sep 2021)

Mooi hoor die boeken!
The first one looks familiar I might have seen it as I started keeping fish in the 80's at you age and my mom worked in the library.


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## zozo (8 Sep 2021)

Wolf6 said:


> Oh and the (well worn) cover:
> View attachment 173816



What I like the most about that picture is the algae in the background... It was the most common welcome and decorative thing to see, there was no aquarium complete without it. Moss? I don't know if anybody knew about moss, decorative hardscape was all about aufwuchs and algae back then.  That's all we knew.


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## PARAGUAY (9 Sep 2021)

When I got first house in 80s there was aquarium shop locally very good In those times the shop was packed to the rafters on Saturday suppose not much flexible working then and the owner had quite a lot fascinated as he tied java moss to bogwood and one of the displays a little more than bogstandard plants and fish. It was full of crypts with a eye catching group of Congo Tetras . All pretty much not unusual now but then


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## Tim Harrison (27 Apr 2022)

Found this book in a local charity shop, The Oxford Book of Flowerless Plants. I spotted the title on the spine and thought it was intriguing. It was published in 1966 which perhaps explains it. It has the most amazing full colour plates.


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## PARAGUAY (27 Apr 2022)

Those Oxford books are really good . I have the Insects one  the colour page pictures showing a pond and everything there from the Dragonfly to the underwater caddis larva. Great resource. Nice find Tim


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## jasonjleach (27 Apr 2022)

, I have an axelrod book somewhere in the attic. I must go and find it! 

whats the best current book for plants?


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## zozo (27 Apr 2022)

That's amazing! I bet those colour plates were also published as Classroom/School posters...  These are even harder to find from that era, at least the original ones, some printshops offer replicas which are actually too brand new and on the wrong paper.

The originals obviously always end up in some retired scholars' study at home picked from the dusty attic of old school buildings.

Actually worth a pretty penny if you would find one from this era in good condition...


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## Tim Harrison (27 Apr 2022)

jasonjleach said:


> whats the best current book for plants?











						New Plant Expert
					

I know you'll join me in welcoming Christel Kasselmann (@Christel) to UKAPS. Christel is a recognised authority on aquatic plants and an enthusiastic aquarist.  Many of you will already know her as author of the superb book Aquarium Plants, a must for any plant enthusiast. There's now a revised...



					www.ukaps.org


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## The Miniaturist (27 Apr 2022)

I use dozens of books for my work, both with artwork & photographic images. You can't beat some of the older books for quality. Even the aquatics books have some nuggets of information which are still true today though a plant book from the 60s wouldn't have plants like buce or the modern hybrids of echinodorus etc. I shall definitely be putting The Oxford Book of Flowerless Plants on my 'wanted' list!


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## Tim Harrison (24 Aug 2022)

Took delivery of this today. It’s a bit battered but it’s 50 years old. Despite that though it has some nice colour plates both photos and drawings.
It also has sections on classification, identification and propagation. It’s relatively straightforward  and uncomplicated. Perhaps a reminder of simpler times.


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## Thea B (26 Aug 2022)

I got this book when I was in my early twenties and before that I didn't know aquascaping was a thing. I'd never seen an aquarium like it. I was obssessed. Now in my mid forties I'm finally making my own.




The photos are on glossy paper so it's hard to photograph but these were the two tanks that I loved the most.


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## zozo (26 Aug 2022)

Thea B said:


> View attachment 193298
> I got this book when I was in my early twenties and before that I didn't know aquascaping was a thing. I'd never seen an aquarium like it. I was obssessed. Now in my mid forties I'm finally making my own.
> 
> View attachment 193299
> ...



Now that's a nice international book!!  Japanese authors, translated into English and Dutch art painter Pieter Mondriaan on the cover...  
How did they come up with that idea? I never saw the connection... Aquarium - Cubism probably?


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## Thea B (26 Aug 2022)

zozo said:


> Now that's a nice international book!!  Japanese authors, translated into English and Dutch art painter Pieter Mondriaan on the cover...
> How did they come up with that idea? I never saw the connection... Aquarium - Cubism probably?


I suspect they were trying to make it feel "modern" and make it stand out from the normal aquarium books you got at the time. It must have worked because I was drawn to it in the fish shop and bought it 😄


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## Nont (26 Aug 2022)

How many pages are there? @Thea B
I saw this one on amazon a while ago for a really cheap price, and have been thinking about ordering this one since I’m into old nature aquascape.


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## Thea B (26 Aug 2022)

Nont said:


> How many pages are there? @Thea B
> I saw this one on amazon a while ago for a really cheap price, and have been thinking about ordering this one since I’m into old nature aquascape.


