(© Mark Owen - 1995)
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The References
This is a discussion on Gambusia affinis and Heterandria formosa (both 'cool' tropicals)
and guppies (because they are known to some hobbyists as 'mosquito fish'). The author is a keen,
young aquarist who records his actual experiences of keeping these fish. My citation above spells
the author's surname as it was for the original article, but I wonder if it is in fact 'Adrian'.
This is the most modern book amongst those being reviewed on this page.
It describes itself as: "A complete digest for all aquarists. Features 600
aquarium fish and 100 aquatic plants in full colour. Condensed, concise, information
for every aquarist.". It is small, but heavy, and is printed on high quality paper
with an attractive dust jacket. The price tag was
weighty too, ending up at about the equivalent of $60 (US) when exported to the
opposite side of the world. I purchased it for use as a reference work to sort out for
myself the shambles that is aquarium fish nomenclature. It is ideal for this as it
has indexes which list species by common name, scientific name and synonym. But with
a 1991 publication date my copy is close the becoming out of date.
It has a useful bibliography and photographs which are nearly all clear, colourful,
side-on shots. The species descriptions, though sometimes losing a little in
translation from the German, are systematic and make interesting reading.
An article recording the practical experiments of an aquarist in keeping selected tropicals at cooler temperatures.
The author suggests 50° F (10° C) as being a quite acceptable minimum for the flagfish,
bloodfin (Aphyocharax rubripinnis), peppered catfish, white cloud mountain minnow, golden barb,
Texas cichlid and blind cave fish. He quotes 60° F for swordtails and angel fish, 65° F for neon tetras
and says that he found paradise fish to be 'coldwater fish'.
Dr George Cust describes a breeding experiment to confirm his suspicion that the leopard danio is
actually a 'sport' or colour variety of the zebra danio. He took one population of each and bred them to
check that they were pure strains. He then crossed them and found that there were the proportions of each
type amongst the fry that would be expected if the leopard danio was a recessive variety of the zebra danio.
The concludes that the "results from the crossings, which obey the classical laws of genetics, support
the hypothesis that the leopard danio is a recessive colour variant of Brachydanio rerio, the zebra danio".
This book, originally published in German, mentions a suggested minimum temperature for many species. It
includes meticulously drawn pen and ink diagrams and handpainted colour plates and so is of
interest to the fish artist. Though maybe seen as a trifle out of date these days
(Malawi cichlids, for instance, don't get a mention), this book was a classic
in its time and is still worth referring to. Frey gives a suggested minimum temperature
for most species which is useful.
Although primarily about coldwater fish and the importation of them into the UK, this article
gives a list of tropical fish suitable for cooler temperatures.
A detailed discussion of the virtues of this species, which the author describes as a "colourful bargain",
under the headings: Appearance, Behaviour, Living Conditions, Spawning, Conclusions.
The exact original publication date of this book is unknown but the author began
aquarium photography as early as 1905. Anyway it's another classic! The early black and white
photographs have been supplemented by more recent colour photographs by Dr Axelrod one of which
illustrates the new cover. It's a mine of information with a meaty,
detailed text; unlike many modern books which tend to be all colour plates and little information.
I saw this book on the shelf in an aquarist's shop recently (September, 1996), so it must still
be in print.
A detailed description of keeping and breeding this species.
A comprehensive and attractively illustrated article giving distribution maps, photographs of
many species and descriptions of their spawning behaviour.
This is a small, seemingly modest, beginner's book on aquarium keeping. Perhaps, a little dated now,
it's still crammed full of tips, some of which may interest the modern hobbyist. The author is an artist
who has liberally illustrated the book with pen and ink drawings of fish and diagrams of equipment. His
sketches of theromometers, for instance, give a clear idea of the models available in the era when he was writing.
The descriptions of live food cultivating setups are worth checking out, even if only for the intriguing drawing
of a fish head suspended in a jam jar for catching flies!
This book is not about fishkeeping but is a very comprehensive record
of the fish fauna of one country in the South Pacific; covering 27 native, 20 introduced
species and 6 marine 'wanderers'. It describes how livebearers, such as mollies and
swordtails, have been released into and thrive in thermal hot pools in the central
North Island districts which would otherwise be too cold for them. It also tells how
many introduced freshwater coarse and game fish are threatening native species, one of
which is portrayed on the front cover. 250 photographs
and numerous scientifically accurate rapidograph ink drawings are included.
A helpful and well written introduction to setting up a coldwater tank. Includes mention of
rice fish, white cloud minnows and paradise fish as coldwater fish.
The author describes his practical experience of keeping the following in a garden pond:
Cynolebias bellotti, C. nigripinnis, C. alexandri, C. whitei, C. constanciae, Pterolebias
longipinnis and P. peruensis. These were all summered in an outdoor pond with the
author checking the temperature in the autumn and removing the fish when it regularly fell
below 59° F. He says: "It didn't matter which species summered in the garden
pond- in every instance, I "harvested" magnificent fishes. The most astonishing thing was
the even the puniest fry, which I would never have kept to raise under aquarium culture
(for reasons of space) developed into handsome creatures when raised outdoors". This is an
intriguing article - a good read!
This once very expensive book was a classic in its day. It includes exquisitely printed
colour photographs which were some of the first of real quality in an English book on
tropical fish. It has breeding prescriptions for most common, and some rare, species. The
technical advice it gives is sound, the authors having been commercial breeders and
importers.
The 'uncommon killie' is the American Flagfish for which a distribution map is given together
with a record of the authors' experiences of keeping them.
A brief but interesting article recording the author's experiences of keeping and breeding
this fish and then subsequently losing the fry due to some guppies being placed in the tank!