So You Want To Read Some Books!!

[MLP]

Hi Everyone,

Here is a quick piece of advice and a list of books that are both usefull to sucess in this hobby. Reading books does not necessarly answer all our questions, thoughy it does give us a base from which to know what questions to ask, and better understand the diversity of answers that we may get. The knowledge from books also allows us to take all the openions we get and decide with one, or combonations of them, will work best for our own perticular situation.


~~~~~The best advise that I can give you is to have patience, as only bad things happen fast in this side of the hobby. And invest in some books, it will be money well spent and you will never regret it as long as you keep marine fish. Here is a list of some of the better books available.~~~~~
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The Marine Aquarium Problem Solver
by Nick Dakin
(Great general, fish, and invert info. all with Q & A senarios, easy to read, good quick ref.. Excellent book for a beginner or novice. Good price $20, and very current, 1997.)


Natural Reef Aquariums,
Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms
by John Tullock
(Excellent book, looks at the natural way (among others) to filtration, reef zones and enviroments, and most of the basics. Similar to Fenners book "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist", though geared more towards "Reef Systems". Under $30, Very current, 1997.)


The Conscientious Marine Aquarist : A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists
by Robert Fenner
(Excellent book. Similar to Tullocks book "Natural Reef Aquariums", though geared more towards "FO Systems". Under $30, Very current, 1998.)


Marine Reef Aquarium Handbook
by Dr. Robert J. Goldstein
(A great little book at a great little price $10. Not so much a how to book, more an info book on all aspects and functions of a saltwater tank. Very informative and very current, 1997.)


The Coral Reef Aquarium
by Ron Shimek
(A book designed specifically for beginners. This one is bran new, just released July, 1999. I haven't even got a chance to review it yet, but it comes with high reguards.)


The Reef Aquarium Volume 1
by Delbeek & Sprung
(Excellent book, looks at the biology of corals & tridacnid clams, systems for maintaining corals & clams, all the basic set-up info, (lighting, disease, nuisance algae control, etc.). Sometimes better suited to the novice or expert as opposed to the beginner, (very involved). Still a book that should be added to your library.)


The Reef Aquarium Volume 2
by Delbeek & Sprung
(Compliment to Vol. 1, more indepth on corals and inverts, less on initial tank set-up. Excellent book, and the same goes for this one as Vol. 1.)


The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium
by Fossa & Nilsen
(Great ref. book on live rock aquarium set-ups, aquascaping, lighting, etc.)


A Practical Guide to Corals for the Reef Aquarium
by E. Puterbaugh & E. Boreman
(Brain, Moon, LPS, SPS, leather, soft, pulsing, star polyps, mushroom anemones with an easy guide to care that includes lighting, water flow, agressiveness, dificulty of care.)


The Book of the Marine Aquarium
by Nick Dakin
(Fish and invert info good, basic info is good, set-up is a little dated)


Anemonefish and their Host Anemones
by Fautin & Allen
(Excellent guide to clownfish and anemones)

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The following books are basicly system techniques and set-ups. Some are a little dated however, still very usefull info.
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The Marine Aquarium Reference (Systems and Invertebrates)
by Martin A. Moe Jr.
(A welth of info on systems, components, how they work and how to build them.)


The Marine Fish and Invert Reef Aquarium
by Albert J. Thiel
(Tons of info on system componets and equipment, how they work and insight to their construction.)


Small Reef Aquarium Basics
by Albert J. Thiel
(A bit dated, and not quite as indepth as his other book mentioned here, still quite informative.)


The Marine Aquarium Handbook (Beginner to Breeder)
by Martin A. Moe Jr.
(Dated basic general info, definately not a first pick.)
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Well there are more but this should suffice for now. Some of these system books that are in my library are dated, check the printing date as some have been updated with new info. My copies of these are from the late 80's. HTHS

And please, if anyone has any to add to this list by all means do so.



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Happy Reefing,
Michael
mlp@aquariacentral.com

Learn form the mistakes of others, Life is too short to make them all for yourself!

[Sloeber]

Reef Fishes Vol. 1
by Scott W. Micheal
(My new favorite for fish ID and species help. Scott covers many aspects of the Reef including history and habitats. Also, does a great job on taxonomy and anatomy. And, of course, he covers the species of fish. Volume 1 covers some of the more obscure/eclectic fish including Ghoast Pipefish, Waspfish, Coral Crouchers, Sea Moths, etc... A great read even if your not interested in the species it covers. A must for all hobbiest, IMO. About $60 - 70. Why is it I have to wait until Volume 3 for wrasses? )

Diseases in Marine Aquarium Fish
by Gerald Bassleer
(Very affordable - $16. Great overview of the most common diseases facing the SW hobbiest. Not only picture ID's of parasites, but info of treatment, and an indepth section on drugs he recommends - and how to apply them. At this price, the SW hobbiest can't afford to be without it.)

