A practical guide to setting up and maintaining a new aquatic ecosystem.

New fish-keepers are quite often impatient to set up their aquarium and want to add their new, expensive fish as soon as possible. This common misstep can have disastrous results that may discourage beginners from ever trying again.

"Setting Up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week" is an encyclopedic reference that concentrates on establishing and maintaining a viable tropical freshwater aquarium. The book uses detailed photographic sequences to follow each stage of setting up an aquarium in real time over 10 weeks. Setup starts with the installation of the substrate and life-support systems and progresses to when the first fish are added two weeks later. The book then follows the development of the aquarium's environment during the next eight weeks, as the tank turns from an artificial into a living ecosystem.

The book also profiles 50 common aquarium plants and 100 popular warm freshwater aquarium fish. Throughout, the author explains the natural processes as they occur, so that fish-keepers can ensure their ongoing success.

With expert counsel, clear instructions and simple-to-follow illustrations, "Setting Up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week" is the essential reference for the first-time tropical freshwater fish hobbyist.