Handbook of Fish Diseases
by Dieter Untergasser

Publisher:  T F H Publications, Inc.
ISBN:  0866227032

Cars aren't the only thing Germans do well, and Handbook of Fish Diseasesauthored by Dieter Untergasser proves it. Arguably, it is the best reference book on aquarium fish disease that the home hobbyist can lay their hands on. From the easy to follow diagnosis flow charts, to the disease descriptions, to the treatment options, this book covers the full range of information that the beginner or expert fish keeper needs.

Dieter Untergasser has shown both superb organizational skills and excellent photographic ability in putting together his handbook. The book begins with a flowchart, which can be used to trace symptoms to possible diseases and ultimately to treatment options. Disease and treatment sections are numbered for ease of location, and contain more than enough information to both determine the disease and the proper course of treatment. Sandwiched between the flowchart and disease and treatment pages is a chapter on recognizing and preventing disease, and a chapter on fishanatomy. The anatomy chapter is geared for actually performing a dissection, and is primarily of interest to those of us who simply must know every detail of how a fish is put together. On the other hand, the chapter on recognizing and preventing disease is something everyone should read. If I had been the author, I would have placed that chapter at thevery front of the book.

Quite a few books present flowcharts for diagnosing disease, but this one is the most detailed one I've seen. It encompasses 46 pages that are packed with information and photos. The chart is broken into groups based on where the symptom appears. Groups include: behavior changes, locomotion changes, physical changes, coloration changes, skin, fins, gills, and feces, to name a few. Once you follow the symptoms to a possible disease,the chapter is listed so you can jump directly to specific information instead of rummaging through the index to find where it is. The same istrue for treatment options.

Although this book contains a lot of information for the more serious hobbyist, it is still very useful for the beginner who is seeking help diagnosing and treating disease. Professionals will find the sections on diagnostic procedures such as dissections and microscopic examinations very useful in nailing down difficult diagnosis before a large inventory of fish is affected. Although the book was originally written recommending drugs available in Germany, Dr. Herbert Axelrod has substituted drugs that areavailable in the United States. He has even included the names and addresses of pharmaceutical companies that carry them.

This book is a valuable resource for anyone who keeps aquarium fish. Although several other good books are on the market, this is the most comprehensive one available on the topic of disease diagnosis and treatment. I highly recommend it.

Shirlie Sharpe, your Guide for Freshwater Aquarium