Spotte's idiosyncratic book is a compendium of everything written or believed about a thin catfish purported to enter the human urethra, vagina or anus when one urinates in certain South American streams. He found, translated or had translated, and excerpted all scientific, journalistic or hearsay accounts of such attacks. As a scientist and writer Spotte writes a book which is a mix of scientific journalism, experimental science (Are the fish attracted to urine? Let's see what experiment will answer that question), fiction and philosphy. He visits the urologist who claims to have surgically remove a candiru from an unfortunate man's penis. He survived (the victim and the urologist too). Copious endnotes verify that he's not making this up. Are others? He had collected notes for 40 years and made several trips to South America to track down and do the research. As a fiction author he finishes with a hilarious final chapter (which could serve as a stand-alone short story) about a theme park. Some of the science is not easy going for non-biologists, but the lighthearted prose keeps us going to the amusing narrative parts. Read this book, not out of prurient interest, but for serious introspection about the nature of reporting, scientific experiment, zoos and aquaria, and rain forest urban legends.

It's hard to believe that anyone could write 15 stories with a mermaid theme without repeating himself, but Steve Spotte has done it. OK, they aren't all traditional sailor's mermaids, but they are all some sort of humano-piscine chimera. The flavor of these strange stories is similar to that of "An Optimist in Hell", his earlier book of stories. Very diverse, many with a scientific bent or an ethnic flavor (Rap, Maori, hillbilly etc.) You may be sent to your dictionary now and then for some terms, but stretching your vocab a little never hurt anyone.

This book is the only one I have seen with a comprehensive listing of marine fish. I love marine fish and I have used this book to figure out which fish i should brougth.

There are so many marine fish to see and bougth, that is important to had certain reference to mix the diferent species.

This book allows the reader to identify the fish and then find its scientific name.

you soulh have this book. because it worths its pounds in gold.

Very technical, entirely comprehensive, and is still found in the bibliography of just about any serious scientific book on aquaculture. This is an excellent reference on filtration techniques, toxicity of common medications, calculating carrying capacity, and is just full of useful ideas and references. If you approach the hobby with a bit of scientist in you, this is a book you should have. When he wrote the book, no one in the hobby was doing protein skimmers, but he discussed them in detail here. Whatever the next big concept is, I wouldn't be surprised if he discussed it. This is a rare gem of a book.

Doesn't cover the essentials of the reef hobby as it is known today. Any book that has even moderately extensive coverage of undergravel filter systems is pretty much saying, "I'm old!" in big screaming letters. And as a previous reviewer mentioned, it goes on WAY too long about rearing baby brine shrimp. Hey, nowadays we keep refugiums and rear copepods, phytoplankon and macro algae for our fish. This book really needs an update. A lot has happened in the hobby in 8 years.

This is the book that I am looking to learn the know how of hatching brine shrimps. I haven't finished this book yet so i only can tell you what i felt before i purchased this book.

Before i got this book I found this book is a bit old ( slightly out-dated or out-dated ) in every espect. The info that they given seems does not saying more about the filtering systems, tank setups, and so on in more details. So this is the most disadvantages of this book. The books does not have much details on the details of the Marine Fishes, reefs, lightings, and so on.

This book does generally teaching or telling what is Marine Fish keeping and teaching those very basic things on the aspects of marine fish. They just telling you what is the important espects of taking care of Marine fishes. They are seems good in the Maintenance, foods & feeding sections only. The info's that they given is very good for peoples want to know what to do when he or she want to hatching brime shrimps. They even teach what, when, how to do in general language. Its a very straight forward explainations so it is good for people who does not know much about Marine Fish. If this book is for those people who want to use for referrences in details and i think this book is not be enought resources or info to make people to know about the technical know how about Marine Fishes. I am not saying that this book is not good. I am saying that this book is suitable for people who want to know what to do with hatching brime shrimps??? Feedings and Maintainance's. SO i would like to introduce people to know about this book is Good in these chapter 10 which is Maintenance and Chapter 11 which is Foods and Feeding.

I noticed that most of the books do not cover well about the Hatching Brime Shrimps, and the collections of seawater. Teaching what to do with the Seawater that you collected from the Sea.

OK I have to stop here, because I felt that this is the only things that i want to say.

Before I wrap it this messaage, this is what i want to say.

This is a Good Book for those people wanna to know how and what to do with Collections of sea-water from the Sea and the know how of Hatching brime shrimps.

Thats all.

A great reference, but not the best book to start out on. The writer is set in his ways and does not talk about all the options, just what he thinks is best. The three pages on filtration only talk about a subgravel filter, with on mention of live sand and rock. However, it is otherwise very though and would be very helpfull. A good book to have, but you should plan on buying others.