For anyone eager to create an aquarium filled with colorful tropical fish, this guide has the sound advice a beginner needs to choose varieties that happily co-exist, keep them healthy, and arrange a pleasing visual display. It covers more than 180 species of fresh water tropical fish, and discusses such topics as water quality and chemistry, filtration, tank size, heat and light, plants, feeding, adding fish, and breeding, as well as general tank maintenance. The entire second section of the guide is devoted to individual species, all arranged by family and illustrated, from Anabantids and Characins to Toothcarps and Rainbowfish.