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No new information
I read the author's Website on this book and was convinced that it would be the next best thing to having a betta specialist in the family. Not so much. It's okay ... I'm a beginner enthusiast and am therefore hungry for knowledge, but this book didn't dive deep enough for me. That said, it is easy to read (I read the whole thing in one night), but I was left with unanswered questions (on topics like tank cleaning and tankmates). When I got to the end to find an ENTIRE CHAPTER dedicated to GRIEVING THE LOSS OF YOUR FISH ... please ... are you kidding me? Tell me about my fish ... don't pretend to be an expert on human emotions now, too.
In summary, it was good as a first-book purchase about bettas. It did not supplement my previous reading and I felt I'd wasted my money.
[Saturday, May 12, 2007]
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Great handbook for understanding Bettas
I liked this book quite a lot. I've had my betta for 6 months now and is doing really well. There are a lot of tips in this book to help take care of a betta. I would have liked a better understanding of how to treat the diseases that bettas get and greater understanding of how to identify them.
I recommend the book. I like that it was consolidated into one location. This book was far better than anything I found in my pet store.
[Wednesday, January 31, 2007]
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Way too expensive, no new info, save your money.
I have to say I was very disappointed in this book. I read it in less than an hour and got absolutely no new information than what I have already read on-line during my own research. And I would not call it "extensive research" either. I've only owned a betta for a couple of weeks. My first betta died in a matter of days (probably bought him with an illness) so this prompted me to research how to better care for my next betta. I researched on-line, bought a book about aquariums in general, and bought this book. My general aquarium book has been much more useful to me in how to set up and maintain an aquarium for my betta. (The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums)
As far as the problem/solution section of the book? Very specific problem descriptions with very, very general solutions. Especially, one solution to check the oxygen level in the water. Just exactly how is one to do that? Is there a kit? Test strip? What? No indication whatsoever on how to do some of these tests.
Aged water? Why? No other resource I have seen speaks of the necessity of aging water. This sound very, very impractical and unnecessary if you are trying to maintain a 10 gallon tank. It would be helpful if he can list the benefits of this practice vs. simply treating your tap water and using it immediately.
It was also very, very simply written, terrible use of grammar, and sounded more like a school paper, rather than an expertly written, researched, edited book. Save your money and spend a couple of minutes researching whatever specific questions you have regarding bettas. It is out there in abundance.
[Tuesday, January 30, 2007]
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