A handbook: starting a tank, water parameters, diseases, feeding.
Identifier: what the plaque looks like, why it appeared, and what to do about it. Eight most common cases – from brown plaque in a new aquarium to black beard algae.
Why a new aquarium is dangerous for fish, how the nitrogen cycle runs, how long it takes and how to tell that cycling is finished.
What pH, dGH and dKH mean, how to measure them, and how to change water parameters without harming your fish.
The first signs of illness, the commonest diseases of aquarium fish, and what to do first so the treatment does not make things worse.
The types of food, how much and how often to feed, why overfeeding is worse than hunger, and how to get food to bottom dwellers in a community tank.
Which leaves are safe for an aquarium, which must never go in, how to prepare them and how many to use per volume.
Spawning types, how to set up a breeding tank, triggering spawning, raising fry, and the mistakes that cost you the brood.
Which plants grow on rocks and driftwood, which stand up to strong flow, herbivorous fish and dim light, and what the plants themselves need.
Why a small volume is harder than a large one, who can actually live in it, and what to do if the tank is already bought.