It's 128 pages so not a big thick book but it's got some really nice tanks and it details everything in them including a planting plan. It's interesting to see what has changed and what has stayed the same so if you see it for cheap It's worth getting. The photo's are well done. Each chapter is a different geographical area.


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## Tim Harrison (26 Aug 2022)

Thea B said:


> View attachment 193298
> I got this book when I was in my early twenties and before that I didn't know aquascaping was a thing. I'd never seen an aquarium like it. I was obssessed. Now in my mid forties I'm finally making my own.
> 
> View attachment 193299
> ...


Haha, that’s another of my recent purchases. I can recommend it @Nont and very responsibly priced too. A great little book with some great info and images.


zozo said:


> Now that's a nice international book!!  Japanese authors, translated into English and Dutch art painter Pieter Mondriaan on the cover...
> How did they come up with that idea? I never saw the connection... Aquarium - Cubism probably?


I was wondering about that too Marcel. I think you’re probably right and it is eye catching too @Thea B.


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## zozo (26 Aug 2022)

Tim Harrison said:


> Haha, that’s another of my recent purchases. I can recommend it @Nont and very responsibly priced too. A great little book with some great info and images.
> 
> I was wondering about that too Marcel. I think you’re probably right and it is eye catching too @Thea B.



Doing an ISBN search only reveals 2 translations, at least I assume the original edition is Japanese. That is English and Spanish, the latter has a dull light green cover.
There is definitively some psychological sales perspective behind that artistic cover... But why Mondriaan in the first place and why only for the English version that beats me totally, I actually never really knew that this painter had so much if any international fame.   Seamingly he did...


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## Tim Harrison (26 Aug 2022)

@zozo Yes Marcel he’s well known, at least in the UK.


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## John q (26 Aug 2022)

Here's my latest addition.




The books a bit dated but I still enjoy reading it. 
I think once you start buying these books it soon becomes addictive, and based on the feedback of the last couple of posts I've just ordered The Natural Aquarium at a bargin price of £3.24.


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## Tim Harrison (4 Sep 2022)

Always wanted a copy of this, but was expensive. Found it new at a very reasonable price. Great reference book with good quality images and straightforward info on taxonomy, breeding, lifecycle etc. At 1211 pages it’s a bit of a doorstop.


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## John q (4 Sep 2022)

Tim Harrison said:


> Found it new at a very reasonable price.


Upping the ante. Lol. Can't compete with that, but did secure some bargin basements.


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## Tim Harrison (4 Sep 2022)

Both great books 👍 In particular, I think Hiscock is totally underrated. His book on aquarium plants is worth watching out for too.


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## castle (4 Sep 2022)

My most recent additions, still waiting for a couple in the post. If you’d like some inside pictures let me know 👍













Aquarium plants is a lovely book. I read piranhas in the aquarium and it’s become one of my favourites, the author is so very passionate about them and it’s infectious! The book got me excited by them 😅

I’ve been after a big axelrod book for ages, and one popped up for 30£ on eBay and I thought why not. It’s so so good, but heavy. Obviously very out of date but still so many fish in it. Only criticism is that it has hundreds of pages decorated to colour morphs. 

I haven’t got much through any of the others, but I will in time.


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## John q (7 Sep 2022)

Getting earache off the Mrs now for buying yet another book.
"In 50 years these books will be worth something" I proclaim, "this is our daughters inheritance." Trust me she replies, they'll have gone in the skip long before then!





So far only had a quick flick through and stumbled on this nugget of info that I wasn't aware of, apparently the genus name Anubias is derived from Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife.


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## castle (7 Sep 2022)

I used to have that book, I can’t remember why, but I didn’t keep it 😅


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## Conort2 (10 Sep 2022)

Went and bought a copy as for 3.74 you can’t go wrong. It’s a quality book can’t believe it’s selling so cheap! 

Cheers


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## John q (13 Sep 2022)

So I've promised the wife and myself this is the last book for a while.

Didn't quite manage to get the 1935 1st edition of Exotic Aquarium Fishes, but did find a 1955 copy in decent condition and cheap. 












It really is a great insight in how fish keeping was all those years ago, one particular section on dealing with leaks using a handful of earth was most informative.


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## PARAGUAY (14 Sep 2022)

I suppose keeping fish in 1935 days would have been a could you afford it issue. A tank as a luxury and most people keeping them in anything available old biscuit barrels etc  l have heard the story of heaters broken glass and aquarists sealing them in old medicine bottles .Quite a risk !


