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Baensch/Mergus Cichlid Atlas, Vol. 2

Konigwolf

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5 Year Member
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120
2 questions about this wonderful book

1- Is it an updated/revised version of #1 with extra fish etc or do I still need to find a needle in haystack (ie version1)

2- Best place to buy online, needs pref. paypal, but can use visa, must deliver to australia (I figure amazon, but if someone here reccomends a better place I'll give serious consideration)

Thanks


Andrew
 

Mike Wise

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Cichlid Atlas 2 is a completely different book from CA1. CA1 is presently out of print, but should be available later this year as a reprint. CA1 is an excellent book, well worth waiting for.

Sadly, I can not recommend CA2. It has too many problems in my opinion. The manuscript of the English edition doesn't appear to have been adequately proofread. Editing is horrible. The text with many of the figures are in German instead of English. Many of the figures have German text in the figure itself. Some even have the wrong text with the figure! As far as I can see it includes only 1 new apisto species that hasn't been discussed previously in other books. It doesn't even include all of the species known up to autumn of 2006 (when the manuscript was finished). You'll have to wait until CA3 for those. This could have been a much better book if the publisher had taken the time to do it right. I also have major problems with his statistical analyses. He doesn't use enough differentiating character sets. Because of the they often don't make sense and require Römer to go into contorted logic to make species fall into his biogeographic and phylogenetic schemes. For the price of the book (US$65 - $75), there are less expensive, more complete, and in my opinion more accurate books available.

Remember, I have nothing personal against Uwe. I like him. He is a very dedicated apistophile. Afer all, I helped him (together with Mary Bailey, BCA) translate the German manuscript into English.
 

Konigwolf

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5 Year Member
Messages
120
Thanks very much mike, means santa will just wait for the reprint instead of not so wisely spending his money, again thanks for the help.

Andrew
 

KenL

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5 Year Member
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146
Thanks Mike.

What English language book would you recommend?

The last book I bought was the one by Mayland/Bork
 

Microman

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5 Year Member
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387
Location
Shropshire,England.
Hi Ken,
I dont suppose Mike wants to blow his own trumpet so i will do it for him. I have all the english language books available including both of Uwes books and would personally recommend Mikes English translation of Ingo Koslowskis German book Die Buntbarsche Amerikas, Band 2...... Cichlids of the Americas, Volume 2, Apistogramma and Co.

You will however also need the original German book or The Datz book Sudamerikanische Zwergcichliden also by Ingo Koslowski to go with the translation for picture reference as Mikes book does not contain pictures, only the text translation.

It is excellent and was as up to date as was possible when originally published in 2002.Mikes translation also includes the Datz A numbers system and a translators addendum which brings the information within even more up to date,2006....

Im sure Mike can fill you in more than i....
Mark...
 

jose_vogel

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5 Year Member
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317
Location
Argentina
I agree with Mike Wise and Microman about their opinion on CA2 but it have a Chapter that I love: "systematics, biogeography and evolution".

Mike, CA2 also have some text in portuguese!!!

And, of course, the best book for ID is the german book mentioned by Microman with Mike´s translation.
 

Mike Wise

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Thanks for the compliment, Mark. I must agree with you about Koslowski's book. It is the best yet for identification, distribution, and habitats in the wild. That is why I translated it; certainly not for me, but for other English reading hobbyists. It is a smaller book than CA2, but discusses all of the apisto species up to the end of 2002. When I translated it, I included discussions of all of the species discovered since June 2005. Since then, 4 or 5 new species have been found, but none of these seem to be commercially available right now.

I still have a few copies of Koslowski's book and the DATZ book, too. I am selling my last few remaining sets of Koslowski's book "Die Buntbarsche Americas: Band 2 - Apistogramma & Co" (with English translation) for $30 + shipping anywhere to members of this forum. I even have a few DATZ books that I'm selling for $25. I'll sell all three (Koslowski book, English translation, & DATZ book) for $50 + shipping. If interested, please contact me at my personal email address: apistowise(at)earthlink(dot)net.
 

Mike Wise

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I agree with Mike Wise and Microman about their opinion on CA2 but it have a Chapter that I love: "systematics, biogeography and evolution".

Personally, I think that there are some major problems (errors) in Uwe's phylogenetic & biogeographical results. This is mostly due to the use of poor sampling methodology. Statistically, the more uniform a population (in this case, the genus Apistogramma), the more statistical points (charachteristics) are need to produce a statistically significant result. He uses fewer statistical points (characteristics) for this single, more uniform genus than Kullander (1998) used for his statistical analyses of all of the much less uniform genera of South American cichlids. In my opinion, Uwe's analyses only confuse the matter.
 

georgedv

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5 Year Member
Messages
335
Location
South Carolina
I am for a book on dwarf cichlids. Which one OR ones would you suggest. I have heard that Dwarf Cichlids of the world is the best so far. Also how do I get Mikes' translation plus the original book in German. Is there an online site to order such books. Barnes & Nobles did not have them in their database.

Thanks for any help.

G
 

Mike Wise

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I am the only person who sells the English translation of Koslowski's excellent book, "Die Buntbarsche Amerikas - Apistogramma & Co. (Cichlids of the Americas - Apistogramma & Co.). I sell the original book with it for a total cost of $30 + shipping while my stock lasts. You can also by it from the publisher, but it won't come with the English translation & will be more expensive.

Other excellent books that I recommend are Römer's Cichlid Atlas 1 (when it comes back in stock) and the DATZ book South American Dwarf Cichlids. I have a few copies of the DATZ book that I can sell, too.
 

georgedv

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335
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That's what I need Mike. The German version, your translation, and the DATZ book. Is the DATZ book in English or German? Do I need a translation for that one too? Mike I am also sending you an e-mail at your personal e-mail address.

Thanks for eveything.
 

Mike Wise

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Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
That's what I need Mike. The German version, your translation, and the DATZ book. Is the DATZ book in English or German? Do I need a translation for that one too? Mike I am also sending you an e-mail at your personal e-mail address.

Thanks for eveything.

While my stock last, I will sell all 3 books for $50.00 plus shipping. I can ship almost anywhere in the world. I just need to know the address/country. I accept payment in the US by personal check (needs to clear before books are shipped), money order, or credit card (with PayPal). All funds must be in US currency. Most people use PayPal & their credit card. If you haven't used PayPal before, I can have a bill sent to you and PayPal will explain how to use your credit card with them.

The DATZ book is in both English & German. Yes, I translated the book for DATZ, too.
 

HaakonH

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5 Year Member
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Norway
I'm possibly a bit off topic here, but I just had a quick look at the new version of Linke & Staeck's book (Tetra Verlag: Kleine Buntbarsche - Amerikanische Cichliden I, Art-Nr.: TV451971). It sure LOOKS good, and has quite a few news in it. What's the view on this new version?
 

Mike Wise

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It is a very good book. One thing I do not like about this book is that every edition has only a few new species in it. The rest is the same as the previous edition. You spend a lot of money for just a few new pages. It costs 29,90€. For 24,90€ Koslowski's book discusses many more species. It is, of course, almost 5 years old, but virtually all of the species in the hobby are in it. An even better value is the complete 3 volume set of Die Buntbarsche Amerikas that Ulmer Verlag now sells for only 50,00€.

On another note, the DATZ special publication South American Dwarf Cichlids is light years better than Aqualog's Southamerican Cichlids II, although I like their (Dieter Bork's) Aqualog Extra: the latest Apistogramma.
 

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