[.ca] Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants (ISBN 0764155210)

The Best Aquarium Book I Own:
When I picked up this book for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Finally, an aquarium plant book that is concise, easy to read and laid out in an attractive manner. This book is divided into two parts: the "practical section" and the "plant profiles". The practical section, 121 pages, covers aquatic plants and how to care for them. Selection of substrate, proper lighting and nutrition, ideal water quality, and algae identification/control are all covered in this section. The author also includes some plant-friendly fish and sample aquascapes. The plant profile section is probably why this is called the "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants." This 75-page section lists many, many plants along with a brief profile on each type. Profiles include: growth rate, lighting and temperature requirements, propagation, and special notes about that particular plant. I can't say enough about the number of pictures in this book and their quality. Full-color pictures on each page really help you identify what the author is talking about. Layout of the photos is anything but mundane; each page is different from the last. Even the index of this book is tremendously useful. It is divided into three sections: General Index, Plant Index and Fish Index. Having the three distinct sections to the index makes it easy to pick the book up off the shelf and find what you're looking for. I've even taken this book right to the pet store to select my plants...there's too much information to remember! I also feel inclined to note that this book has a glossy, durable, hard cover, and the pages appear to be bound to the cover by stitching. I can open the book to any page and not have to worry about the pages flipping around when I'm not holding or weighing them down. Overall, the information, photos, layout and general quality of this book make it the best aquarium book I own!

Good Book:
The best introductory planted aquarium manual in existence. Covers most commonly available plants, their care, and their uses. Not much here on design or aesthetics, but then the author never intended to address these issues.

good for beginers; but lacks sustanince for more advanced:
best aquarium planted book i know of for beginers! adresses many important topics in clear, easy to understand fasion. it also has a great varaity of common aquatic plants as well as terestrial plants sold as aquarium plants- these usualy parish in aquariums. it is published in the united kingdom so many things are slightly differant (substrate and lighting in perticular) than in the US and canada; however, this is easy to over come and dosnt take away at all from the book. although great for beginers, it dosnt realy have enough meat to satisfy the needs of advanced aquatic gardeners. the plant selection, although vary good lacks less common and hard-to-find plants.

Handy Reference:
Great book, a very handy reference. Includes information on specific plant species, how to properly plant and prune, lighting requirements and other helpful information.

Better Than Most:
Many of the plant aquarium books readily available are either pamphlets or gorgeous books to dream over. Each has its merits, but this book is headed in the right direction. The balance between fish and plants is a delicate matter and one that should not be taken lightly. There is a lot to be learned and this book is a great place to start. There are a lot of easy to understand color graphics which show how plants and fish need to interact for your aquarium to thrive. The explanation of how water chemistry changes at night is most valuable. The listing of plants in the back is more of a sampling than a true encyclopedia. I hope a version of this book comes out with just a listing of plant species!