The Book
Of Coldwater Aquariums.
Alan Hartley left school with a
good general education and had a wide range of jobs before settling down to work
at the family garden center. For a while he was a bank clerk, lifeguard and then
sales representative , but it was fish keeping that was to fire his imagination.
He started his hobby by keeping fish in the reservoir at the garden centre and
soon started selling them from a small outdoor display area. After a couple of
years he erected a purpose built greenhouse to house the new department and
trade developed rapidly with little opposition. As the department grew he
installed an aquarium room and started selling tropical fish but soon found he
had more interest in fancy goldfish and other unusual coldwater fish.
Eventually his parents retired
and sold the garden center so he studied for the City And Guilds Certificate In
Pet Store Management which enabled him to get a license in his own name to run
an aquatic shop. He soon found a small garden center which wanted a fish
department and set up shop there.
As part of his advertising and
in an effort to promote his fish department he started to write articles for the
local free newspaper. Many of these were published in the pets column and caused
much local interest. The enthusiastic way in which they were received encouraged
him to edit them and compile them into this , The Book Of Coldwater Aquariums.
Children are often introduced
into the hobby of fish keeping with the gift of a bowl or a goldfish won at the
fair. If the fish survive for a short while the child's parents are often
pestered for a bigger tank and more fish. Sometimes the interest stems from
keeping tadpoles indoors to watch them grow and develop. Or it may be that you
yourself have a pond and you want some fish in the house for an interest in the
winter. You may decide to buy a large aquarium with lights and cabinet to house
it making it part of the house furnishings.
Whatever your reason for buying
a tank this book contains invaluable information on every aspect of keeping a
coldwater tank from making the initial choice and place to position it ,to
setting it up correctly and installing a filter. The book goes on to briefly
describe how a filter works and what happens if it isn't running properly.
Common diseases and their
treatment are dealt with, along with general fish care. There is also a useful
section describing some of the most popular aquarium plants that will survive in
a coldwater tank at room temperature. All the popular coldwater fish are
reviewed in detail along with information on their breeding habits. Some of the
less common fish are included also in an easily readable text. Towards the end
of the book is a light hearted look at some of the less well known facts about
goldfish and their habits.
The last chapter rounds off with
12 common problems which face newcomers to fish keeping along with simple
remedies.
The book is written from the
fish keepers point of view in a clear simple style which is informative without
being over technical. The text is clearly illustrated with dozens of photographs
and diagrams throughout.
Alan Hartley draws on 15 years
of experience in the aquatic trade and from dealing with the many and diverse
problems that customers have presented him with, to produce this book.
For details on how to buy this book click here