Betta book reviews!

4/14/2015

Here I am going to present some of my favorite betta books in my collection. Having good, solid resources to fall back on is the best way to up your betta game! The internet is not always the most reliable source of information. It is always better to go to serious hobbyists that have tried and true knowledge.

The Betta Bible by Martin Brammah
One of my good betta friends just recently published his book, the Betta Bible. Here is me being entirely too excited to acquire it:

In short, I completely loved this book. This is not simply another beginner's book rehashing the same information over and over again. There was a TON of stuff that I didn't know, and it was tough for me to put it down. I just wish that there were even more pictures and diagrams, but the book is already quite large, as you can see below:

Yellow girl look familiar? Hehehe

I can say I am a published fish photographer now lol

Even though it doesn't seem like it should be for the faint of heart, it is wonderfully and clearly written. Martin spent a long time compiling his research into a great book that no serious hobbyist should be without!

Kampffish-Fibel by Peter Barwald
The next book was also written by a good friend. Peter was so sweet to give me a copy of his book while I was at the Area 2 convention in Friedrichshaffen! Every day I kept saying that I wanted to buy his book, and he kept saying that he was waiting to get the copies in to sell them at the show. I was so close to buying one at one of the other book vendors! Luckily I held off and he presented it to me the final night of the show. I was so touched by his gesture and I will never forget it.

No, I can't read German fluently, but I'm working on it ;) I am level 7 on Duolingo! Although I admit I haven't been keeping up with it recently. I can struggle through some of the simpler stuff now, and I am definitely motivated. I've even thought of taking some more classes online, or auditing/enrolling in a real class here in the city. Dependent on time and funds of course. I actually really love the sound of German (strange, I know) and it is a language that I have always wanted to learn. A lot of hardcore fish material is only available in German, so I have even more incentive to learn it.

Peter's book is beautifully laid out, with many glossy and professional photographs. It is a joy to flip through even though I can't always decipher the text! I am looking forward to the day I can really read it. Thank you so much Peter!

Labryrinthfische by can Horst Linke
The next book is another German book. This book is absolutely AMAZING to look at. The photographs by van Horst Linke are FANTASTIC, and even though I can't read the text, I've spent several hours just thumbing through it and reveling in the beautiful imagery. It's another major motivation to learn German, because there is clearly tons of information here, not just about bettas, but of wild betta species, paradise fish, and pretty much every labyrinth fish that has been kept (or tried to be kept) in captivity.

These gorgeous pictures of Betta smaragdina make me want to drop everything else and specialize in them LOL

Bettas by Robert J. Goldstein
The last book on my list is simply called "Bettas". It was written by PhD Robert Goldstein, and contains really great information for the beginning betta keeper or advanced betta breeder alike!

I love the characteristics of the genus section in the beginning, where Goldstein offers several explanations on the mysterious melano betta infertility problem. His attention to detail is repeated throughout the book and is bolstered by simple diagrams and beautiful photographs. There is also an extensive wilds section, that details both bubblenesting and mouthbrooding bettas.

This book is both simple and effective in its explanations. Although the amazon reviews say that this is a more advanced book, I think that it still addresses beginning betta husbandry techniques and commong pitfalls, with plenty of additional information that appeals to a crowd that is eager to learn about their pets. Definitely a keeper! This book can be found on amazon here.