Aquariums Books

This is a great book, top-notch quality both on the text, pictures, quality of the paper used and information provided. In my opinion just one thing could make this book even better: a better organization/rating system for the fishes/invertebrates covered. The author put a lot of text for each fish/invertabrate without a simple to read classification on wheter a beginner like myself should buy or not that particular animal. For that I am using the excellent The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium [Hardcover] By Vincent B. Hargreaves, which provides a rating from 1 thru 5 on each animal depending on the complexity of keeping it on a fish tank.

Robert M. Fenner's THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST is an outstanding library reference. Revised and updated in a second edition, it provides saltwater hobbyists with a wealth of detail on keeping a successful saltwater aquarium. Chapters cover, in detail, everything from water health and saltwater species biology to discussions of setup options, maintenance, and more. Color photos abound and the information is detailed, not cursory. A top pick any saltwater hobbyist - and collections catering to them - must have.

This is a very informative book for anyone who is starting up a new saltwater aquarium. The illustrations are great. It covers a lot of depth and provides practical tips to setting up and maintaining an aquarium.

This book provides a great overview of the hobby. This is really where most people should start off reading in the hobby to determine if they're going to create a reef in their living room. Perhaps some should start with Paletta's The New Marine Aquarium first as a quick 1 day read, but really those who plan on enjoying the hobby would be well served by skipping the superbasic and getting into this book. That's not to say this is the only book you'll ever need - but this is enough book for most people to be quite content with. (For those of you who are 'bitten' by the hobby, The Reef Aquarium series by Delbeek & Sprung is an excellent resource, but there are others.) Enjoy,

I have been keeping a marine tank for less than 1 year. I got tired of just using the internet for all my knowledge-base of marine aquariums; spending many hours digging through all the forums for whatever current problem/issue i had, reading so many conflicting opinions and answers from 'experts', and often ending up at least as confused as when i began.

So I bought this book, read it, and feel much better equipped for the hobby. I still refer heavily to internet sources for more granular knowledge, but at least I now have a solid, reliable source for a foundation on which to build.

This book gave me more confidence, and left me eager to learn and do more in this hobby. It is beautifully illustrated, well composed, and the author conveys his own passion of the hobby and eagerness to educate responsible marine hobbyists.

This book is extremely deep in its explanation of all of the families of corals found in saltwater reef aquariums. Its a pretty heavy read, and I recommend something a little more basic if you are just getting into reef aquariums. This is my second book on corals, after a more basic and general saltwater hobby book. Had I not read the first one, I would have been a little overwhelmed by this one. Also, its a beautiful hardbound book that would do well as a coffee table book. The pictures of the corals are beautiful. I purchased it used, and the seller was punctual on delivery, with the book being in as good, if not better condition than was described.

An essential book for marine reef hobbyists, if you are interested in aquarium corals, this is one of the references you must review. Good pictures, extended information about each coral genus and quality information about coral care and maintenance in different types of reef aquariums.
Excellent quality-price relation for a book of one of the subject reference authors.

This book is simply "the bible" for corals. Not only it has an outstanding presentation (hard cover, deluxe paper, thousands of high-quality pictures) but also everything you need to know about corals. Great for the beginner, indispensable for the seasoned hobbist. If you are into reef tanks, you must own this book.

the book was everything i expected and more.it gave me a real understanding of the corals in my care and gave me great confidence in looking after them.great reading and great pics

Want to know just about everything there is to know about coral? Then this is the book for you. Tons of information and loaded with great pictures too.

This is an excellent quick guide to help you learning more about salt water fishes. It not only helps you deciding what fishes you want next but is also a very helpful guide to carry when shopping for new fishes. You can easily identify fishes that you don't know, with a scale with 1 to 5 on how hard it is to have it at home and compatibility with other fishes and invertebrates.

The highlight of this book, in my opinion, is showing pictures of Angelfishes when they are both young and adults, as their pattern change completely.

This book is great for when you want all the basic facts on a potential fish tankmate right there at your fingertips. Quick to find what you need, and very to-the-point. Great handy guide.

If you have a salt water aquarium, this is the one book you must have.

If you need a quick, comprehensive marine fish reference book this is the one to get. It is small enough to bring with you to the fish store and get a quick rundown on behaviors, ease of keeping, etc.

If you ask the fish store about a fish, they are probably looking in this book for the answer.

