Your Basic Foundation Killie Library(?)

[ruyle]

Hi Gang,
I'm curious to what you have in your library concerning our killie hobby.
What do you consider must-haves, nice-to-haves, etc, and what text(s)
do you use for fish diseases, etc?

[stormhawk]

Bill, what I have in my killie related library are the following books:

1) Aqualog: Killifishes of the World - New World Killies
This is a must have for a good pictorial and care guide for killies from the Americas. There's also a short writeup on each of the genus known from the Americas. I would have gotten the other two books in the series had I had enough money.

2) Killifish, A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Steffen Hellner
This book published by Barron's and originally in German was my first killie book. Although some information is somewhat outdated, the book is still an invaluable resource of information regarding killies. I was lucky to get the last copy at the bookshop.

3) Enjoy Your Killifish by Turner and Pafenyk
This book was published as part of the Pet Library Series. Basic information on killies but still a precious part of my collection. Its really an old book but I found it at a second-hand bookstore. Cost me only a dollar so its a great buy.

Books that I'm waiting to get:

Pearl Killifishes; The Cynolebiatinae by Costa - Good reference book on SAAs although the species names are quite outdated by now. Nice colour photos of some of the rarest species.

South American Annuals by Dr. Roger Brousseau - I'm waiting to get this but apparently the latest edition is not out yet.

For disease references I usually go to the web and do research or ask questions here which the experienced would usually have an answer to most fishy health problems.

[hwchoy]

Jian Yang, aren't you going to ask “who has killi papers and articles in softcopy PDF format?”

[stormhawk]

Oh yes I forgot that. Who has killie-related articles and papers in pdf or document format?

[whuntley]

Good subject, Bill.

For general fish stuff, I have the 1st 3 volumes of Aquarium Atlas by Baensch and Riehl. There are lots of good data on killifishes, particularly since Hellner took over as killifish editor, I think in Vol. 3. Nomenclature is pretty awful, tho.

I have both the Scheel books, but only ROTOW is here and accessible to me right now. The captions are so screwed up by TFH in the Atlas that I don't consider it a valid reference and it only is good as a curiosity. [Good coffee-table book, and my coffee tables are in storage.]

Nomenclature is badly out of date, but I also have and use a lot the Colour Atlas of Cyprinodonts of the Rain Forest of Tropical Africa by Radda and Purzl. The color photographs are superb and the descriptions succinct but very useful. I like the location maps, particularly. A badly-bound paperback, I have one nearly-loose-leaf copy I use and one I don't, to keep it intact. It has some of the best photos, IMHO.

For nomenclature, I have KMI 3 and use the on-line species list from KMI 4 by Lazara (for all official AKA purposes), but my copy of Huber's Killidata 2000 is very worn and tattered from frequent use. Between them and Langton's Wild Collections of Killifish 1950-2000 I can usually arrive at a valid label for my fish.

For general husbandry, Spotte's Fish and Invertebrate Culture is simply invaluable, while disease and health matters usually send me to Untergasser's Handbook of Fish Diseases. I have several other disease books, but they are pretty worthless, IMHO.

For beginner books, I have Hellner's Killifish as well as Warner's Success With Killifish I have misplaced my copy of Brousseau's SA book. I also have a 1st Ed. of Terceira's Killifish.

Books I would like to have, but cannot afford include KMI 4 and the Wildecamp Series. I still have my old copy of Axelrod and Schultz handbook (1956 edition) somewhere.[I bought it new!]

My club (BAKA) has the Wildecamp books, but I'm much too far away to borrow them, now. They, Untergasser, Spotte, and Huber's Killidata are excellent books for a local club library.

I have more, but those are the ones I keep handy.

Wright

PS Jian Yang, the AKA web site and the AKA Affiliate club sites have all kinds of good archived articles and galleries. Start at www.aka.org and work your way through them. Fortunately, most are not in that hideous pdf format. :wink:

[ruyle]

Thanks Wright, for your list. I have some serious purchases to make in the
ensuing months: some of the books you mentioned are rather costly. My
first book was Hellner's, 2nd one was Warner's, and I have the Baensch I
and would like to get the other 2 as well. ROTOW I is probably going to be
my next purchase, then the Untergasser book.

Thanks again! :wink:

[whuntley]

Bill,

Get Baensch 3 first and 2 when you have spare money to burn. I think 3 is MUCH better for both killies and plants.

Try to find Spotte, if you can. It is a great basic reference. It is long out of print, but Amazon found me one at a good price.

My very most used book of all is still Huber's Killidata 2000, tho I do belong to his web site (Right, Tyrone?). Radda and Purzl is second, but my better plant books are in storage. :-(

Wright

[stormhawk]

Wright, just to ask, Huber's Killidata 2000 book is very much a summary of more information to be found on the site right? According to a friend of mine its just a summary of information, not very detailed in some ways. I've never read the book before and I don't have access to the site anyway but I believe Huber's online site to be the best reference for killie-related information on species-specific requirements.

