Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise

I'm not new to plants but I'm pretty new to aquariums, and you don't know what you don't know, so I was really interested in getting this book to find out what I SHOULD know, and what I should be paying attention to. The "Carbon" chapter got too technical for me, 9EDIT: I went back and read it at the end, and after everything else, it made more sense) but most of the rest of the book had a ton of really good info that I really found useful. The actual instructions for setting up a tank come at the very end of the book, so it's reasonable to read that first, then read through the whole book to get an understanding of why. But the whole book does have a ton of relevant information, and it gets through it efficiently and explains it in a practical manner, so I found it very interesting to read even though I don't really know chemistry.

If it's a Natural Aquarium you plan ... then, this book provides useful information. Much of it is technical ... though I've found it very helpful in approach and things to avoid.

One of the best books I've ever read. This book is for the professional aquarist; it is certainly not for the beginner who wants book with more photos and less text. It has a very interesting and well-written chapter about the nitrogen cycle in the aquarium. The chapter includes chemical equations and tips; it includes information I've not read about in many other books. This is a serious book. Few of the subjects are: allelophaty between aquatic plants, plants as water purifiers, the bacteria in the aquarium, carbon (water alkalinity, pH, CO2, bicarbonate use, sediment CO2 uptake) and much more. As a student I found this book to be very professional, scientific, and interesting, I used this book when I had a test, and also when I had to write a work about water purifiers. As I said, it is one of the most rare kinds of books, and I recommend every person whom the hobby for him is not just 40 cm aquarium with plastic plants, to order it. It is a must have book.

I don't write reviews usually because I have better things to do and most products accomplish their purpose simply to par, but after reading this I feel like Diana Walstad should be heading the EPA. This book is irritatingly long yet succinct, annoyingly thorough, with meticulous references for every piece of information presented. If you own a fish or fishes, there should be a law forcing you to read this book. Now if only a book existed for dog owners we would be in business. There is too much to even paraphrase but if you have a pond, a fish tank, a planted tank, or if you fish actively (I hold IGFA all tackle-world records and this book gave me some incredible trout insights), this book is a must. Don't be cheap about its price, I paid $30, had I known what I was getting I would have gladly paid $100+. Anyone who wrote a negative review on this book was in special education classes during their schooling and currently works at the Post Office.

So far this is a good read. I do enjoy the detail the book goes into to justify something I am currently doing a live experiment on, but I do question the actual engineering standpoint of the book. Ms. Walstad has gone to college level chemistry and biology lengths to explain processes that previously were basically explained by 'magic' and from the view of a technical proofing she makes awesome claims then backs them up with tried and true science. While the book from this level is as rock solid (or should I say water tight?) it does leave the average reader with little more than a gentle (ish.. brush up on some of those college books you got in your first 2 years!) tour through reactions between plants, fish, soil, minerals, and bacteria. It is up to you the reader to graduate and use this in applied understanding. TL:DR Read the book to understand what is going on in your tank, and what can go wrong (or right!) in your micro-ecosystem, but do not expect a step by step instruction with pictures and cute pop ups and coloring areas for what to do when setting up and growing it. You're getting graphs and annotated studies there were like 4 color pictures in mine and no coloring areas.

The title is *very* descriptive. This book uses science instead of relying on the conventional wisdom, which is so often wrong, or the many myths about planted aquaria. Yet it is a practical and accessible text for the home hobbyist. Many books on tropical fish and planted aquaria are little more than a concatenations of captioned postcards -- attractive color photographs with sparse, slightly informative text. Generally they follow the current trends or parrot the conventional wisdom, which has often proven to be wrong or misguided. But _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_ is a refreshing change from the glut of "postcard" books available on aquaria. If you want pictures, this is not your book -- but there is no shortage of those to choose from. Rather than merely repeat the conventional wisdom or trumpet a new and contrary view, this author has diligently researched what happens in a planted aquarium AND explored hypotheses to explain the results. It set a new standard for books on the subject by replacing anecdotal arguments, didacticism, marketing promises, and myth with science. Many aquatic gardening experts consider this now a standard text to read (and have for reference) if you want to keep planted aquaria. Extensive references are included so that sources, scientific studies, etc. can be traced back for further research. This book reveals in a well-organized manner the complex chemical relationships in a typical hobbyist planted aquarium. As such, it can serve as a primer and key reference work for hobbyists. Hopefully, it will also stimulate discussion and serve as stalking horse for further research into this complex subject. Although necessarily technical, it is not unduly so nor does it demand of the reader any specialized education. While the author does have a stated personal preference for simple, "low-tech," inexpensive methods, she lays out the basic science that underlays all methods, including "high-tech." Thus, this book, more than any other I have seen on the subject, provides a foundation for explaining why divergent and even contrary methods of setting up and maintaining planted aquaria can be equally successful. If you plan of having a planted aquarium, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

My only regret regarding this book is that I didn't get to read it many years ago. You really need to make a choice when you are considering setting up an aquarium. You're either going to do it the old way, where you attempt to control water quality by relatively artificial means, with a few real or plastic plants in the water for appearance sake, or you design an underwater garden where you depend on the plants to flourish and take care of the water quality themselves. Okay, it's not quite that simple, and aquariums have a lot to do with fish and other aquatic creatures too, but these are not more important than the plants. Quite the other way around. In any case, Diana Walstad presents the second alternative in a very understandable way. Not that I can understand absolutely everything that she wrote. But she did stimulate me to recall everything I could from high school chemistry, and I would guess that even if you remember no chemistry at all, you won't have any trouble skipping over the heavy stuff and finding the practical applications. And I assure you that the more you put Diana Walstad's principles and instructions to work, the more joy you will take in your aquarium. You will also save yourself a lot of work and probably save some money. Or so it has worked out for me. At least, give yourself a chance and read the book. She isn't mainstream, but she's inspiring, and her erudition and depth of experience are in evidence throughout the book. If you care at all about aquatic life, this is a fun read.

This volume contains a wealth of information; it covers its topic thoroughly and in great detail, if also with a good deal of repetition. Reading the book straight through I was annoyed by its repetitiveness, though this makes it more, not less, useful as a reference work, which, like most readers, is how I will most use it in the future. The author knows what she is talking about; her conclusions seem scientifically sound and, for the most part, are based on experimental data, many of which are included. Her presentation of anecdotal evidence is helpful as well. Her writing, in addition to its redundancy, was also replete with errors in both grammar and syntax, which I found quite annoying; these would have benefitted greatly from more vigorous proofreading. To those who wish to read this book front to back, as I did, I recommend doing so with paper and pencil in hand; summarizing its most salient points as one goes will greatly help one navigate the otherwise relatively dense text. This book is probably best appreciated by readers who have a firm grasp of at least undergraduate level biology and chemistry, but its conclusions should be useful to almost anyone interested in aquarium keeping. With that caveat, I strongly recommend this book for the deeper insight it offers to all, even the most experienced, aquarists. It's a flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless; I know of no other publication like it.