The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs--now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly
A saltwater aquarium provides a soothing, ever-changing mini seascape of color and motion. But saltwater fish require a constant, controlled environment. How do you set up and maintain a tank and select the right fish from more than 12,000 varieties? How do you care for marine fish? This updated guide provides the facts and advice you need and includes:
* Info on choosing, equipping, and setting up your aquarium
* Pointers on choosing compatible fish for a community tank
* The scoop on the best (and worst) fish for beginners
* Guidance on maintaining your aquarium and keeping your fish healthy

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs--now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly
Known as the ""Siamese Fighting Fish,"" the beautiful Betta, with vivid colors and long fins (in males), has enchanting elegance and grace. Yet Bettas can fight and bite, so it's best to keep just one in a tank. This guide helps you with everything from preparing for your Betta to maintaining an environment where it will thrive. It covers:
* Setting up an interesting aquarium
* Plants for the Betta tank
* Choosing non-aggressive tankmates
* Maintaining a healthy tank and healthy fish
* Feeding your Betta
* Breeding your Betta

Keeping a Betta is the perfect introduction to keeping tropical fish, a relaxing, rewarding hobby everyone can enjoy.

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs.
Hermit crabs are social creatures, so most owners have several. They're easy to care for and fascinating to watch as they grow, molt, climb, dig, burrow, and crawl. They ""adopt"" shells that they carry on their back like a mobile home With colorful photos and helpful tips, this practical guide covers everything you need to know to get started, including:
* Choosing your hermit crabs
* Setting up an interesting crabitat with a warm, humid environment
* Essential equipment and supplies
* Handling, feeding, and misting your hermit crabs
* Providing extra shells so your critters can change shell ""housing"" as they grow

Discover intriguing ways to have fun with hermit crabs. They're truly low cost, low maintenance, captivating pets.

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs--now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly!
A freshwater aquarium offers an endlessly fascinating pageant of movement and color. But how do you set up a tank and select the right fish? And how do you maintain an aquarium to keep your fish happy and healthy? This updated guide delivers the answers, providing all the facts and advice you need, including:
* Tips on setting up and designing your aquarium
* An illustrated guide to popular tropical fish
* Pointers on selecting the right mix of fish
* The lowdown on maintaining your aquarium
* Guidance on keeping your fish healthy
* The scoop on how to breed your fish

Malachy Tallack has been passionate about fishing since he was young. Growing up in Shetland, with its myriad lochs, he and his brother would roam the island in search of trout, and in so doing discovered a sense of freedom, of wonder, and an abiding passion. But why is it that catching a fish - or simply contemplating catching a fish - can be so thrilling, so captivating? Why is it that time spent beside water can be imprinted so sharply in the memory? Why is it that what seems such a simple act - that of casting a line and hoping - can feel so rich in mystery? Illuminated by Water is Malachy's personal attempt to understand that freedom, and to trace the origins and sources of that sense of wonder. He shares the appeal of fishing, its intense joys and frustrations, the steadying effect it has both at water's edge and in the memory, and the contemplation of nature and landscape that comes with being an angler. He writes about fishing expeditions, from English canals and Scottish lochs to lakes in Canada and New Zealand, and he reflects on other aspects of angling, from its cultural significance and the emerging moral complexities to the intricacies of tying a fly. Beautifully written and hugely engaging, this book both articulates the inexplicable lure of the river and the endless desire to return to it, and illuminates a passion that has shaped the way so many see and think about the natural world.

Written by tropical fish experts with over 30 years experience, The Discus includes all the information a new fish keeper needs to begin this exciting hobby: how to select a tank; proper water conditions; nutrition; and breeding your own beautiful fish. Like all the titles in the Owner's Guide series, The Discus is filled with info-packed sidebars and striking color photos. This book helps make keeping Discus a fun and rewarding experience for the hobbyist.

Written by tropical fish experts with over 30 years experience, The Discus includes all the information a new fish keeper needs to begin this exciting hobby: how to select a tank; proper water conditions; nutrition; and breeding your own beautiful fish. Like all the titles in the Owner's Guide series, The Discus is filled with info-packed sidebars and striking color photos. This book helps make keeping Discus a fun and rewarding experience for the hobbyist.

The number of corals imported into the U.S. rose 249 percent between 1995 and 1996, an indication the coral reef hobby is booming. Concerned hobbyists have begun growing corals domestically so that people can enjoy reef tanks without destroying natural reefs. This book combines information on setting up and maintaining a reef, as well as ecological concerns.

The Cichlid: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish is the cichlid source for the freshwater aquarium hobbyist. Everything you need to know about cichlids is here, from choosing healthy fish to keeping them well fed. You'll get an analysis of the water conditions preferred by all the most popular members of the cichlid family and advice on how to provide your fish with conditions in which they will thrive. You'll also learn how to arrange the decor in your tank so that it is pleasing to both you and your fish, as well as how to select tankmates for your cichlids (with their aggressive tendencies, no simple matter). Written by an experienced fish-keeper, The Cichlid: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish, includes a wealth of information to help you understand your cichlid's behavior so that caring for your fish is all the more fun. With info-packed sidebars and stunning color photos, this is the cichlid book that hobbyists will most enjoy.

Freshwater Aquariums for the Novice or Experienced Aquarist, Freshwater Aquariums in Your Life covers setting up the tank, the ideal fish to keep in your community aquarium and how to keep your fish and aquarium in top condition through good care and regular maintenance. The practical, easy-to-use information tells you what you need to know so you can spend more time enjoying your aquarium. Freshwater Aquariums in Your Life includes a special chapter on the best and worst fish to keep in your aquarium. Beautiful professional photos take you into the world of the aquarium and its creatures. The info-packed sidebars and fun facts make caring for your aquarium easy and rewarding.

Everything the first time fish-keeper needs to know to set up a tank. Clear, easy-to-follow instructions help you create and develop your aquarium - whether it's coldwater, tropical or marine. Charts and tables show how to deal with ailments and diseases, and there's a guide to the most common fish. There are profiles of over 100 tropical, marine and coldwater fish, as well as plants and invertebrates.