Ornamental Fish Farming eBook
The advantage of having the eBook available in 10 separate parts (taken from and identical to the hardcover book) is that sections of interest to hobbyists, particularly on breeding, but also on fish keeping techniques, chemistry, and fish health can be purchased separately at a much lower cost than buying the whole hardcover book.
The hardcover version is still available and recommended for commercial producers and serious breeders who need to access information easily and frequently.
A guide given below, written by the author, indicates the suitability of each section for hobbyists. For a more comprehensive list of the topics covered in each section, go to ABOUT THE BOOK and click on ‘Table of Contents with Sample Pages’.
EBOOK 1: FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION
This section gives a detailed background to some important aspects of fish breeding and commercial production. These include: a look at water and how it supports fish life in the natural environment, basic water chemistry from a fish breeding and farming perspective, an overview of production and general breeding methods for different groups (families) of fish, commercial suitability of major families, identifying the sexes, advice on obtaining breeders, and how to quarantine new breeders.
Potentially useful to both hobbyist breeders and commercial producers.
EBOOK 2: OPERATING STYLES, STRATEGIES AND FACILITIES
This section gives different options in facility design, and production methods and strategies for different circumstances, with advantages and disadvantages for each. The section includes detailed descriptions and illustrations of 3 production layouts: a small, home-sized production set-up, a medium sized operation in a large insulated shed, and a large farm layout.
This section is suited to commercial breeders and producers.
EBOOK 3: PRODUCTION METHODS
EBOOKS 3 and 4 are the heart of the book from a fish breeding perspective. PART 3 gives extremely detailed and comprehensive, but understandably written methods for all stages of breeding the egg-scatterers – usable even by beginners! It tells how to hold and condition breeders (including diets), set them up for spawning, detect eggs, look after larvae, give the first feed (with food options), raise fry, maintain water quality, deal with health issues etc. This section is based on the egg-scatterers, but is also used as a technique guide and reference for all other species because there is so much common ground between them.
Strongly recommended in conjunction with PART 4, for both hobbyist and commercial breeders.
EBOOK 4: BREEDING STYLES IN GROUPS WITH REPRESENTATIVE FAMILIES AND SPECIES
This section gives extremely detailed breeding information for many of the major families, (tetras, barbs, danios, rainbowfish, cichlids, gouramis, catfish, livebearers, goldfish, koi etc) with individual representative species from each family. Information includes the best water chemistry and temperature for breeding, setting up for spawning, the spawning process, early rearing and grow-out, harvesting and packing, with many important breeding and production characteristics specific to the species.
Strongly recommended in conjunction with PART 3, for both hobbyist and commercial breeders.
EBOOK 5: MISCELLANEOUS FISH FARMING TECHNIQUES
Although the name doesn’t suggest it, a lot of this section is also of potential interest to hobbyist breeders, notably such topics as culturing infusoria and other live foods, making glass fish tanks, hatching brine shrimp, making artificial spawning media, how to make peat extract, methods for encouraging or inducing spawning (including hormone injection), biological filtration etc. (For the full 24 topics see the List of Contents on the website).
Potentially of interest to both hobbyist and commercial breeders.
EBOOK 6: FISH DISEASES AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT
All about pathogenic disease, with some golden rules on health management on fish farms, and descriptions and illustrations of the causative organisms of many common diseases, with treatments. Includes identifying signs and symptoms, and common causes of ill health and disease in fish.
Predominantly commercially oriented, but potentially also of interest to serious hobbyists.
EBOOK 7: WATER CHEMISTRY
Comprehensive section explaining essential aspects of fish-oriented water chemistry. Includes methods and chemicals for managing water chemistry on fish farms, and for breeding, with methods for softening, hardening and buffering water, and adjusting pH etc.
Predominantly commercially oriented, but with many aspects of interest to serious hobbyists.
EBOOK 8: MARKETING
Options in choice of markets and marketing strategies. Advice on capturing a market share, establishing selling prices, meeting quality requirements, marketplace security and customer relations etc.
Commercial interest only.
EBOOK 9: SITE SELECTION
A detailed examination of the considerations when choosing a site for ornamental fish production. Includes such aspects as water availability and suitability, terrain suitability, energy and communication, statutory considerations, security and predators. A concise checklist of essentials is given at the end of the section.
Commercial interest only.
EBOOK 10: INDIVIDUAL SPECIES
Concise breeding methods for over 130 species/varieties of major commercial families. Includes breeding tank size, water chemistry and temperature, breeding style, spawning tank set-up, grouping of breeders, and a general comment on ease or difficulty of breeding and commercial production, and market demand.
Probably more of commercial value, but may be of interest to some hobbyist breeders.
