The Aquarium Encyclopedia

The Aquarium Encyclopediais an invaluable reference for everyone involved in fish-keeping, from hobbyists who maintain a single home aquarium to professionals who manage large public aquaria. It is perhaps the most comprehensive work on the subject ever published. Its alphabetical entries span more than 600 pages and the text is augmented with over 1,000 illustrations, many in color. The book covers all aspects of the aquarium and of fish-keeping, including the natural history of fish, plants, and other forms of aquatic life. Entries encompass the history and basic principles of ichthyology in language that is fully accessible to the aquarium hobbyist. The various technical apparatus of freshwater and marine aquaria are described. The families and higher taxa of primarily aquatic vertebrates and the genera and species of thousands of freshwater and marine fish are covered with complete details of anatomy, physiology, embryology, and ethology. The Encyclopedia includes practical information on fish diseases, the rearing and feeding of fish, ecology, and water chemistry. The genera and species of the most important aquatic plants are also described in terms of their anatomy, physiology, pathology, and proper cultivation. And the other occupants of aquaria-the invertebrate and freshwater and marine animals-are given appropriate coverage through detailed descriptions of their biology. Entries are cross-referenced as a further aid for readers who want to explore the endlessly fascinating aquatic world by creating and nurturing balanced freshwater or marine environments in their homes. G?nther Sterba, who edited the original German edition of this book, is Professor of Zoology and Animal Physiology, Director of the Zoological Institute, and head of Research in Cell Biology and Regulation at the Karl-Marx University in Leipzig. Dick Mills, the supervisory editor for this English edition, has been a Council Member of the Federation of British Aquatic Societies for over ten years and is the author of three books and numerous articles on aquarium-keeping.