I have a new 450 ltr tank which I want to aquascape, and wanted some ideas. This has plenty and with many good hints and tips. Can't wait to get started...

Very good

I first started my aquarium like most people : Go to the pet store, get the basics, plug it and hope for the best. My aquariums looked plain and my fishes looked stressed. So I decided to start reading on aquariums and eventually fell on this gorgeous book. Not only did it give great design ideas, this book made me revisit my Ecology 101 class. It explains everything you need to know about the environment you want to recreate from revising the water cycle in nature to "Why is that fish torpedo shaped?" (Because it comes from an environment where the current is strong) passing from what pH really means (i.e. we all know that this fish must live in a pH 7.0 but what exactly pH 7.0 means?). With this information, you can make the illuminated choices between what type of wood, rock, gravel and plant you can mix with what kind of fish and the results are astounding. Never before did my aquariums brought such "Ohs" and "Ahs" from guests before! (I now have two, one based on the European River/Lake and one based on the Amazonian Acid Pool, read the book, you'll understand). So if you are a beginner or simply tired of that bubbling plastic chest in your dull aquarium, this book is a must-have. Just flickering through it will bring you so much enthusiasm you'll have trouble not redesigning your aquarium before the last page is turned!