Although it is really just a catalogue of Tropica's product line, it is a wonderful reference book for anyone who is into aquarium plants. The book contains very lifelike drawings of 150 plants, a description of each plant's requirements (light, pH range, water hardness, temperature range, etc.) as well as speed of growth, ease of maintenance, where it is found in nature, height, width, etc. There is also a paragraph for each plant that provides additional info (e.g. history, anecdotal information, etc.) The book also contains beautiful photgraphs of aquarium set-ups, as well as information on plant propogation, algae control, and a wonderful look into the commercial side of aquatic plant growing at Tropica.
The only drawback I found was the lack of common names for most of the plants. Although I realize that many plants may have different common names in different areas, the common name is what many aquarium stores list their plants by. This means I have to take the book with me when I want to find a new plant for my aquarium. However, the book is made of water resistant paper so you can have it with you while you play with your aquarium plants.
Although it is really just a catalogue of Tropica's product line, it is a wonderful reference book for anyone who is into aquarium plants. The book contains very lifelike drawings of 150 plants, a description of each plant's requirements (light, pH range, water hardness, temperature range, etc.) as well as speed of growth, ease of maintenance, where it is found in nature, height, width, etc. There is also a paragraph for each plant that provides additional info (e.g. history, anecdotal information, etc.) The book also contains beautiful photgraphs of aquarium set-ups, as well as information on plant propogation, algae control, and a wonderful look into the commercial side of aquatic plant growing at Tropica.
The only drawback I found was the lack of common names for most of the plants. Although I realize that many plants may have different common names in different areas, the common name is what many aquarium stores list their plants by. This means I have to take the book with me when I want to find a new plant for my aquarium. However, the book is made of water resistant paper so you can have it with you while you play with your aquarium plants.
I highly reccommend this book.