Reviews (16)

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

Wonderful Stony Coral and Clam Reference
The good?
Perhaps the best book on reef care
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.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Captive marine aquariums    3. Coral reef animals    4. Fish & Aquariums    5. Identification    6. Invertebrates    7. Marine Fauna    8. Marine Life    9. Marine invertebrates    10. Nature    11. Nature/Ecology    12. Pets    13. Tropics   

Reviews (15)

Informative beyond compare!!
A must read for anyone interested in setting up and maintaining a marine aquarium!!

Excellent reference guide
This book is a must-have. Anthony shows a very deep an interesting approach regarding marine invertebrates husbandry in the aquarium. The pictures are excellent, the depth and coverage is very good. You'll find complete and professional information regarding invertebrates species, their identification, needs, tech (light, chemicals, husbandry) etc but in the natural and funny way that identifies Anthony's style & personality.
Reef Inverts
I'm new to the Reef world and this book, The Corals, the two Delbeek and Sprung books have been indispensable.Between the four it covers everything you need to know to set up your tank and learn to stock it.I love this book.It also has incredible pictures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Pets   

Reviews (12)

The Aquarist's Modern Day Holy Grail
The price of this book is daunting. As such, I borrowed it from my local Aquarium Club. After I had to return it a month later, I odered a copy. Pound per pound--and it's a hefty book--it is the best value on this subject matter out there.
Comprehensive source for grwoing SPS dominated reefs
I have used this text as a reference and read selected chapters of interest to me as needed since first released. The text is well written and easy to follow. I have been keeping reef aquariums for 8 years and have developed a method that has been succesful in large part to this series of books. It is not essential to have either of the prior volumes to benefit from this book.
great book
This book is fantastic and covers everything you need to know and more!!!!My son could not put it down....once he started reading it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Life Sciences - Biochemistry    4. Pets    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (14)

not a beginner book
This book goes indepth about the anatomy and physiology of mushrooms, soft corals and anemones. Not a great reference guide for choosing specimens for your It tends to generalize by family and/or genus vs species. If you are new to saltwater and are looking for a reference to choose items for your tank this would not be my first choice.

THE reference for that field
Just like the vol. 1, that is a must-have book. Please note that the vol. 3 should be released late Nov. 2005.
One of the best of the best vol.2
This volume of the series covers the soft corals and sea anemones; very important topics indeed for reef aquarium. The two books together are still not complete as� there are many organisms found in a reef aquaria still not covered. In this series. A fine glossary accompanies this book. Much of what I had to gleen by trial and error and by reading arcane publications over the years is covered in this book. Approachable to the beginner yet� a lot of substance for the expert.
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Subjects:  1. Animals / Pets    2. Aquariums    3. Captive marine aquariums    4. Coral reef animals    5. Fish & Aquariums    6. Identification    7. Marine Fauna    8. Marine Life    9. Marine invertebrates    10. Nature    11. Nature/Ecology    12. Pets    13. Tropics    14. Fish    15. Tropical Fish   

Reviews (26)

Great resource for newbies.
While there is not piles of detail about each fish, there are important specific descriptions about the different fish within thefamily. (i.e. They don't always say the same thing about all the small angelfish like some websites I have visited.) I really like the rating about how easy or difficult each fish is to keep in captivity.
Don't go Fish shopping without it!
This book and also the 500+ Invertebrates are great books for all reef tank enthusiasts.It is so useful when you go into your LFS and see some gorgeous new fish,as you can determine how suitable it is to you. You know whether they are compatable with other tank occupants, how large they will grow, what kind of food it requires etc. Can help to save you $ in the LFS! I have steered clear of a few species that would not survive with the help of this book.

Marine Fishes: 500+
Great reference for determining which fish will fit well into your aquarium, ease of keeping, feeding, and compatability with others. A must have reference for looking up those fish at the LFS. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Marine Life    4. Marine aquarium fishes    5. Marine aquariums    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Pets    9. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (10)

Pocket Guide to Marine Invertebrates 500+ Essential to know
Easy to use and good information.Well explained and Best photos I have seen.

A pocketexpert guide to marine invertebrates: 500+
An excellent reference for looking up invertebrates. Lists feeding, lighting,and compatability traits, good information however does not have the 1-5 ease of keeping scale like the fish book does.

Magnifico
Este libro es simplemente magnifico, completisimo teniendo en cuenta su tama�o y muy facil de entender, la verdad es que es una compra muy pero que muy acertada y recomendada. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Pets    3. Reference    4. Fishes & aquaria    5. Sea & seashore life   

Reviews (35)

finally a scientifically oriented hobby book
I was surprised and overjoyed that this book approached the coral keeping hobby from a scientific standpoint.Being a marine biologist myself, it was a breath of fresh air in a hobby flooded with information that has been dumbed down for the masses.I highly recommend it, even if you only look at the pictures, it will come in handy someday.