This is a must have book for the novice to choose which fish are right for your tank

The D.I. Y. moonlight manual is a money saving customized way to add moonlights to your aquarium. The manual is very easy to follow and the results are fantastic even if you do not consider yourself handy. The end product you create using LEBOS D.I.Y. manual is a very pleasing nightlight effect costing much less than purchasing one or two moonlights from any major dealer or pet supplier. I highly reccomend all of Lebos manuals!

VERY PROFESSIONAL KIT EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS THEIR TO GET STARTED AND BUILD YOUR OWN MOON LIGHTS FOR YOUR AQUARIUM VERY EASY TO DO INSTRUCTIONS EASY TO READ AND FOLLOW BUY THE KIT SAVE ALOT OF MONEY

This is a step by step manual that is very easy to follow. After getting the parts together, it only took a couple hours to have a working moonlight, and I'm no electrician. And check out the prices on a "professional" moonlight. Well worth the price.

This guide for building a moonlight was very easy to follow and was very detailed oriented. There are many pictures and step by step precedures to show exactly what I was supposed to do, and after reading the manuel I was able to build the moonlight in about 30 minutes. It fits great over my tank, and the fish absolutely love it. No skill is needed at all to start this because it is all tought in the manuel. Just a little work, a dab of epoxy here and there and the light is done. Very easy.

I enjoyed this easy to follow and well written Do-It-Yourself manual. It is filled with pictures, a parts list and where to find everything I needed to easily construct a Moonlight for viewing my reef tank at night. The manual is filled with helpful tips and a lesson for first time solders to make it possible for anyone to make their own Moonlight.

Reading this book is like having an aquarium-expert friend to take shopping with you. The author tells you which fish are best for beginners, what fish shouldn't even be sold, what qualities a dealer should have, what equipment you should buy, what equipment is a waste of your money, what products are dangerous, what plants are no good but are sold for aquariums anyway, etc. I finally found answers to a lot of questions that other books didn't cover. The book discusses cleaning schedules, necessary floor strength, and moving concerns. It explains water chemistry as simply as possible. There is list of the author's favorite aquarium books and other info sources. He even tells you how you can reach him.

The reasons why I didn't give this book 5 stars are trivial: Hard to make out black + white photos and substandard proofreading. Still, everyone who has or wants an aquarium needs this book.

This is a very good quide for the beginner. Mike walks through all the steps required for setup and maintaince of an aquarium. Gives good suggestions on fish & plants selections. If the steps in this book are followed the aquarist will have minimal problems to deal with.

Not much here for the experienced aquarist.

This is an informative, clear, funny, and brilliant book.
If you are just starting an aquarium, this is the book to get.
The beginning is all about the tanks, lights, and everything before the fish.
There is a section about fish but the photos are black & white so if you want to know more about the actual fish you probably want another book too.
Overall, a great book for beginners!

Are you starting an aquarium? Well, I've been running one for a while, and my dad used to keep one, and I can definitely tell you that it is absolutely critical to have at least one fish book on hand in order to set up your fish tank properly.

To the book. So why is this so hyped and high rated? First of all, it doesn't lie. You will learn why water changes are important, what pH is, and why you don't keep oscars with neon tetras. You will learn how to position and set up your tank, and you will learn the difference between a canister and undergravel filter. And most importantly, you will learn how to keep fish. Like some others have said, this book does mainly focus on the care and setting up on the aquarium, so for the fish and plants it would help a lot to get a separate book that specializes in those, because his descriptions are not that detailed. However, I can nearly guarantee you that you will not fail in your aquatic endeavor with this guide at hand. Good luck, and may your filter never crash when you are on vacation.

WOW! This book was ESSENTIAL to our successful (and fun) entry into the world of fish and aquariums. Great tips, easy to follow directions and explanations of "what, why, when and why NOT", written in a funny (if somewhat corny) manner, this book is easy and fun to read. I actually found myself taking it on a trip - and trust me, I have NEVER taken a reference book on vacation unless I was expecting to work on vacation. So, this book gets five stars. Buy it used if you have to do so (we did). We bought five different aquarium books, and this one was the best, and we refer back to it often.

Excellent book. You do not need any other for set up design or reference.

