Kasselmann's book- is it really that good

[toledosun]

Hi,

Just wondering if those of you who bought the book found it worth the money?

For example, I've the Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Mi Oya' in my tank. From the tropica website, I obtained the following info. Does the book provide more/better information? Thanks in advance.

Family- Araceae
Continent- Asia
Region- South-east Asia
Country of origin- Sri Lanka
Height- 25-35 cm
Width- 15-30 cm
Light requirements- low-high
Temperature- 20-32 °C
Hardness tolerance- very soft-very hard
pH tolerance- 5,5-8
Growth- slow
Demands- very easy

This beautiful variety of Cryptocoryne wendtii is only found in the river Mi Oya. It has characteristic red-brown, slightly hammered leaves. Many Cryptocorynes can grow at high temperatures. In the wild this plant is found in streams with a temperature of more than 30 degrees C. At even higher temperatures the light intensity must be higher or the days longer. See other Cryptocorynes for further information.

[juggler]

I checked the book and it has 2-page coverage on C.wendtii with 3 photos on p224-225. As with other types of plants in the book, it is divided into sections like Family, Synonyms, Etymology, Distribution, Description, Culture, Ecology, Other.

Only the last 3 lines read:
"The Tropica company distributes a brown well-growing color form under the brand name of C.wendtii 'Mi Oya'".

It's a good reference book. Depends on how you look at it whether worth the money or not. It is expensive - yes. But there are some info which is not readily available elsewhere. Especially the "Ecology" section where she cites how the plant is growing in the wild and the lighting/water parameters as measured by scientists.

If the info from Dennerle and Tropica is sufficient for you, then I suggest no need to spend that kind of money. Borrow one to take a look if you can. BTW - some time back, I already made a recommendation to our National Library for this book. They are processing it. Do a search under their catalogue facility and see. Cheers!

[wks]

Hi toledosun, though I have not bought the Kasselmann's book yet, I did read it at my friend's shop. I'm a fan of cryptocoryne and I find this book very informative and especially useful for serious aquatic plant hobbyist. While Tropica can only provide us with the information of cryptocoryne that it is selling, Kasselmann deals with most crypts found in the aquarium trade. Take for example C. ciliata and C. griffithii, Singapore's own native crypts are not found in Tropica's web site. I agreed with Koah Fong, if you find the information from the Internet is sufficient for your knowledge, then its alright not to purchase the book.

[pipsqueak]

Darn, too bad i missed the last order. Is anyone gonna mass order again?
I agree with wks too. A good reference is a must for any serious aquarists, IMO. I'd hate to be reading content online for long hours, eyes go[]

[juggler]

I agree that with a book in hand, it is much easier to cross-reference and compare with other plant information.

[Plantbrain]

Yes, it's a good book but rather pricy. 30$ instead of 65$ is more in line with the cost etc. The translation and different publisher etc likely added to the cost.

But it's as up to date as you'll find. Not much on "how to grow in aquariums" but has a nice section of various habitats. Habitat does not mean that's what the plant likes best or would grow optimally though. Folks seem to assume this and it is not true. Plants/critters grow where they can and not get outcompeted by others in both time and space.

Much of Crypt section is from Jan's Crypt pages site.
She is very good at the Echinodorus section. There are a few newer plants in the book.
Worth the $.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[vinz]

Just a note: Tom (Plantbrain) is quoting US$.

[toledosun]

Thanks guys. Have to agree that nothing beats having a good reference book that you can read at your leisure.

Anyway, found a reseller on Amazon that was selling the book for US$58.00 so I grabbed it.