As part of our master plan for rearranging our daughter's room, we went shopping the other day for aquarium stuff. The Petco worker was actually surprisingly helpful and didn't try to sell us junk we didn't need (we did some research before going in so that we wouldn't get pressured). On our way out, he suggested this book as a good beginner's guide to starting up an aquarium. We almost put it back, but decided that it could be worth it, if only for the pictures of fish that Ellie could look at until we get the tank set up. It turned out to be a very good investment.
The book is arranged in four parts. Part One gives an overview of why so many beginners fail to keep fish, and how to avoid those pitfalls. We'll definitely take the advice to heart and try our best not to set ourselves up for failure. Part Two goes over the various parts you need for a tank, including a comprehensive review of filters and how to keep your fish alive in what could end up as a glass box with a bunch of fish poop. Part Three gives advice on setting up your tank, especially warning you to not just throw your fish in a tank and hope they make it. An aquarium is a delicate balance, and this part of the book does a good job explaining how to get that balance just right. Part Four finally goes into what kinds of fish are out there, and how to go about introducing them into your aquarium. You definitely need to read Part Four before setting the aquarium up, as your choice of fish can affect the initial setup of the aquarium.
I read the book pretty quickly over the weekend, after our trip to the pet store, and it's definitely worth the money if you're looking at getting started with your aquarium. It already saved us about $40 after we decided that we didn't need that expensive air pump after all. We're looking forward to setting the aquarium up over the next couple of weeks, and hopefully we'll have a happy school of tetras swimming around in there soon! ( )

This is a great author on the subject of tropical fish, and this is a great book on the subject. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to start keeping fish. ( )