Great read with all the information you would need to create, maintain, and sustain a reef tank. However, the book can be overwhelming with information about every theroy out there about filtration, etc., with out really recommending the best approach/technology to maintaining reef systems. For a beginner, it was a lot of reading to get what I needed. Overall, I would buy it again.

very informative and comprehensive, would strongly recomend it for beginner and experienced reefer. Well worth the money

This is a book that every one should own, that want's or has a reef Aquarium. This book go's into great details.

This book is very good for the saltwater hobby. I know English language not so well, but I read this book with pleasure and to me almost all was clear without the dictionary.

If you want to raise clownfish or just want to know everything about them, this is definitely the book for you. I lost my copy and tore my house apart to find it and finally had to purchase a new one - just can't live without it.
For raising clownfish, she covers everything from spawning, hatching, catching, feeding, raising food, illnesses, selling, etc. It's amazing how many times I've had a problem, looked in the book, and she wrote about it.
This is definitely 'the bible' for raising clownfish.

it was really informative. I feel when i am ready i may be able to mate my clowns successfully with confidence. i also appriciate the background the author went into.

This reads well and has great background on breeding clownfishes. It gives you the right level of detail to understand what you will have to do to be successful. I have been breeding clownfish with this and another book as my guides and this is the better one of the two. The other is more detailed but so scientific it is confusing. This one is reasonable as a resource. I have an M.A. in aquatic botany so I understand jargon, but breeding fish is a practical activity for many of us, not a scientific research endeavor. You'll like this as a resource if breeding these interesting fish.

Good luck

Tim

Of the many books i got, this is by far the most detailed. Also because it focuses on one kind of fish i guess.
pretty detailed info is available on the various clownfish types, some of the behaviours are also listed to understand your pet a little better.

not a book focussed on filling pages for sure. however, a bit more was expected for detailed trouble shooting issues concerned to behaviours.

overall a nice book if you want to get to know your clown or the anemones.

If you're interested in keeping clownfish, this is the perfect book. The author goes into appropriate detail on what is needed to keep clownfish, what kinds of anemones can be kept with them (and their requirements), and how to breed them if you're so inclined. I found the book very easy to understand and not overly burdened with scientific and technical language. I also thought she had a very funny sense of humor that is sprinkled throughout. The pictures are great and she's actually had experience with most species in captivity and is able to make careful distictions to specific characteristics or needs of the different species. Some things I found especially helpful were the chapter on clownfish nutrition (she's really done her homework on that) and the common sense approaches to copepod cultivation for feeding baby clownfish. A great book for those keeping clownfish, even if you're not interested in breeding them.

This book has helped me tremendously from everything to tank set up to introducing ideas such as hanging a coral on a fishing line to taking advantage of space and flow. Even after years of experience I can still go to it and learn some more information. I believe Calfo is releasing an updated version of this soon so be on the look out for it.

John M
http://www.lareefs.com

very excellent book. for the pros. maybe too much for casual aquarists

I know I am not the only person who sees a nice corals and wants it. Either the person selling it tried to assure me 'oh it'll do fine in your tank' OR they try and sell 100s in equiptment I don't need. Before making a coral purchase I consult this book, will it -really- do well in my tank? Sometimes the answer is no, sometimes yes, BUT since consulting this book I've never had a coral witheraway and die. From reading the articles on the various types of corals, I have better possitioned my tank, and ended up with happy corals growing and spreading in my tank. The money for this book has saved me time and and again from throwing away money on the wrong coral or the wrong equiptment It has also saved me time in doing things right the first time.

This book is very readable and not dry at all. Its actually a good read which is rare in a truly useful book. The style and organization of this book make it a book that is never on my book shelf, it's most often on my nightstand becasue it always seems to have another gem of wisdom to impart.

Calfo goes into minute detail with humor. As expected he hit the nail on the head with this one, again.

Remember all of those mundane questions on the reef forums?

431 Pages packed with the answers and advice that we all seek. From newby grommets to advanced marine aquarists, Anthony Calfo has suceeded in putting his knowledge into the words that are understandable to all of us. And, that's without glossy photographs!

I couldn't put the book down and read it cover to cover.

Get this book and read it ...

If you're thinking of starting a marine aquarium or already have one this book is for you. Not only do the authors describe a plethora of invertebrates but there's a chapter on refugiums that is the most informative source on the subject that I've seen up to this point.

This book is awesome. Covers everything from basic waterflow and setup through animal interactions and suggestions. Lots to be learned from both novice and experienced.