[TyroneGenade]

Hello Wright et al

Wright, yes you belong to the site! I'm sending Huber your money this month when I get paid... In the mean time Doc Huber says he isn't going to scrap your access.:-)

As far best books are concerned I have found the following very useful:
The AKA's Beginners Guide
Ed Warner's Success with Killifish

I'm told Hellner's book is very good but am yet to see it. :-( I understand it is now out of print but maybe Lee Finley can fix me up for a copy. :-)

Amiet's book on the Killie fauna of Cameroon was nice but not a real good general reference...

The best book in my opinion is my book: A guide to keeping Killifish. Alas it is yet to be published...:-( Still waiting on a response from TFH and am beginning to think "to hell with them" and move on to other publishers. I may still just publish it on the web.

Best all round reference has to be Diana Walstad's book: Ecology of the Planted Aquarium.

tt4n

[whuntley]

Hello Wright et al

snip...

As far best books are concerned I have found the following very useful:
The AKA's Beginners Guide
Ed Warner's Success with Killifish

I'm told Hellner's book is very good but am yet to see it. :-( I understand it is now out of print but maybe Lee Finley can fix me up for a copy. :-)

The AKA Beginner's Guide is undergoing considerable revision, so IDK which one you have -- probably the old one. The old one is still very good. The new one will be more up to date. It will be worth the first year's AKA dues, IMHO.

Hellner's little paperback booklet was an enormous bargain at well under US$10, when Barrons brought it out. It had more, cheaper color pictures than any other book, but the nomenclature is so wrong and outdated that I don't suggest anyone go out of their way to get it, now. [The new AKA Beginner's Guide (or Tyrone's book) will be better for husbandry advice.]

Hellner's Killifish was sort of opposite to Radda and Purzl, which was about $2/picture, I think. Despite poor nomenclature, I still wish that one was available at an affordable price. It was to books what Tim Addis' site is to web pages.

BTW, the Wildekamp series from the AKA has no color photos, but uses the antique line drawings popular among taxonomists and anatomists of the early 20th Century who could not do decent photos. IMHO, that is the weakest feature of the otherwise excellent and beautifully-edited series.

Wright

[TyroneGenade]

First off: Wright, thanks for the vote of confidence over my book. Pitty you are one of only a few who have so far read it...

2nd: Can't wait to rejoin the AKA...

3rd:

BTW, the Wildekamp series from the AKA has no color photos, but uses the antique line drawings popular among taxonomists and anatomists of the early 20th Century who could not do decent photos. IMHO, that is the weakest feature of the otherwise excellent and beautifully-edited series.

Actually, I quite like the line drawings. While looking cheap they are actually very informative as regards identification. The Wildekamp series would be a good investment for anyone. We in the lab are going to try acquire the whole set! They are a great complement to the Aqualogs.

tt4n

[ruyle]

OK, so where can one read Tyrone's book if it isn't published? On Huber's
site? Also, when it is published, will there be some autographed first-run editions in leatherbound? :wink: Curious...

[TyroneGenade]

Well Farang9

I am trying to find a publisher because nothing feels better than paper when you want to read something... My original idea was to simply publish the book on my website as a general free reference source but Wright (after I sent him the PDF to nit-pick over) said it would be better off printed. I have sent t to many people to evaluate and they all say the same.

I sent it to TFH 3 weeks back but haven't heard back from them (not even "hey, we got your manuscript and we are giving it a look see"). So I'm thinking $/&%! them and pass it onto someone else. The nice thing about TFH is that they have access to loads of pilferred photos from Kenjiro Tanaka etc... (even some of Brian Watters that he was never paid for I understand). I have the AKA chairperson for publications email and am giving serious though to sending him the URL of my book.

If I can't come right by the end of the year I will simply release the URL to everyone and rely on the generousity of strangers for donations towards feeding my fish and launching collecting trips to far flung places (like Chad... the home of N. rubroreticulatus).

tt4n

[ruyle]

Tyrone, good luck with TFH and let us know if they give it the green light!

[RonWill]

I'm curious to what you have in your library concerning our killie hobby.

Bill,
My reference material won't match up to any of you guys.

There's Steffen Hellner's "Killifish, A Complete Pet Owner's Manual", Ed Warner's "Success with Killifish" and Aqualog's "Killifishes of the World - Old World Killis I". CD material from Tony Terceira and "Colorguide of tropical fish diseases" by Gerald Bassleer, helps too.

[TyroneGenade]

Some good news (for me). TFH has gotten back to me and they are considering my manuscript.

Now the wait and see begins...

[ruyle]

Hopefully the news will bear fruit! If the movie studios approach you to
turn the book into a movie, make sure you have creative control over any
script rewrites. Just look what they did to Stephen King's books!

Seriously, hope it's a go, Tyrone!

ps As a budding Herb Axelrod, have you looked at properties down in
Cuba lately? Herb is down there on an "extended vacation."

[TyroneGenade]

No, Herb was arrested in Berlin after trying to get to his Swiss bank account and is how happily living under the protective care of the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

After Hurricane Ivan I expect property prices to be quite cheap in Cuba.

[ruyle]

Thanks for the update on Herb's peregrinations. You wouldn't happen to
have, by chance, Herb's "cell phone" number?

[TyroneGenade]

Ha ha ha! No. But you might want to try the IRS. They know everything. Them and Readers Digest out perform the NSA/CIA (tenticles of the same dysfunctional state octopus) any day when it comes to inteligence information.