Corals for the Mini-Reef Aquarium
by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod
(AWESOME picture book. That alone is worth the $35. The info is useful, although I felt a few items were questionable. Covers everything from LPS, SPS, and softies, too. Not very indepth, but a good guide for beginners.)

The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium Vol. 2
by Svein A. Fossa and Alf Jacob Nilsen
(Superior! From Coral Reef reproduction, to Jellyfish, to info on most every speices of coral, this book is it. Armed with Vol. 1 of the series, I beleive anybody (everybody!) could be a successful hobbiest. Besides Vol. 1, it is the best $70 I spent in this hobby. Very detailed. May confuse beginners.)

Giant Clams
by Daniel Knop
(If you want to keep clams, you need this book. Period. )

Baensch Marine Atlas Vol. 1 - 3
by Baensch and Debelius (Vol 1) and Erhardt and Moosleitner (Vol 2/3)
(About $90 for the set, well worth it. Covers most every life form on the reef. Shrimp, Nudi's, Caulerpa, Corals, not to mention fish. If it's on the reef, it's in this series. Also, it claims it covers every species of surgeonfish known. If it lacks anywhere, it is in the coral section. Limited.)

There's still more, but I thought I'd give a few others a chance.

henry


[This message has been edited by hcs3 (edited 10-21-1999).]

[This message has been edited by hcs3 (edited 10-21-1999).]

[Larry M]

Nice job. I just want to say I think "A Practical Guide to Corals" should be required reading for all reefers. If we all made our buying decisions based upon his difficulty rating system, the hobby would be better off. Also, "Diseases in Marine Aquarium Fish" has microscopic photographs of parasites, etc. which seem to be hard to come by.


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com

[RCraw45425]

Larry, I'm glad to hear that about the practicalguide to corals. I just ordered if from Books a million online, great price, with discount about $16 plus shipping. I also ordered the idiots guide to salt, Terry B just reviewed it on AL, and I thought it might not hurt to have another view on things, plus, I still consider myself an idiot. Robin

[Larry M]

Robin--I hadn't heard of that last book, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say about it. As far as idiots go, you can put me up near the top of the list too. I had Borneman's book and bought a gonipora anyway. *Slap*


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com

[Kirbster]

You guys are just showing off your bold and italics!

Here's some great news:

Martin Moe said at MACNA that he was coming out with a new edition of The Marine Aquarium Reference: Systems and Invertebrates. The first edition is 10 years old, so this should have a lot of new info. It will be a must-have!

You guys have most of the basic books listed. How about some of the more advanced and/or scientific books. I think my favorite book of all-time (next to Dr. Seuss' One Fish, two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is

Dynamic Aquaria: Building Living Ecosystems
by Walter Adey and Karen Loveland
It was originally published in 1991, but I think a lot of the ideas are just now coming to the forefront. Not many are doing things exactly as proposed by Adey, but most of our current "natural" systems are based on concepts in this book. It's textbook-like reading, but well worth it for an advancing aquarist.

KA

[This message has been edited by Kirbster (edited 10-21-1999).]

[Sloeber]

sweet. i'll grab it when it's out. BTW, have you heard anything about TRA V3 or TMCRA V3? i can't wait for these to be released.

henry

[RCraw45425]

Hey everyone, right after I posted the first message, the UPS driver showed up. So far, I'm pleased with Books a Million.com. The Coral book was 37% off retail, 15.71 as opposed to 24.95, and the Idiiot book was 12.20, as opposed to 16.95. $4.90 freight, plus, a return policy and a postage paid label if you decide to do so. I'mgoing to check with them about some of the other books, too. Robin BTW, I tried to post this on the Saltwater reef board at AL, it wouldn't let me, now you have to go BACK to the combo board.

[Kirbster]

TRA 3 isn't going to surface real soon IMO, because Julian was behind schedule on his book that is just coming out now. I talked to Eric Borneman about Julian's new book and he says it will give Practical Guide a run for its money in the inexpensive/identification/basic husbandry department. So there's another one.

As far as TMCRA, I don't get to Norway very often, so I haven't bugged Nielssen and Fossa about that one.

Scott Michael is behind schedule on RF2, but he swears it is coming. In the meantime he has a pocket guide of 500 common species coming out. I saw a mock-up of it and it looks pretty good.

Finally, Henry, glad to see Giant Clams on your list. As far as specialized books go, that one just makes you say, "Wow!". And speaking of Daniel Knop...

