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good book on aquarium plants?


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#1 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 31 December 2007 - 11:34 AM

I've been keeping fish for close to 30 years now but I've never really tried to create a good environment for aquatic plants. It's high time I learned!

Is there an authoritative book on the subject that covers all the modern best practices pretty well?

I'd also like to be able to identify native plants I find in the local rivers and streams of North Carolina, but understand that might be yet another book (if it even exists).

#2 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 31 December 2007 - 01:31 PM

On the plant ID side:

First, there is a nice book with color photos called "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of South Carolina" by Aulback-Smith and de Kozlowski. Very good book for the beginner, but doesn't have a lot of species. http://store.gcsaa.o...o...D&ProdID=15

Another good book for beginners is "Common Marsh, Underwater, and Floating-Leaved Plants of the United States and Canade" by Hotchkiss. Easy-to-use key, with line drawings. http://www.amazon.co...l...5698&sr=8-1

My favorite "go-to" book for identification is Godfrey and Wooton's "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States". It's a two-volume set, one for monocots and one for dicots. It's rather academic, using dichotomous keys and line drawings. It's also a little pricey, but as I said, I find it to be the best book for ID. Not really for the beginner.

Crow and Hellquist have done an updated edition of Fassett, and have added line drawings (the book was previouly just text). It's called "Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America" and is also a two-volume set. Unfortunately, it does not have habitat descriptions like Godfrey and Wooten. But an excellent key nonthelses. Not really for the beginner.

Don't think that the good-for-beginner books are simplistic. I have them, and still use them occasionally.

#3 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 31 December 2007 - 01:54 PM

Excellent. Thanks for the references.

#4 Guest_fuzzyletters_*

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 10:47 AM

I will always recommend Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad

#5 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 11:57 AM

I will always recommend Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad


And the author is a local. I like the idea that what she's doing is very low-tech, doesn't require CO2 injection or hundreds of watts of lighting, flux capacitor induction, etc.

#6 Guest_tglassburner_*

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 01:24 PM

And the author is a local. I like the idea that what she's doing is very low-tech, doesn't require CO2 injection or hundreds of watts of lighting, flux capacitor induction, etc.

Wouldn't it be hundreds of Jiggawatts for the flux capacitor induction?

#7 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 01:38 PM

Wouldn't it be hundreds of Jiggawatts for the flux capacitor induction?


The flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to operate.

#8 Guest_tglassburner_*

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 09:26 PM

The flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to operate.

I was close. I was spelling it phonetically jiggawatts = gigawatts.

#9 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 03 January 2008 - 11:35 PM

I will always recommend Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad


Small world and good timing.

I ran into her at the local aquarium club meeting tonight. Now I know who to bug with plant questions at the meetings. :laugh:

Our own gerald was also in attendance (first time I've seen him in like 9 years).

#10 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 04 January 2008 - 12:18 AM

Here is one of the pics from the meeting. It wasn't about plants, but about fish diseases. We got to use a very kick-ass lab. They had a microscope with an HDTV camera mounted to it, and big flatscreen HDTV's all over the lab so everyone could get a good look.

Walstad is first person on the left.

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#11 Guest_tglassburner_*

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Posted 10 January 2008 - 08:51 PM

Another good book for beginners is "Common Marsh, Underwater, and Floating-Leaved Plants of the United States and Canada" by Hotchkiss. Easy-to-use key, with line drawings. http://www.amazon.co...l...5698&sr=8-1


Mine just arrived, thanks for the recommendation. It is a great book for the beginner as you said.

Tom

#12 Guest_fuzzyletters_*

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Posted 12 January 2008 - 01:05 PM

Wow... that's really cool about the meeting. Last time I was on the forums that she frequents (aquaticplantcentral.com) it seemed like she was working on (or at least had a serious interest in) fish diseases.

#13 Guest_mette_*

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Posted 02 February 2008 - 10:56 PM

I'd also like to be able to identify native plants I find in the local rivers and streams of North Carolina, but understand that might be yet another book (if it even exists).

For IDing things you bring home, you want Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Ii is awesome, but haven't gotten around to buying my own copy. I just use the USDA database and a library copy now and then.

#14 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 04 February 2008 - 12:28 PM

Radford's book is indeed excellent, but is rather technical for the beginner and covers all vascular plants, not just aquatic/wetland ones. Great reference if you are into botany and native plants in general. However, if you want this level of technical-ese but focusing on wetland/aquatic plants, then the Godfrey and Wooten book is better.

For IDing things you bring home, you want Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Ii is awesome, but haven't gotten around to buying my own copy. I just use the USDA database and a library copy now and then.



#15 Guest_edbihary_*

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Posted 18 February 2008 - 01:10 PM

What would your recommended starter book be for use primarily in Pennsylvania and Ohio?

#16 Guest_mander_*

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 07:42 PM

I will always recommend Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad


I just got a copy of her book. Looks very promising, I'm very excited!

Thanks for the good lead!

#17 Guest_threegoldfish_*

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 08:34 PM

Walstad is first person on the left.


Oh hey, I sat next to the guy at the microscope at an auction last fall. /random




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