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## Tim Harrison (14 Sep 2022)

John q said:


> Didn't quite manage to get the 1935 1st edition of Exotic Aquarium Fishes


You mean you didn't want to spring £235 for the costs of a first edition?  Me neither. If anyone else is after a copy make sure it's published by Innes Pub. Co, and is at least the 19th edition or earlier.  Later editions were printed by other publishers when Innes failed to renew the copyright, and are not as good.

Meanwhile, Dr Herbert Axelrod was up to his usual skulduggery and ignored Innes copyright and published a TFH version. Innes took him to court and won but was only awarded $1. However, after Innes didn't renew the copyright Dr H Axelrod dove straight back in and printed another version. Again neither are as good as the original.






						William T. Innes - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## GraemeVW (7 Nov 2022)

Picked this up at the weekend.
I have a liking for how things were done In the 1950s and 1960s.
This book even describes how to make a metal framed tank with glass, slate, and putty.
I've been tempted to build a metal framed tank for some time.




It has one suggested layout. Makes me want to plant it out!



Unfortunately, fish keeping equipment from before the 1960s, or even 1970s, seems pretty much extinct now apart from hi Flo pumps.

Unbelievably, this book looks to ha e cost the equivalent of £85 when new!


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## GraemeVW (8 Nov 2022)

Picked this lot up for £10 today, looks to be some nice books in here, along with a load of 1970s aquarist magazines!


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## Hanuman (8 Nov 2022)

For god sake who put that book at the bottom!?


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## Oldguy (8 Nov 2022)

GraemeVW said:


> Picked this lot up for £10 today, looks to be some nice books in here, along with a load of 1970s aquarist magazines!


Observers Book of Pond Life  by John Clegg is a good book. For a book aimed at kids  it has a pretty good identification key. It got me interested in all things aquatic.


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## dw1305 (8 Nov 2022)

Hi all,


Hanuman said:


> For god sake who put that book at the bottom!?


I don't know, but "_How be you bud_?" is an English (west country) greeting to a friend.

It might be quite good as an emergent plant? and who knows whether it might remain dwarfed and flower under an aquarium light?

Years ago we had a mature student who had worked professionally in the "horticultural industry" in the Netherlands and he first told me about light crawlers, using light wavelength to produce the crop you wanted  and aeroponics.

cheers Darrel


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## Tim Harrison (8 Nov 2022)

GraemeVW said:


> Picked this lot up for £10 today, looks to be some nice books in here, along with a load of 1970s aquarist magazines!View attachment 197457


Nice haul, I have some of those too. The Complete Aquarium Encyclopedia was my aquarium bible growing up and is referenced in A Brief and Incomplete History of Aquascaping. A great book and still very relevant.






						Best resources to learn from...
					

I really want to up my game this year and study everything I can about planted tanks. One thing in particular that gets me is plant names and pronunciation!   Can anyone recommend any good places to learn from? I watch a lot of youtube already mainly Goerge, Juris & MD. Any good books that...



					www.ukaps.org


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## John q (8 Nov 2022)

GraemeVW said:


> Picked this lot up for £10 today,


Now that's a bargin. Cheap as chips 😀


Hanuman said:


> For god sake who put that book at the bottom!?


Haha, had a copy of "Closet Cultivator" in the 90's, one of ED'S earlier books.


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## Witcher (8 Nov 2022)

Hanuman said:


> For god sake who put that book at the bottom!?


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## PARAGUAY (8 Nov 2022)

Oldguy said:


> Observers Book of Pond Life  by John Clegg is a good book. For a book aimed at kids  it has a pretty good identification key. It got me interested in all things aquatic.


That's a brilliant book had one years ago.  Think l also had the British Wild life one as well.


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## GraemeVW (14 Nov 2022)

Ok, not a book, but didn't know where else to show these. Couldn't resist these playing cards!


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## Garuf (14 Nov 2022)

I have Danish aquarium books in triplicate now that I buy every time I see them, the pictures are just so charming.


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## hypnogogia (14 Nov 2022)

These are my go to books. The last one ‘The Living Aquarium’ was published in 1979 and was my go to for many years. It’s still great for the basic ecology of aquariums and the nitrogen cycle etc.  The Aquarium  Atlas is published in 5 volumes and is very comprehensive.


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## Thea B (23 Nov 2022)

So on a related note I'm interested to see what people think of as their most valuable fish keeping book. If you had to buy one book to give as a gift to a new fishkeeper what would you choose? Would it be something practical or something inspiring or both?


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## hypnogogia (23 Nov 2022)

Thea B said:


> So on a related note I'm interested to see what people think of as their most valuable fish keeping book. If you had to buy one book to give as a gift to a new fishkeeper what would you choose? Would it be something practical or something inspiring or both?


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