Aquarium Plants (CompanionHouse Books) Essential Guide to Choosing, Planting, Feeding, Propagating, and Growing Fish Tank Plants with Expert Advice on Water Quality, Lighting, Substrates, and More

by Peter Hiscock

Aquarium Plants is overflowing with full-color photographs—over 300 in all—that bring the many beautiful plants in this book to life. Author Peter Hiscock, an expert in aquascaping and fish keeping, begins with an animated science lesson on how plants grow, giving readers a quick background that to help them improve their aquatic green thumbs. The text addresses such vital topics as water quality, use of substrates, choosing healthy plants, and planting techniques, offering aquarists all the information they need to know to establish a well-planted, vibrant aquarium. In the chapter on lighting, the author has provided lists of plants that thrive in low, moderate, bright, and very bright light and explains the differing effects of light on plants. Aquarium Plants offers essential information on feeding plants, propagating plants, keeping plants healthy and choosing fish. Creative aquarists will welcome the sections on designing the aquarium, using various elements of display, and creating a themed tank (such as an African theme or a cold or hard water aquarium).

The section “Popular Aquarium Plants” recommends specific plants for different areas of the aquarium, including background, foreground, midground, and floating plants. For each, the author offers dozens of options, all of which are represented by color photographs.

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

An overview, full of pictures and lists, that feels at times like a catalogue rather than a "how to" guide.

Had to check the publication date (2021) since the discussion on lighting does not mention LED lights, which have been mostly commonly used for some time. Instead the text talks about fluorescent fixtures, mercury vapour lights, and metal-halide.

This is a pretty book, well designed, but there is no index, and many of the lists have scientific names only. I don't think this book would be very useful for the average aquascaper.