Puffer Fish as Pets. Freshwater Puffer Fish Facts, Care, Information, Food, Poisoning, Aquarium, Diseases, All Included. the Must Have Guide for All P Paperback – 5 Mar. 2013

this book was really good , it gave so much info on how to keep puffer fish , this was a fab book for the first time puffer keeper

Good book

Its pretty good it's more of a general guide with a few snippets for individual fish. If you have kept any form of puffers before then it won't be of help. If you are looking for your first puffing friends then it's worth the read for sure

Very good

Was very helpful in the decision to start a puffer tank, in it's setup, and it's maintainance.

I was so disappointed in this book, I had wanted a good book on puffers for so long and I usually really enjoy Mr. Lang, but this was really not a good book. It felt like it was written in a day and some of the advice on keeping puffers was wrong! Look online for info on keeping puffers, go to forums and such. For such an absolute amazing family of fish to keep, they deserve better than this.

I was really looking forward to this book, as not many books are dedicated specifically to pufferfish. Before you buy this book I strongly advise that you read the following:The book has 2 illustrations, and I think they're the same ones used on the cover, and they're essentially useless.Next, this book is as vague as it can possibly be, extremely disjointed, and lacks any true information you're looking for.- Vague evidence: "Once you have everything washed, it is time to start setting up your tank. That is not something I can really guide you through. Read the instructions on any equipment that you have, and install it as directed. (Page 62)".- Disjointed evidence: On page 71, Elliot begins to describe the equipment needed to set up a tank, and on page 62 he said to just read directions. More evidence of disjointed thoughts: "As mentioned in the last chapter, pufferfish have very expressive faces." (Page 45) As I mentioned, the ambush...". (Page 89) "I already touched on this but make sure that...". It really does not end folks. Also, see below about how information in many places in the book is copy and pasted throughout the book.- Lacking information evidence: The book does not mention in the pufferfish anatomy section that puffers have ears, and that they can hear. My pufferfish comes to me when I call his name. He can hear my keys when I open my door, and he'll be up in his "lookout tower" awaiting me entrance, haha.- Lacking information evidence: If you have a figure 8 puffer like me, all you'll learn about your specific fish from this book is its wonderful colorations and patterns, tank type, minimum tank size, tank pH needs, salt levels (specific gravity range), temperature, fish personality (aggressive or not), lifespan (10 years), diet (carnivore, herbivore, no further information), size, and ease of care (difficult, medium). Sadly, all of that information is available online.Moreover, I hope. You like. Short, choppy sentences. Because, that's. How he writes. Evidence: (Page 71) "A 50-gallon tank should not have a filter for a 20-gallon tank. In addition, make sure that you use two filters in your tank. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, your tank will be cleaner. Secondly, you will always have a backup filter running if one fails." (Page 70) "The substrate should be rocks." The book is filled with them, so enjoy.COPY & PASTING: Page 58 and 78: Sections "Thermometer", "Substrate", "Lid", and many other sections, are copied and pasted information same on each page. I kid you not. If you own this book, please, look. More copy and pasting: Page 84 and 85 are IDENTICAL to pages 86 and 87. I kid you not. On page 84 Elliot is discussing fish that can sustain the brackish water environment, and flip the page and he's discussing fish that pair well with brackish water puffers. Lol. Kid you not!! There are many other full paragraphs and sentences that are identical throughout the book. None of them tell you more than what you already know.Lastly, Elliot uses tap water, and he gets a ding as a fishkeeper if you use tap water in my opinion. I suppose the chemical composition of tap water is not the same around the Nation, and perhaps in Elliot's area tap water is pristine - but in my area our tap water is mostly chloramines with some water molecules. I'm not sure why he tells his readers it's okay to use tap water, or use chemicals to treat the chemical laiden tap water, or to treat it by letting the water sit out. Second ding: Elliot also instructs his readers to cycle aquariums by putting fish in there and when they die or look disheveled, you'll know the tank has moved into progressive stages of cycling. Really? I've got a tank cycling right now, with a nice colony of nitrosomonas and I'm now awaiting my nitrobacter (all words you will not find in Elliot's book). Nothing is dying or looking disheveled in my aquarium. Third ding: Elliot used this book as a means to push vendors products, and in many places he tells you specific brands of items to buy - I'm sure that came with a cash kickback?And finally, the book has a legal disclaimer to guard Elliot and his publisher from any angry ex-pufferfish owners, who's fish die when the owner sedated his/her fish with MS-222 and filed the fishes teeth with cuticle cutters. To see this ludicrous suggested practice, with directions on how to pin your half dead fish down to the bottom of a quarantine aquarium while you pok and prod your fish, see page 100. Elliot suggests you work quick though. I feed my puffer shelled foods, and he's doing fine, inquisitive and personable, and enjoying his non-tap water filled aquarium.

It is nice to have information for puffer fish in one place, but my personal opinion of the book is that the quality information in it could have been summed up in five to ten pages. The book feels like it is written for third graders and numerous paragraphs are repeated word for word in separate sections. It's probably the first edition of the book, but the spelling and grammar errors also bothered me. The only section I feel made the book worth anything is the part on fish disease and treatment. I had done lots of research on puffer fish on various puffer boards online, so I learned next to nothing new from this book, but if you are not inclined to search the web, you may appreciate this book more than me.

I haven't finished it but the book is four years old so some of the info is a bit outdated or at least strongly debated. It does have solid basics and insight to puffers in general that I enjoyed. I'd say if you are thinking about getting puffers or are new to them it's not a bad read at a reasonable price, but look to publication subscriptions or public forums for the most up to date info.