For many tropical fish hobbyists and breeders, information 
on aquarium keeping is limited to goldfish and exotic fishes 
commonly available in pet stores. Existing guides ignore native
American species simply because few people have collected, kept, 
and successfully propagated them, and reliable information is 
difficult to find. In American Aquarium Fishes, Robert J.
Goldstein and other serious aquarists applying their specialized
expertise on North American fishes have compiled a comprehensive 
guide to hundreds of native fishes suitable for the home aquarium.


American Aquarium Fishes corrects misconceptions about 
minnows and suckers; pygmy sunfishes and dwarf catfishes; perches 
and their tiny relatives, the darters; and even the mysterious 
blind cave fishes. This first-of-its-kind guide provides 
step-by-step instructions on where to find, how to identify, 
how to catch, and how to keep and breed these and many other 
native fishes. Goldstein explains why fishes occur where they 
do, discusses protected species, and offers guidance on the rules 
for collecting in each state. He also gives detailed instructions 
on how to transport and ship native fishes across the country 
and around the world.


A chapter on aquarium plants by Richard Edwards provides details 
on collecting and propagating the most adaptable and beautiful 
aquatic plants likely to be encountered by fish collectors 
anywhere.


Goldstein has provided a unique tool for American naturalists 
and has added a new dimension to the international hobby of 
breeding aquarium fishes. Destined to become the standard guide 
for maintaining and breeding American fishes, American Aquarium
Fishes will be useful to aquarists, hobbyists, and biologists.

________________________________________________________


ROBERT J. GOLDSTEIN, whose Ph.D. is in microbiology and 
parasitology, is an environmental consultant in Raleigh, 
North Carolina, and serves on the Habitat and Environmental 
Protection Advisory Panel of the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council.


Number Twenty-eight: W. L. Moody, Jr., Natural History
Series