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PocketExpert Guide Marine Fishes by Scott W. Michael
Searched PocketExpert Guide Marine Fishes by Scott W. Michael in Reviews
You really do NEED this book 
| Comments |
This book, and Dr. Ron Shimek's "PocketExpert Guide to Marine Invertebrates" are two books every aquarist needs, even those who have been in the hobby for a while. Not only is it a good reference book to have when you go to the fish store to buy, but it's just well done and interesting to read any time. I take it into the bathroom (I know, you didn't need to know that) and just read it to learn about fish, what their needs are, which ones are easy to care for and which ones are difficult, what part of the tank they live in and what they eat. All this information is contained in this book on 500 different species.
For me, the information in the book, and the convenient way it's laid out leaves me with no question as to if a particular fish is one for me or not.
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| Liked about it |
1. Contains the major species you will be interested in
2. Information is concise and rated to let you know the difficulty of each fish
3. Small size means you can take it with you to the store, while you're waiting at the dentist, whatever
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| Didn't like |
1. The binding will eventually come apart with use
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
 By tcamos Jun 17, 2010
Last updated: September 21, 2010
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worth every penny.....a must have
| Comments |
I have purchased this book twice through out the years. It has a very detailed description of over 500 species of fish. It is small and very convenient to carry in your pocket to your local pet store. I like taking it so if there is ever a sale going on I can look them up and see what requirements the specific fish has. It also rates every fish 1-5 with the hardiness/difficulty of care for each fish.
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| Liked about it |
I like that it is small and detailed. After reading it over and over, it has found its way in my glove box because you never know when you will stop by a pet store.
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| Didn't like |
There is absolutely nothing that I can complain about this book. I liked it so much that I also purchased the Marine Invertebrates book by the same company.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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great for a quick reference
| Comments |
this is one of the first books you should purchase. it is well organized, easy to take with you to the local fish store on a shopping excursion. it isn't an exhaustive resource so you will find fish in the store that aren't in the book, but it will have more than 90% of what you'll find in the store.
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| Liked about it |
inexpensive resource
well organized
easy to use, great pictures, good husbandry info
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| Didn't like |
not a complete resource, but it's very very good
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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A must have investment
| Comments |
This was a lot more detailed than expected for the 20 bucks I paid. It tells everything you need to know right down to feeding habbits and difficulty of raising.It tells you compatibility issues with other members of your tank to make sure they get along. Will tell you if a fish is venomous, which could be very handy to know if you have children that like to put their hands in the tank.
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| Liked about it |
First I liked it was small so it is easy to carry. I loved the fact of detailed pictures of each species. And I liked the background information of each species. For example it comes from pacific seas, or alantic etc. This book makes it so easy to look up information if you were at the pet store and you're thinking will this fish be harmful for my other fish and.or corals.
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| Didn't like |
It could use a little better binding but that is my only complaint.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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The best book
| Comments |
This book is amazing i use it all the time when i go to a LFS. it has all the relevant information plus more and is excellent for figuring out what a fish is called and how to keep them.
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| Liked about it |
the book goes above and beyond all other marine fish books and has most fish in it. all of the information is accurate and wonderful for selecting fish that will do well together.
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| Didn't like |
there is nothing bad about this book it is a must have for any marine aquarist and the price is very reasonable
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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A must-have--period.
| Comments |
This book is the "bible quick-reference" if you are a newbie to the reef world. There are reviews regarding what size tank for each species and individual inhabitant as well as a detailed synopsis regarding the general environment these animals are found in. As mentioned before, when starting in the hobby, this is a great book as well as a perfect size to take along with you to help or help avoid those impulse buys. Excellent reference for deciding what species you want in a tank overall *before* just buying what is "pretty". Topics outlined are: tank size; aquarist level required to keep the fish; temperament; normal region found in the ocean (excellent resource if you are a diver and thinking of making a few vacation dives); feeding tips; reef tank suitability; care.
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| Liked about it |
Very detailed; easily indexed; excellent pictures.
