richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (01/22/88)
In article <1079@iscuva.ISCS.COM> carlp@iscuva.ISCS.COM (Carl Paukstis) writes: >We had a 15-gallon setup when I was a youngster (20 years ago or so). I >remember little about it; I wan't primarily responsible for the upkeep. >I recently went to a pet store with my daughter (5 yrs. old), and she was >fascinated by the fish. I've started to get the bug. I'm sure many >things have changed since my boyhood. Yes, but curiously, fish seem to be no more expensive now than 20 years ago. Indeed marine fish are cheaper. >What size tank should I start with? I've been looking at a 29-gallon. Good choice. >The saltwater tanks are really pretty, but I understand there's a lot >of maintenance required. Also fairly expensive for a beginner like me. Yeah. Get a good grip on maintaining freshwater tanks first. >Any particular brands of filters/pumps very good or very bad? I like inside box filters, preferably the marineland or bubble up kind. >What sorts of fish are good for beginners? Cheap ones. >I'm a fair woorworker - shouldn't I build my own stand? No, I'd stay away from woor. I built a stand out of woor once and it collapsed trashing the tank. Woor is bad news. >How much maintenance time can I expect to spend per month? 1/2 to 1 hour once a week. >Is there a good magazine or two I could subscribe to? (addresses please) >Maybe a few months of "armchair" aquarium ownership would be good. FAMA and TFH. Sorry, dont have the addresses hand. I'm sure somebody will post them. (again :-) -- "...and before too long I might, see those flashing red lights" richard@gryphon.CTS.COM {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, philabs!cadovax, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (02/08/88)
In article <1143@inuxd.UUCP> padgett@inuxd.UUCP (Gary Padgett) writes: (somebody) wrote: >> >> I recommend finding a good basic book about fishkeeping and reading it >> several times. >> > >Suggestions? > The Innes book. "Exotic aquarium fishes" by william T Innes. (preferably the yellow meta frame edition, not the TFH version) An english book, a big one, about 20 years old called something like "Encyclopaedia of tropical fishes" by Derek Mcinnery (????) The above is one of the better books, but I've never seen it for sale anywhere; the library in my home town used to have it. Anything by Axelrod, take with a pinch of salt. Big books, with lots of text are usually better than the "how and why wonder book of tropical fishkeeping" or the "Know your bettas" which for me raised more questions than they answered. -- "It's too dark to put my legs in my munitions" richard@gryphon.CTS.COM {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, philabs!cadovax, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard
gerry@syntron.UUCP (G. Roderick Singleton) (02/08/88)
In article <2466@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: | >In article <1143@inuxd.UUCP> padgett@inuxd.UUCP (Gary Padgett) writes: | >(somebody) wrote: | >>> | >>> I recommend finding a good basic book about fishkeeping and reading it | >>> several times. | >>> | >> | >>Suggestions? | >> | > | >The Innes book. | > | >"Exotic aquarium fishes" by william T Innes. (preferably the yellow meta | >frame edition, not the TFH version) | > | >An english book, a big one, about 20 years old called something like | > | >"Encyclopaedia of tropical fishes" by Derek Mcinnery (????) | > | >The above is one of the better books, but I've never seen it for sale | >anywhere; the library in my home town used to have it. | > | >Anything by Axelrod, take with a pinch of salt. | > | >Big books, with lots of text are usually better than the "how and why | >wonder book of tropical fishkeeping" or the "Know your bettas" | >which for me raised more questions than they answered. | > | >-- | > "It's too dark to put my legs in my munitions" | > richard@gryphon.CTS.COM | > {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, philabs!cadovax, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard Good news! Mcinnery's book is still in print after more than 20 years. You can order it from: Albert Britnell Book Shop, 765 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The last time I needed a copy ( about 2 years ago ) it cost about Can$50, I can't estimate a price now. Britnell's is a rather special book shop dealing in current fare and exotica, such as, out-of-print books and first editions. Because of this their mail order responsiveness is extraordinary. Likely any other bookstore of similar international stature can supply the book as well. -- G. Roderick Singleton | "ALL animals are created equal, <gerry@syntron.uucp>, | BUT some animals are MORE equal or <gerry@geac.uucp>, | than others." a warning from or <gerry@eclectic.uucp> | "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (02/16/88)
