Month: June 2021

Subtitle of this book really makes me chuckle. It’s an old book, claiming to be a comprehenisve compilation of all the knowledge about fishes that previously was only to be found in academic journals so not really accessible to the common reader. So of interest, but of course somewhat dated. Like most books I’ve read about fish, it describes their body plan, physical functions, senses and lifestyle. Sounds basic but I did learn some things I hadn’t known before (or had forgotten). Things about how the fish senses function, details their scales can tell you, differences between what are considered primitive and or advanced species. (I rather liked this part: “while some of the fish-fancier’s favorites are in the advanced category, like the bettas, the gouramis, the scalares, and the rest of the cichlids, the majority rank lower in the scale: for characins, danios, barbs, guppies, swordtails and platies are all among the more primitive fish.” I have kept all the species/types mentioned- and the first three are literally my favorite aquarium fishes: bettas, paradise fish and angelfish. I always though my preference was due to the fact those three are among the predators- they are more intelligent and seem more aware of what goes on outside the aquarium- they look at you. Others just kind of flit around doing their own thing, more or less. Beautiful, yes. Intriguingly interactive, not really). Also liked seeing the very simplified diagram comparing brains- shark to fish to dog. The largest area in the shark brain was for smelling, in the fish brain for sight, in the dog brain for reasoning. Some of the more interesting breeding habits from several species are briefly noted- the male seahorse, mouth-brooding cichlids, bubble-nesting siamese fighting fish. There’s more extensive chapters on the trouts and salmonids, as a lot more study was done on those fish to increase efficiency of fishing industries. I found interesting the details about exactly why certain methods in trout hatcheries aren’t in the long run successful, or not worth the cost and effort. Trying to recall from that other book I read on trout, if this has changed much in the meantime. Probably. When this book shifts focus from straightforward information to things more applicable to real-life, it’s mostly about what sports fishermen would want to know, not aquarium keepers. Still I felt it was worth reading.

I actually quite enjoyed reading this book, but it’s not at all what it seems. Or what everyone else assumes it to be- most places I saw it listed online had for the description something along the lines of “a complete care guide for angelfishes” etc. Um, not really. It’s actually a collection of articles from early days of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, all on the subject of angelfish of course, published together in this book. Written by two prominent men in the hobby who early on studied, collected and bred angelfishes. Back in the days when tapwater was simply “aged” before using in the tank because dechlorinator wasn’t invented yet. When live foods were collected from ponds or raised regularly, because the only other thing you could feed your fish was scrapings of raw beef heart- flake not yet being manufactured. The first chapter jumps straight into a personal narrative about how Dr. Axelrod got his first pair of angelfish and started a breeding operation. Then there are chapters describing collecting trips to the Amazon and Rio Negro in Brazil, and another about a visit to a large fish farm in Singapore. All quite engaging and full of interesting little details. There’s a chapter on how different angelfish varieties were developed, and some details on the scientific names and identification of species which I kind of glossed over. Next a section on angelfish genetics, and finally one on how to choose good specimens, breed them and raise the fry. Ending is abrupt. Of interest for what it is, but I’d not really consider this a care manual. The photographs of different angelfish types are really good quality, considering how old the book is.