What were your first aquarium books?
Posted: 26 May 2013, 06:55
Hey everyone!
Inspired by last year's "What was your first catfish and year?" thread, I decided to start a thread about our first aquarium books! What were your first aquarium books? Which catfish species were represented, if any? Under what names were they listed?
I got my very first aquarium book when I was 5 years old, in 1992 - which was also when I got my first aquarium. It was a Hebrew translation (as I am originally from Israel) of "The Home Aquarium Book" by W. Simister which was originally published in 1976. The Hebrew title is "אקווריון בביתך", "Akvariun BeBeytcha", or "Aquarium In Your Home" in English (no one writes or says akvariun anymore though - these days it's akvarium). I've always liked it as it includes quite a few native British species (both fresh and marine) that were, of course, never available in Israel, as well as tips on how to collect them. Some pictures of tropical fish are included, but the book is mostly illustrated in black and white. After moving to Sweden as an adult I've had fun reading what it says about the European species in it.
The catfish include some kind of Ictalurid (referred to in the Hebrew text simply as "catfish" and mentions that it is imported from America as opposed to being the European catfish), a Corydoras referred to in the Hebrew as "Cheetah Catfish" - presumably Leopard Corydoras and a "Talking catfish" - possibly ?
Other species of interest include: Pike, Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), Trout, Norwegian Lobster (presumably Nephrops norvegicus), Monkfish and the jellyfish Chrysaora isosceles. Not your usual list of either freshwater or marine species!
Another one of my very early books was not specifically an aquarium book at all, but instead a general guide to pets. That one was Pinchas Amitai's "Handbook of Pets in Israel" ("מדריך לחיות מחמד בישראל"). It is also quite interesting in that it lists many animals that the average person wouldn't get a chance to keep, either because keeping them isn't feasible or isn't legal - though that is (usually) noted in the entry for each such species.
Catfish included are: "Shiryan Gadol", loosely translatable to "Big Armoured one" and has the common English name provided as "Spotted Sucking Catfish". The Scientific name given is "Plecostomus commersoni".
"Coryas miyeri", given the English common name "Myersi Armoured Catfish" and the scientific name "Corydoras myersi". The picture appears to be of . The order Siluriformes is presented as a whole (and illustrated with a picture of a small being held out of the water) and there are also entries for the families Callichthydae and Loricariidae.
Other species of interest:
Native Israeli fish:
"Leopard Loache" (sic) "Orthrias pantheroides". Possibly Barbatula panthera? I am not so familiar with Israel's native loaches.
Blue pupfish - Aphanius mento
River blenny - Salaria fluviatilis
Non-fish:
Israel's native freshwater crab - Potamon potamios.
"Ground Beetle" - Adesmia abbreviate
"Corona Ground Beetle" - Prionoteca coronate (actually Prionotheca coronata)
American Alligator - Alligator mississippiensis (!)
Hooded Crow - Corvus corone cornix (now Corvus cornix as far as I understand)
Yellow-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus xsanthopygos
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Little Owl - Athene noctua
Eagle Owl - Bubo bubo (!) (mostly explanations about why eagle owls are not the most proper or legal pets to keep.)
Marbled Polecat - Vormela peregusna
(Egyptian) mongoose - Herpestes ichneumon ichneumon
Mountain Gazelle - Gazella gazella (!) - This one is accompanied by a picture of a gazelle using a child's face as a support so it could stand up on its hind legs and eat some leaves from a tree.
Inspired by last year's "What was your first catfish and year?" thread, I decided to start a thread about our first aquarium books! What were your first aquarium books? Which catfish species were represented, if any? Under what names were they listed?
I got my very first aquarium book when I was 5 years old, in 1992 - which was also when I got my first aquarium. It was a Hebrew translation (as I am originally from Israel) of "The Home Aquarium Book" by W. Simister which was originally published in 1976. The Hebrew title is "אקווריון בביתך", "Akvariun BeBeytcha", or "Aquarium In Your Home" in English (no one writes or says akvariun anymore though - these days it's akvarium). I've always liked it as it includes quite a few native British species (both fresh and marine) that were, of course, never available in Israel, as well as tips on how to collect them. Some pictures of tropical fish are included, but the book is mostly illustrated in black and white. After moving to Sweden as an adult I've had fun reading what it says about the European species in it.
The catfish include some kind of Ictalurid (referred to in the Hebrew text simply as "catfish" and mentions that it is imported from America as opposed to being the European catfish), a Corydoras referred to in the Hebrew as "Cheetah Catfish" - presumably Leopard Corydoras and a "Talking catfish" - possibly ?
Other species of interest include: Pike, Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), Trout, Norwegian Lobster (presumably Nephrops norvegicus), Monkfish and the jellyfish Chrysaora isosceles. Not your usual list of either freshwater or marine species!
Another one of my very early books was not specifically an aquarium book at all, but instead a general guide to pets. That one was Pinchas Amitai's "Handbook of Pets in Israel" ("מדריך לחיות מחמד בישראל"). It is also quite interesting in that it lists many animals that the average person wouldn't get a chance to keep, either because keeping them isn't feasible or isn't legal - though that is (usually) noted in the entry for each such species.
Catfish included are: "Shiryan Gadol", loosely translatable to "Big Armoured one" and has the common English name provided as "Spotted Sucking Catfish". The Scientific name given is "Plecostomus commersoni".
"Coryas miyeri", given the English common name "Myersi Armoured Catfish" and the scientific name "Corydoras myersi". The picture appears to be of . The order Siluriformes is presented as a whole (and illustrated with a picture of a small being held out of the water) and there are also entries for the families Callichthydae and Loricariidae.
Other species of interest:
Native Israeli fish:
"Leopard Loache" (sic) "Orthrias pantheroides". Possibly Barbatula panthera? I am not so familiar with Israel's native loaches.
Blue pupfish - Aphanius mento
River blenny - Salaria fluviatilis
Non-fish:
Israel's native freshwater crab - Potamon potamios.
"Ground Beetle" - Adesmia abbreviate
"Corona Ground Beetle" - Prionoteca coronate (actually Prionotheca coronata)
American Alligator - Alligator mississippiensis (!)
Hooded Crow - Corvus corone cornix (now Corvus cornix as far as I understand)
Yellow-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus xsanthopygos
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Little Owl - Athene noctua
Eagle Owl - Bubo bubo (!) (mostly explanations about why eagle owls are not the most proper or legal pets to keep.)
Marbled Polecat - Vormela peregusna
(Egyptian) mongoose - Herpestes ichneumon ichneumon
Mountain Gazelle - Gazella gazella (!) - This one is accompanied by a picture of a gazelle using a child's face as a support so it could stand up on its hind legs and eat some leaves from a tree.