Pages:   207

Assessment:
For those who are serious African Cichlid buffs, this book is a necessary addition.  For those who are just interested, you would be better suited to a simpler book.

Value to your library:
1   2   3   4  5

Product Review

Ad Konings is one of the most respected aquarists in the world today, and is the specialist for Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika.  In this now aged book that has been one of the key books on the lake for 10+ years.

Highlights

This book is broken into several sections, each with its own gems of knowledge.  It begins with a look into the statistics of the lake touching on more generalities, and also giving pictures of some of the amazing creatures in the lake...such as Jellyfish, Crocks, Underwater Cobras, Eels, and an amazing Snail. 

After tantalizing us with all the non-fish life in the lake, Konings continues by breaking down the fish in the lake in 3 different ways.  First by the different types of feeding strategies of the fish in the lake, then by what types of habitat the fish live in, and then by breeding strategies.  This 3 pronged breakdown serves to give new insight into each fish as it allows you to consider each of the major fish families from 3 different angles.

Once you have gained a basic understanding of the different fish of the lake and the way they live, breed and survive, the most interesting section of the book arises.  The evolution of the lake is discussed, paying special attention to how lake levels over time has caused different species to appear...often on opposite sides of the lake with other species or color variants in-between.  The explanations here go for 35+ pages and are fascinating for the hobbyist who has a great deal of knowledge and experience with the cichlids from this lake.

After all the interesting scientific information, you will be treated to more and more photos of the fish in the lake.  More than 350 photos, adorn the book, with the great percentage of those being underwater photos taken in the lake.  I've often remarked that you don't really understand the fish until you can see how they live in the wild, and since most of us cannot afford to go to lake Tanganyika, this is the closest we will come to seeing the fish in their natural habitat.

Lowlights

The only problem I can perceive with the book would be if the person reading the book had little experience with the fish of the lake.  If you do not have a fair amount of knowledge of the fish in the lake, you would be better to purchase a simpler, more beginner-oriented book before you delved into this one.  Without some background knowledge, the majority of the book could seem boring as its best points would be lost on someone who didn't have a high amount of interest in the lake.

Overall

I picked this book up out of my local Fish Society's Library and I'm glad I did.  For those who have been keeping Tanganyika cichlids for some time and have interest in seeing and learning more about the fish than they can get on the internet or in less expensive books, this book is the perfect treat for a couple of Sunday afternoons.