Books for beginners.

alfred14 · 08/31/2016, 12:01 PM

I am wanting to start a saltwater aquarium. However time and money are not in my favor. I would like to have a tank that can go at least a weak without maintenance. I could have auto feeder and top off. I want it for my wife's classroom so I know it won't get taken care of daily and potentially not weekly. I would like any good books to read so I am educated.

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joshbrookkate · 08/31/2016, 12:07 PM

When I started out, I bought lots of books (used, thankfully). I only have one, now -
"The Conciencious Marine Aquarist."
In my opinion, the best place to get information about starting a marine aquarium is this site. Check out the stickies at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum here.
Good luck with your project!

kelp47 · 08/31/2016, 12:30 PM

I agree with joshbrookkate. This site is the best, especially the stickies.

I also bought that same book--it would be great for someone still in the learning and planning phase. We're all still learning, but this is good for the grasping the basics. I do still refer to the fish-specific pages in the second half of the book. The Reef Fish guide by Scott Michael is another good reference book.

I also enjoy reading Coral Magazine. I have a pretty large collection of them and am even reading some older ones because they have features related to specific fish or aspects of aquarium-keeping that are relevant to my current situation.

alfred14 · 08/31/2016, 02:28 PM

Thank you for the advice. Would I be correct in thinking I could have roughly 2#/gallon LR and a over rated skimmer and successfully have a light fish load and a couple easy corals? I don't want to jump into all the dosing stuff and fancy reactors. I'm also trying to avoid frequent water changes.

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Sk8r · 08/31/2016, 02:36 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074

SaltyMember · 08/31/2016, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshbrookkate

When I started out, I bought lots of books (used, thankfully). I only have one, now -
"The Conciencious Marine Aquarist."
In my opinion, the best place to get information about starting a marine aquarium is this site. Check out the stickies at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum here.
Good luck with your project!

+1 for Bob Fenner's 'The Conscientious Marine Aquarist'. It is like the Bible for saltwater hobbiest. I don't know if it has been updated or not recently since some of the technology mentioned is out of date in my older copy. But it is still worth checking out. I still refer back to it occasionally.

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ZenGuitarGuy · 08/31/2016, 09:01 PM

+1 for Scott Mitchell's Reef Fish Guide, and this site of course!

08/31/2016, 12:01 PM	#1
alfred14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 37	Books for beginners. I am wanting to start a saltwater aquarium. However time and money are not in my favor. I would like to have a tank that can go at least a weak without maintenance. I could have auto feeder and top off. I want it for my wife's classroom so I know it won't get taken care of daily and potentially not weekly. I would like any good books to read so I am educated. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

08/31/2016, 12:30 PM	#3
kelp47 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Central Alabama Posts: 473	I agree with joshbrookkate. This site is the best, especially the stickies. I also bought that same book--it would be great for someone still in the learning and planning phase. We're all still learning, but this is good for the grasping the basics. I do still refer to the fish-specific pages in the second half of the book. The Reef Fish guide by Scott Michael is another good reference book. I also enjoy reading Coral Magazine. I have a pretty large collection of them and am even reading some older ones because they have features related to specific fish or aspects of aquarium-keeping that are relevant to my current situation. __________________ Kelley 75 gal mixed reef

08/31/2016, 02:36 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074 __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

08/31/2016, 12:07 PM	#2
joshbrookkate Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Windsor, ON Posts: 618	When I started out, I bought lots of books (used, thankfully). I only have one, now - "The Conciencious Marine Aquarist." In my opinion, the best place to get information about starting a marine aquarium is this site. Check out the stickies at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum here. Good luck with your project!

08/31/2016, 02:28 PM	#4
alfred14 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 37	Thank you for the advice. Would I be correct in thinking I could have roughly 2#/gallon LR and a over rated skimmer and successfully have a light fish load and a couple easy corals? I don't want to jump into all the dosing stuff and fancy reactors. I'm also trying to avoid frequent water changes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

08/31/2016, 09:01 PM	#7
ZenGuitarGuy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: London, ON, Canada Posts: 145	+1 for Scott Mitchell's Reef Fish Guide, and this site of course!