Aquarium Book

[An Bollenessor]

Hi all,

 

to the best of my knowledge no general (saltwater) aquarium book is on the market. I am not talking a 'how to set up your tank' or fish/coral ID book, but a book with beautiful photos for inspiration and background on biology, technology, different types of aquariums (NPS, pico, coldwater etc), aquaculture vs wild caught, history, the aquarium 'scene' etc etc. On one hand I think there is a huge market for such a book (as it is such a big hobby), on the other hand internet forums and social media have a lot of info and people might not be in to books much anymore?

 

Any thoughts, would you be interested in such a book? I might write it!

 

cheers Mick

[seabass]

Sometimes it's hard to get a lot of feed back on a forum.  Writing a book is a big undertaking, and the rewards might not be as great as you'd hope.  But if this your passion and you're offering something unique, then go for it.

 

It's an aquarium book, that turns into a pico tank stand.

 

On 4/12/2019 at 6:14 PM, An Bollenessor said:

internet forums and social media have a lot of info and people might not be in to books much anymore?

Certainly true for a segment of the population.

 

[An Bollenessor]

thanks Seabass, it is a tricky one! (the lack of enthusiastic responses is not encouraging in any case!) cheers mick

[Ratvan]

In all honesty I would prefer the book and with today's technology could also be published as an ebook. 

 

One of the most fun parts of the hobby for me is aquascaping, I tend to see a lot of the same things repeated time and time again. While obviously some things work and are worth repeating there are only so many "island scapes" that I can build before I start thinking of "floating reefs", "avatar scapes" and other out there themes. I'd want more of these in the book. I mean @ChristopherDidohas set up an amazing theme in the pico contest, check that out if you'd like.

 

Social media is difficult because of the tendency to only report on the good and ignore or cover up the bad. Also a lot of varying opinions about care, maintenance, even ethics of fish keeping. With added pressure of livestock involved. I think an honest view of what will happen to a tank would be great as well

[ChristopherDido]

@Ratvan thanks for the compliment, really hoping I can pull it off! 

I'm honestly not sure what I think of something like a book for the purpose you seem to be thinking. I only say this because as of right now, as said above, there is not a lot of agreement on things and the hobby is changing so fast right now as technology expands. I've only been in the hobby a little over two years and I've already seen practices change. 

In any event if you're really passionate about the idea go for it! Good luck!

[An Bollenessor]

Thanks @ChristopherDido and @Ratvan,

 

social media (instagram), forums (especially good ones like this one with TOTM features) and magazines (Practical Fishkeeping in the UK is very good) have loads of info, but somehow there seems to be a gap for a proper book. Marine + Fresh would probably be the way to go, even though they are quite separate scenes.....

 

I will keep on mulling this over!

 

cheers, Mick

[Javier Torres]

Sorry to bring up a rather old topic, but I have been looking for a similar book for a long time. How are you doing with writing it? I love literature and reading, which helps me to feel better morally and find for myself a lot of answers to a variety of questions. Lately I have been reading a lot of literature that deals with persistence. I learned about these books on the site https://samploon.com/free-essays/perseverance/ For example, Langston Hughes' poem "From mother to son" depicts the persistence of a mother in an effort to encourage her beloved son to continue climbing and never look back to achieve success in life. She begins by advising him not to give up and face any difficulties, despite any obstacles.

[filefishfinatic]

avant garde aquarist and saltwater aquarium models, macmillan book of marine aquairum, concise guide to marine aquarium.

[filefishfinatic]

id get a book becauase i like the feel of books but i dont think speaking in trade names and things is good for a book because generally books are meant for more consice things imo. i think the best kind of aquarium book is one like saltwater aquarium models because it talks about lots of different types of tanks with stock lists you can do. macmillan book is basically a index of lots of different species of coral, fish, inverts, cw, species to avoid, and general setup guides. even though it was setup in the 90s i feel its quite relevant but alaso a snapshot of the past. i learned some intresting aquarium design techniques such as coral skeletons and seashells in tanks to make it look more intresting. 

[Babs21]

Hey! I liked Ratvan’s comment- he had lots of points I was thinking about. As a “newbie” I liked the concept you threw out there - I’d likely purchase it. I’m fond of actual books vs ebooks but I can see a need for both.

Just some extra thoughts: 

1) this is a small sample of folks replying in a forum- I’d pursue your passion if only to contribute to your own personal growth, and to help those who will love what you produce… also,

 

2) the forum folks might not be your target audience (sure some, like me, might like the idea) but I’ve found many people use forums for quick tips and quick guidance and for progression updates on projects similar to theirs. Forums for SURE have their place, but they might not be the primary target audience for your book - so I wouldn’t allow it to hold you back from a great idea.

 

3) PR activities could contribute to a book’s sales - and make the final result vary greatly - consider how you might get it out there to the masses.

 

4) What audience you’re targeting? Is it a timeless piece of content that’s maybe perfect for a “coffee table book”? I saw seabass’s gif (lol) but there ARE a lot of folks who like beautiful images of creativity to sit out to look at for inspiration - and aquarium scapes can surely provide that. Or is it meant to be a timely piece that will need to be republished over the years with new technologies and innovation that will surely come forth? Or is it a book series that addresses the various gaps (that you’ve identified) of information or visuals that are not easily available? 

 

In any case, I think it has potential - I’ll be curious to see what you decide. 🙂. 

Good luck!