I've been reading information penned by Mr. Calfo and Mr. Fenner online and was hoping this book would reflect the same wealth of knowledge and sense of humor I've come to expect. I wasn't dissapointed. If you're looking for information on selection, compatibility and geographical origin of many invertabrates for the reef aquarium this is the book to buy. As an added bonus there is a chapter dedicated to refugiums.

I have an extensive library of reef aquarium books, including all Sprung & Delbeek series. This book is beyond doubt the very best guide to reef inverts. It does not cover corals, anemones or, of course, fish. There will be future volumes for those topics. The authors provide extremely thorough coverage of the topic in an entertaining writing style. I anxiously await future volumes in this series. Highest recommendation.

I'm on a tight budget, so usually try to get a book through the library rather than buying, if possible. This one was not available, so I took a chance buying it. I'm soooo glad I did. There's an enormous amount of information. I will be referencing this book for years. I'm interested in raising macroalgae and dwarf seahorses, and compatible invertebrates. Everything is geared toward corals nowadays and live rock, neither of which are necessarily safe for 1 inch seahorses. I was thrilled to find a large section on macroalgae in this book. The focus is on using them for refugiums, but I easily adapted the techniques, including a deep sand bed, to my 2.5 gallon dwarf seahorse tanks. Start here for the easiest way to get incredible water quality in your tanks. The live deep sand bed with macroalgae technique in this book, keeps the approx 1.5 gallons of water in my tanks ammonia-free. Amazing. Also, explains which macroalgae go "sexual," so you can avoid purchasing the ones that may foul the tank (and which are often promoted and sold as the best to buy!). Thanks so much to Anthony Calfo & Bob Fenner - and for their website, too ([...]).

This book came in a timely fashion and was very well kept. Great book to read when looking for the answers to questions you may have. Awesome purchase.

This series is well worth every penny. You can find a lot of books for less but that is what you are getting. Save yourself some money and get the series that thoroughly do cover every aspect of the hobby in amazing detail. This series is amazing and you will love it. It is a bit scientific but it does not leave anything out.

New hobbyist should read this book for advice, then read it again in 6 months.

An exceptional book on the subject. It is comprehensive but I would not say not complete as no book on this subject could be. Still I believe this book to be the best work compiled in book form. Described by many as "the Bible" on the subject it indeed may be but it is not dogmatic as it offers several options and methods and leaves it for the aquarist to use.
(Note: This volume covers stony corals and not soft corals).
When I started keeping marine aquaria keeping back in 1970 one almost had to employ the skills of a chemist. In those days most people in the hobby  thought it nearly impossible to care for many of the species of coral now commonly kept. It was only through the encouragement of a local public aquarium (the John G. Shedd Aquarium) whereas a high school student I was able to participate in collecting trips that I got the encouragement to experiment. I started out with Robert Straughan's books back in 1970 which both helped to get me in trouble and helped me grow as an aquarist. both In those days there was an awful lot of trial and error. Later in the late 70's I helped to pioneer some techniques when I worked for the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. In those days in San Francisco I worked for one of the largest marine fish wholesalers in the world. We had a lot of shipments that went off to Germany and now I wonder if some of the species that passed through my hands ended up in the hands of the authors. Somewhat of a revolution went of in the hoby in the 1980 thanks in part to the efforts of the Germans. Thankfully the hobby is now much more of a discipline and a lot more humane. It is quite amazing how far the hobby has come. I am sure the hobby will continue to evolve. This is a pricey book but it is a pricey hobby and this book is one of the best, if not the best, books on the subject available. The best place to start with the hobby is a book like this one.

The good?

This book is truly a comprehensive piece covering probably more than you want to know at times. For example, it explains the chemical reactions that occur during calcification of corals and why additions are necessary.

After reading many other references, I must say I am very happy I purchased this volume. Contained in these pages are insights you won't find anywhere else.

The book clearly explains the setup and maintenance procedures required to be successful in stony coral reef keeping.

The bad?

My main gripe is trivial. Guys, how about a larger font size and pictures? I had to do a lot of squinting.

It could do with a minor revision of some references that are dated (such as collection of live rock from Florida) as the original was 1994, but make no mistake that all information is relevant.

In summary...

Obviously at this price it is unfortunately out of reach of the casual hobbyist, which is a shame. However, one could buy this book instead of various "reference manuals" which might be the same at the end of the day.

Buy it if you can afford it.

I also highly recommend Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals book.