You havent failed me yet RC, so whats the best beginner book?

[Sean_South]

The knowledge I have found here has been insurmountable! I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good book to supplement this knowledge. I currently have http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aqu...=1S7KFHUCPPI9C Any other good books you can recommend? Thanks for any help you can give.
Sean

[jamest0o0]

hmmm, I'm not sure about which books I found most of my info here on RC. IMO that's all you really need, but books could be a nice quick reference. Maybe just get a basic idea on a set up and then get a book for what you plan on keeping, for example if you want to keep clams and sps corals maybe get a book particular to those to help give you a better idea on them. Sorry I couldn't give you an exact book though, GL!

[MrTuskfish]

Bob Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Vol. I or II. Fenner is an expert, often quoted SW aquarist. This book is basic, but goes a bit beyond just the beginner stage. Maybe one step above Palettas book that you have. I think 'Marine Fishes" by Scott Michael is a great fish reference to have handy, he has a companion book on inverts. IMO, Palettas book would be a good read for a potential hobbyist, but a bit lean on the real must-have info. The stickys on this forum are outstanding reading and great resource material too. (and free!) IMO, Fenner's and Michaels books belong on every hobbyist's shelf. After you decide on things like tank size & type, fish & invert favorites, DIY or store-bought, etc., then look for specialty books. This hobby is changing so fast, especially the "toys'; that lots of info can be outdated by the time its published.

[Chris27]

Check out Dr. Burgess's books they are nice to have around. Also, Bob Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist is another good one.

[Angel*Fish]

I'm inclined to agree with the Fenner book. I just ran across mine and it was falling apart from overuse. I had used duck tape to rebind it but it fell apart again. Haven't looked at it in years, but apparently I found it very useful early on.

Be sure and get the newest version.

[Percula9]

Fenners book for sure.

[stevie-o]

whats a good book on corals?

[AugustWest]

http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Coral...9810508&sr=1-1

This is a good one

[Agu]

Fenner's book is good but if you're going to have a reef tank Natural Reef aquariums by Tullock is better.

I have both and they're very similar (they even have some of the same pics.) but Tullock addresses the special needs of reef tanks.

[stevie-o]

looks like a good book i will be ordering tanx

[kxthor911]

Any other opinons on great books. I bought the Marine Aquarium Handbook by Martin Moe, but it seems to be to general. I am interest in doing a reef setup and having just a few fix in a 75 gallon tank. Thanks.

[MrGoodbar]

The Reef Aquarium Vol 3 awesome book everything you will ever need!

[Finkle]

Bump RC for help. You can get all of the advice and experienced help that you need right here.

[b85511]

RC is a great place for info. Books get out dated, At RC you only have to ask and you get lots of info and info is always changing as more info is available and people`s experiences can really be invaluable

[Chris27]

Or the flipside of that - you can get advice from a whole mess of people who have no idea of what they are doing. The internet is a breeding ground for self proclaimed experts. In industry and academia, it takes years of education and experience to be labeled as an expert, on the internet, all you need is a computer and a way of typing, once that post count gets up over 4 figures, folks start to assume they know what they are talking about.

Books and other published material (RK Mag included), are backed by authors who openly list their sources and reference material. They put their name on the cover, and stand by their publication. Authors for the most part are recognized experts on the subject matter and have years of experience. It's for these reasons, I would trust material in print 2 fold over a post I read on a public forum.

[Bore-Punch]

Originally Posted by AugustWest

http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Coral...9810508&sr=1-1

This is a good one

+1
Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History
Eric H. Borneman (Author)

one of the books that started me on this hobby.

[cjdevito]

Originally Posted by Chris27

Or the flipside of that - you can get advice from a whole mess of people who have no idea of what they are doing. The internet is a breeding ground for self proclaimed experts. In industry and academia, it takes years of education and experience to be labeled as an expert, on the internet, all you need is a computer and a way of typing, once that post count gets up over 4 figures, folks start to assume they know what they are talking about.

Books and other published material (RK Mag included), are backed by authors who openly list their sources and reference material. They put their name on the cover, and stand by their publication. Authors for the most part are recognized experts on the subject matter and have years of experience. It's for these reasons, I would trust material in print 2 fold over a post I read on a public forum.

Completely, totally, 100% agreed.

I applaud the original poster for inquiring about reef books to purchase. I've noticed a very disquieting trend lately of folks setting up reef tanks without ever having bought a book on the subject. And it shows. Lots of gaps in their foundational knowledge, the ability to recognize currently popular sought-after corals while having no clue as to the identity of any given bread-and-butter coral, great weight being given to issues which are trivial and trivializing of subjects that are actually important.

Internet forums are a wonderful resource but they shouldn't be anyone's primary or sole one. Most people mean well when they answer a question, but good intent does not neccessarily equal good information unfortunately.