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| Didn't like |
Very well thought out book. Nothing that I have found which I wish were different.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Favorite Reference
| General |
This book sits next to me at my computer all the time. I frequently reference it for information when helping people and definitely when doing research for a new purchase. I'd have to recommend this book for just about any level of hobbyist, but personally I'd recommend adding 1 tank size for most species. |
| Liked about it |
This book breaks down the fish well in their families. Info on feeding is generally very helpful and quite accurate. Also, giving geographic regions where the fish can be found is a nice detail.
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| Didn't like |
I find that the minimum tank sizes are often about one size too small. Often, the only thing taken into consideration is size when these recommendations are made.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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A neat handbook
| General |
This book is a great resource for either beginners who have not had much of experience keeping fishes, or for experts who want to have hard-to-keep species. |
| Liked about it |
great to have it around the house in case you want to look up general information about the specific type of fish such as: reef safe or not, aggressive or peaceful, food type, feeding interval, what other species should or should not be kept together, etc.
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| Didn't like |
It's not as necessary after a while because by then you would be most likely to be familiar and know how to deal with most of the fishes. Not all the same fishes would act the same therefore the book is not always 100% correct. Experience will teach you better than reading books in this case IMO.
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| Overall rating: |
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3.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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3.0 |
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Amazing fish book
| Comments |
This is the first item I have bought because of reading the reviews on this site. Very good book with an amazing amount of information.
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| Liked about it |
Worth the price.
Lots of fish.
Even more detailed info.
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| Didn't like |
nothing, great book
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Worth the money
| Comments |
This book was my first fish book, if you could laminate this book you would. I call this book the fish bible.
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| Liked about it |
every fish you could think of is there, general info and genus names makes navigation superb, the rating system is very helpful.brilliant color photos.
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| Didn't like |
The only thing cant be helped make it waterproof,.....just kidding
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Must have
| Comments |
This book will save you a lot of money and trouble when you are picking fish for your tank
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| Liked about it |
Great pictures
Informative text
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| Didn't like |
Have used this book for years and cant find anything wrong in it.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.5 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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good
| Comments |
really good to find quick information about fish and compatibility with other fish that you all ready have.
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| Liked about it |
like all the information it gives
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| Didn't like |
nothing.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Great book
| General |
A great book to determine what fish is compatable in your tank. How to care for them and how difficult they are to keep. Very easy to locate what page you need in the book. A must have. |
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Helpful
| General |
I been in the hobby for many years and I still keep this on my desk. I used to take it to the LFS to "double" check what the sales person was telling me. I have had people borrow this book for what it offers. Great book for any one starting in the Saltwater hobby. |
| Liked about it |
Gave very Detailed information one alot of different fish in a pocket size book
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| Didn't like |
Seemed to be a lot of fish that the normal fish keeper would not buy.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Good Little Pocket Book
| General |
This was another book that I would take to the LFS (local fish store) when I was a newbie and found it kept me out of trouble several times. Mostly when a sales person was trying to talk me into something that wouldn't be a good addition to my tank. Also good for checking the knowledge of the people "helping" you at the LFS. |
| Liked about it |
Good practial information
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| Didn't like |
Some of the rare fish shold be left out to make room for more common species that were not included.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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4.0 |
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great book
| General |
this book is great for hobbiest to look up a fish before they make a bad purchase. |
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Little Book, Big Help
| General |
This book was one of the first thing recommened to me when I started in this hobby. It is a big help when thinking about stocking my tank. Or when faced with an "impulse buy". There has been more than once where I grabbed a copy off of the shelf to look up some info on a particular fish. |
| Liked about it |
Lots of pictures
lots of fish covered
quick descriptions give plenty of info
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Great book
| General |
overall a good starting point for learning fish and checking sales people info for accuacy |
| Liked about it |
Small size - easy to take to the LFS, easy to read - a good starting point for reasearching tank inhabitants
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| Didn't like |
Missing quite a few popular fish - some of the rarer fish in the trade could be left out and more popular captive reef fish featured
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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Good Overall Book of the Common Species
| General |
Good book to keep around. |
| Liked about it |
The book provides a overview of the majority of the species of fish that someone will come into contact with for a LFS as well as a general overview of how to care for them. I think its a good book to keep around especially when trying to decide what species to include in a FOWLR or reef.
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| Didn't like |
Would like an expanded version.
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| Overall rating: |
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5.0 |
| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
| Would consider buying it again: |
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5.0 |
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internal use: spec433
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