In article <767@bucket.UUCP> patti@bucket.UUCP (Patti Beadles) writes: > >I have "Encyclopedia of Tropical Fishes" by Axelrod and Vorderwinkler >sitting next to me. I do *not* recommend it. In fact, I don't recommend >anything with the name Axelrod on the cover. Ah, Dr. Herb. The Marlin Perkins of the fish world. He's not a complete idiot, but it's *real* close. Most stuff with his name on it, esp. the older stuff is pure pap. The pictures were bad (I esp. like the on of his where he is photographing cardinal tetras (Cheirodon Axelrodi) by placing them in a tall narrow tank and using a piece of glass parallel to the front glass to press the fish against the front so they don't move. 'Cept he pressed a bit too mush, and it shows), the names were often wrong, for a guy that taught a course on fishkeeping at a University, he doesnt seem to know much. But, in his defense, He's been around a long time, knows a lot of people, HAS seemed to have learned something in the last 15 years, does great travelogue articles, and has finally learned to take good photos of fish. In fact his book on the subject is quite good. But, I'll have to admit, there have been times when I've read his stuff and just stood there in shock and muttered "asshole". Like the article in 67 (68 ?) TFH where he went to South Africa and talked to (white) South Africans in the hobby. He went on to say "apartheid may not be right, but it does work here". Yeah, right, Herb. That is probably the worst transgression I can remember of his since about '53 (no I'm not that old, I used to have a collection of TFH's from then till now, till my )*&#%&* parents sold them in a garage sale). So, take what he says with a grain of salt, but some of the stuff he says is worhwhile reading. Some of the other fish Herb has had named after him. Cheirodon Axelrodi - Cardinal Tetra Hyphessobyrcon Herbertaxelrodi - Black Neon Tetra. Symphysodon aquafasciata Axelrodi - green discus Chuco Axelrodi - Black cichlid There are quite a few others, but there are the biggies. Now, some of these like the Discus, he really did go on an expidition up the Amazon to find them. Others, like the black neon (I think it was th eblack neon) he had hundreds of Cardinals shipped to him and noticed a few odd looking fish. Pickled them in formaldehyde and had them identified. They were new to science, subsequently were described and in his honor, his name was assigned to them. This explains why his cohorts, some of whom have never left New Jersey have had fish named after them - Hyphessobrycon Proneki (Neal Pronek) or Hyphessobrycon Vordelwinkleri - both very boring non-descript fish that came in with a bunch of cardinals, looked "different" and turned out to be a new species. -- "He tried to do his best, but he could not" richard@gryphon.CTS.COM {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, rutgers!marque, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard
gary@grc.UUCP (Gary Sutcliffe) (02/16/88)
In article <2558@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: >But, in his defense, He's been around a long time, knows a lot of people <etc> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >Some of the other fish Herb has had named after him. >Cheirodon Axelrodi - Cardinal Tetra <etc> > >This explains why his cohorts, some of whom have never left New Jersey >have had fish named after them - Hyphessobrycon Proneki (Neal Pronek) or >Hyphessobrycon Vordelwinkleri - <etc> . That is the secret of getting an animal named after you - Know the right people. The person who first describes a new species to science has the honor of naming it. He just can't name it after himself. The person who describes it is not necessarily the one who discovers it. I once met a guy who was into the taxonomy of snails. He would use his vacations to take collecting trips to out of the way places (I met him in Africa). He would usually find about 5 new species each trip. When he got back, he would usually name them after his professors as a way to get brownie points :-) -- Gary Sutcliffe W9XT (414) 644-8700 GENROCO, Inc. Slinger, Wis. {ames, rutgers, harvard} uwvax!uwmcsd1!grc!gary Disclaimer (data compressed): "f+)Je\ ^_RMv9h|O |j8gELc=tAYw$pfs!1"