He has what looks like an incredible book about photographing aquariums. Unfortunately it's written in German. I asked him when the translation was coming out. He said, "THESE THINGS TAKE TIIIIIIME!" I think he would have rather asked me when I was going to take the time to learn German. But in the meantime I'm going to remain an "Ugly American" and demand everything be translated to English.

KA

P.S. Daniel Knop is a really great guy. Don't want to give the wrong impression. If you ever catch him at a conference he'll chat with anyone till the cows come home.

[cjdevito]

TMCRA III isn't expected until next year. I have no idea about TRA III, JCD hasn't said anything about it recently that I know of. Maybe when Sprung does his chat session at Reefers we'll find out something....

No one has listed Veron's "Corals of Australia and and the Indo-Pacific" yet. If you're into SPS corals, you have to own this one, absolutely. No care information, but the only real identification reference for SPS corals available. Also, it makes the best "coffee table" book in the hobby.

Books on the horizon:

Eric Borneman's new one is due out before the end of the year, and I'm personally looking forward to it quite a bit. Eric's approaches to aquarium husbandry are well worth emulating, and I expect this one will be on a lot of people's "favorite" lists once it's out.

Sprung's new one is, I think, just a PGC style book. Should be cool, though.

And of course, Dan Knop's new one just came out. Haven't seen a copy yet, but I expect it to be a winner.

[Larry M]

Just for the record, how many books does Eric Borneman have out? Does anyone know what the new one is going to be called?


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com

[ReefDad]

I wish there was the equivalent to
A Practical Guide to Corals for the Reef Aquarium
called
A Practical Guide to Caulerpa/Macro Algae for the Reef Aquarium.

Any suggestions?

Tom


[This message has been edited by ReefDad (edited 10-21-1999).]

[BrianD]

I have in my possession (just got it yesterday):

The Coral Reef Aquarium
by Ron Shimek

mentioned by MLP (above). It is directed at the beginner, but covers some areas (filtration, chemical processes, etc) very well, IMO, in fairly easy to understand language.

Brian

[This message has been edited by BrianD (edited 10-21-1999).]

[This message has been edited by BrianD (edited 10-21-1999).]

[cjdevito]

Eric B's book is titled "Aquarium Corals:
Husbandry, Selection, and Natural History", Larry.

Reefdad: There's "Marine Plants of the Carribean", and Modern Coral Reef Aquarium (Vol I, I think) has a good section on macroalgae as well.

[Biosystems]

Kirbster,

Have you heard anything about the release of Moe's comprehensive breeding of marine fish that is supposed to be released. That is one that I have been interested in for quite some time.

Thanks,
Tim

[Kirbster]

Uh...no. Didn't even know he was writing it. The only thing he mentioned was the new Marine Aquarium Reference.

I am likewise interested, though.

KA

[Biosystems]

Kirbster,
I thought you may have an inside scoop. He references it all through his orchid dottyback breeder's journal. It is supposed to be a definitive text of home and commercial breeding of marine fish.

Tim

[Sloeber]

reefdad

TMCRA V1 and Baensch Marine Atlas V1. I'd say the Baensch may be a little bit better.

HTH

henry

[ReefDad]

Thanks for the titles - and BTW, booksamillion.com looks like a great resource as well!

Tom

[Larry M]

Any more additions to the book list?


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com

[Doug1]

Hi folks, great list. YOU should include checkoff boxes to make it a easy wish list
Has anyone read or reviewed Mike Palletta's Book? Keep up the good work,

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I reefed,so I spent,it would have been cheaper to do it right the first time.........Doug@thereeftank

[cjdevito]

Mike Paletta's book is surprisingly good, especially considering it's low cost. It's a small book, but it should still be considered 'the' reference book on FOWLR tanks.

[Aescleah]

hi there
i read a idiots guide to both salt and freshwater. i really liked the freshwater one .but was sort of dissapointed with the salt water .one it just seemed like it covered the absolute basics and way to many jokes. not to mention if you look in the back they actully suggest a emporer angel for a setup 75.not to mention a manduran dragonette was also suggested in there some where as a beginners start up . he also said that a 29 though not recommended a 29 gal would ok to start out. i am not sure about everyone but i had all sorts of trouble with a 55 i could only imagine what a 29 would be like.there were someother things but those are the things that really stand out at the moment.
just my 2 cents

Ashley

[Larry M]

What is the title of Paletta's book?


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com

[Sloeber]

if i'm right, i haven't seen anyone mention the Burgess Atlas yet. so, here goes...

Dr. Burgess's Mini-Atlas of the Marine Aquarium Fishes
by Dr. Warren E. Burgess, Dr. HJerbert R. Axelrod and Ray Hunziker

An oldy but a goody. The text is somewhat outdated, but it still remains a good identification guide.

henry