Best books for planted aquarium??

5100 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by DeLaFe, Sep 23, 2012

503aqua

Discussion Starter · Sep 19, 2012

Hey guys, this doesn't technically belong here but what the hey.. I am looking for a book or two with great in depth information on planted aquariums. Looking for the details and specifics! Please let me know what you think.

Been looking at Diana Walstad's Ecology of the Planted Aquarium? Any better suggestions or books you've read?

Thanks!

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

Slippryrock

· #2 · Sep 19, 2012

I have very little to compare it too but i have one book that is geared towards the "beginner" but has advanced content as well. Encyclopedia of Aquarium plants by Peter Hiscock. i find ivery useful however some of the equipment is not hobby standard. Example.. they recommend using a heated cable buried in the substrate. Not been able to find them retail. The book is layed out very nicely though. Also has a good quantity of species in the index but is missing a few. Some of the pics provided in the index of plants are not what I would call a good representation as the plants. They are arranged and superimposed on the white of the book page. There is a lot of plant science 101 in the beginning which is very useful.All in all though a great book. I reference it frequently
Hard cover about 200 pages.
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Aquarium-Plants-Peter-Hiscock/dp/0764155210
i also have an Amano book. Aquarium plant paradise. not a beginner book but great for inspiration and technical info.

See less See more

tetra73

· #3 · Sep 19, 2012

I hope there are more books too. I think many just started by learning as you go. I mean, many here have the basic knowledge about the nitrification process and etc. Dealing with algae and dosing, think this message board provides enough information. Yeah, substrate heating was all the rage some years, years ago. Not needed at all. When I was planning my tank, I thought about substrate heating too. Unfortunately, if substrate heating is crucial in a plant tank, you may expect many places (online) selling them.

AirstoND

· #4 · Sep 20, 2012

I recommend searching the local library with keywords such as aquarium plants, aquatic plants, or marginal pond plants if you're interested in riparium/vivarium/paludariums

503aqua

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 20, 2012

Hmm good info thanks guys, I'm more of an intermediate but new to planted talk

I will check out my local library. I heard good things from Diana walstads book. More of specific information on levels and so forth. I think a book will also be a good compliment to my living room vs a computer forum haha

pejerrey

· #6 · Sep 20, 2012

Well, I haven't found any book that has better info than what Tom Barr (plantbrain) shares here or even in more depth at "the Barrreport" website.

Higher Thinking

· #7 · Sep 20, 2012

One of the best books when it comes to aquatic plants is Aquarium Plants by Kasselmann. She also has a book called Planted Aqauriums but I don't have that one so I can't speak on its merit, but given Kasselmann's extreme knowledge I can only assume good things. The book costs about 65 bucks new tho

Diana

· #8 · Sep 20, 2012

Yes, get Diana Walstad's book. This one is not "how to aquascape". It is a wealth of information about the chemical processes that go on under water, in lakes and aquariums, presented in a way that is easy to understand. Then there are ideas about "How to apply this info to an aquarium". Easily the best of this sort of book, short of taking a limnology class.

Peter Hiscock and Chirstel Kasselmann are very knowledgeable, and can offer tons of info.
The Hiscock books that I have seem to be simply written, not too technical, more oriented along the lines of "To make the tank look like this... use these materials and install them this way".

I have seen the Amano books, and there is a lot of info in there, the ones with lots of pictures are very inspiring.

The Baensch Atlas series has some nice in depth plant info with many of the plants that we grow in our tanks. But each book has only some of the plants, so you would need to get all the books to see all the plants. Would be nice if the plant info was pulled out of the fish books and published in one volume. (Maybe it has by now, I have not looked in a long time)

For a good periodical, join the Aquatic Gardener organization and get their magazine.
www.aquatic-gardener.org

Then there is the web.
I think this site is one of the better ones. Plenty of members, so when you ask a question there are usually plenty of responses.
For some older info that is still valid have a look at
http://www.thekrib.com/
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/
For up to date info Tom Barr's site is good.

See less See more

TexasCichlid

· #9 · Sep 20, 2012

I learned everything I need to know about keeping planted aquariums from Tom Barr.

Higher Thinking

· #10 · Sep 20, 2012

TexasCichlid said:
I learned everything I need to know about keeping planted aquariums from Tom Barr.

Haha, such a true statement!

happi

· #11 · Sep 20, 2012

all you need to do is Google TOM BARR and you have all the information you need. if you want to learn about aqua scape then i would recommend watching videos of Takashi Amano

pejerrey

· #12 · Sep 20, 2012

TexasCichlid said:
I learned everything I need to know about keeping planted aquariums from Tom Barr.

Same here

tobystanton

· #13 · Sep 20, 2012

Dont go reading old aquarium books, they have so many wacky ideas that no one in the right mind would practice today.

A good way to get started is to do research on each individual component of your setup. Find out what people consider to have the best performance in each price value, and figure out why it works so well; do the same for livestock and plants.

503aqua

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 20, 2012

I've read a lot on tom barr and the amano tanks are amazing. How outdated could Diana's book be really? I'm fairly confident in tank keeping and think I've got a solid foundation to try with trial and error plus patience! Haha

Diana

· #15 · Sep 21, 2012

Diana Walstad's book is not out dated.

503aqua

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 21, 2012

I have just purchased it

thanks

DeLaFe

· #17 · Sep 23, 2012

The URL is actually:

www.aquatic-gardeners.org

Thanks! A great resource.

Alfred

Diana said:
Y
For a good periodical, join the Aquatic Gardener organization and get their magazine.
www.aquatic-gardener.org

Then there is the web.
I think this site is one of the better ones. Plenty of members, so when you ask a question there are usually plenty of responses.
For some older info that is still valid have a look at
http://www.thekrib.com/
http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/
For up to date info Tom Barr's site is good.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.