Awesome reference
This book is a must-have for anyone truly interested in keeping domestic corals and their kin.It is a steal for the price, and filled with excellent images.It contains superior taxonomic and nomenclature information, making it easy to understand which animals belong in which genus.It helped me identify many of my hitch-hikers.It includes toxicology of the animals, including their threat level to aquarists and other animals.Vivid diagrams on octocoral and stony coral anatomy (and words in bold print) make it a bit like a text book.
The best resource on corals and reef-keeping
When I first became interested in reef keeping and began researching it, I visited a neighbor who had recently spent a lot of money setting up his first tank.I asked if there were any books he could recommend.He had purchased several but said that the information in them all was rather dated.He suggested instead that the internet was a better source for more recent and up-to-date information.And while I've since decided that the internet is also a big source of "myth-information" on the hobby, I'd have to agree that many of the books I've seen are seriously out-dated.
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Subjects:  1. Corals    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Marine aquariums    4. Pets    5. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (42)

Perfect
The perfect book for the novice marine aquarium enthusiast.Step by step it tells you how to set up a number of salt water aquariums both small and large with alternative methods of filtration.It also covers which fish do well for the beginner and how they get along with each other.The writing is clear and concise, and when I finished reading and got started with my first tank, there wasn't a single thing I encountered that wasn't covered in the book.Great start for your first tank.Pick this one up.

An ok starter...
This book was an ok starter book, but does not delve into great diagnostic detail. I had to purchase another booh for that.

great for begginers
I think this book is great for beginners. It really teaches you the basics of the hobby. How to enjoy your aqaurium and stick with it, because it is a hobby that many have lost interest and given up on, due to impatience.
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Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Marine aquariums    3. Pets    4. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (22)

Practical, perfect for the layman.
I am not a marine biologist, but many of the authors of the more advanced books on reef aquariums seem to assume that of their readers.
for the pros
very excellent book. for the pros. maybe too much for casual aquarists

Assistance from the master himself
Calfo goes into minute detail with humor.As expected he hit the nail on the head with this one, again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aquarium    2. Aquariums    3. Coral reef biology    4. Coral reef ecology    5. Corals    6. Nature    7. Nature / Ecology    8. Pets    9. Pets / Aquarium   

Reviews (6)

Inspiring, detailed, practical
One can appreciated the authors' long experience with marine aquaria who elegantly and with simple language explained larger biological concepts yet provide detailed instructions on how do to what and why. Very inspiring are the suggested biotopes that include among others "seagrass aquarium", "reef gorge aquarium", "pizza anemone aquarium", "rubble zone aquarium" as well as the standard reef tank. These are refreshing ideas that are needed with the current predominance of grocery store shelf-like stocked, overcrowded best-of-the-month SPS tanks. Also contains a comprehensive guide about most creatures possible in a reef tank and essentially makes e.g. Sprung's "Quick" guides unnecessary in one's library.

Think out of the box
You won't have to go over the ammonia cycle again here, though there is enough info to get you started. The title is a great indication of what to expect. This book is about thinking out of the box in aquarium keeping and planning them correctly.
another great microcosum publication
an exalent read for beginers! covers many important aspects of reef keeping in understandable languege.Read more

Subjects:  1. Coral reef animals    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. General    4. Marine aquariums    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pets   

Reviews (16)

Ehh
This was my first experience with the "for dummies" books; I must say I was a litte disappointed.The information was good, but I guess I was just looking for a little more of it.Now that I have started an aquarium, looking back, it seems that some of the areas were really not covered in as much depth as I would have liked.

Not too fishy
As with all "for Dummies" books there are no color pictures to examine when the author keeps refering to them...and this book is no different. The only difference is that from the way the author talks I don't think he knew that this book would be published with only black & white photos. Keeps discribing the color of something and refering to a picture. Oh well. Lots of good and useful information, however it is alot to digest. But this is saltwater aquarium care and it can be very intimidating.
Good Primer.The Only Marine Tank Book You Need
I first want to contradict some of the other reviews on this page.This is a great book for the beginner.I used it and followed it to the T same goes for two of my friends.We have all had successful and healthy tanks for well over a year. This book will touch all the basics.Once you learn those you will then know the terminology and concepts and be able to find any other information you need for free, on the web.It is also very previlent in the marine fish hobby to learn conflicting information.Much of the care of fish really requires observation what one person claims solves the problem may not be the best for another with a different setup and different fish.Keep this in mind when you do run into so said "contradictions" that other reviewers have claimed to exist.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Marine aquarium fishes    4. Marine aquariums    5. Pets    6. Fishes & aquaria    7. Pets / General   

Reviews (11)

Big Aquarium Dream Systems Only
A nice book with some good information and lots of pictures. But only of real use if you are putting together a big system. Like over 200 gallons!

Excellent Book
This is a well organized book that reviews some of the best marine aquariums around.It gives great detail on the mechanics of these systems as well as honest pros/cons of each.Extrememly entertaining and full of information.I have many aquarium books and this ranks in my top five.

Excellent Resource!
This book is direct and clear. It has detailed descriptions, great pictures of fantastic marine aquariums, the equipment used, dimensions, water chemistry, etc.
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Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Marine aquariums    3. Pets    4. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (29)

Three Thumbs Up!
Recently I've read several books pertaining to the tropical marine hobby and after reading this book by Mr. Tullock I rate it an eleven out of ten.Very informative, easy to digest, excellent format, and one to refer to in the future.A quality production by the publisher.Thank you Mr. Tullock!

Great general Reef book
Well written and a good book to read for general information.

Reef keeping is NOT easy!
Buy and read this book twice before you decide to enter the hobby. Check it out at the library.. This is the book I loan to any friend who sees my aquarium and thinks of starting a tank of their own. Mr. Tullock presents the current natural methods of reef keeping in a very entertaining read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Coral reef animals    3. Fish & Aquariums    4. Marine aquariums    5. Pets    6. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (28)

Lots of pictures... but what is this fish?
I bought this book to help me identify fish. Have it worked so far? No.
Impressive Picture book; useless otherwise
This book has changed a lot since the first edition. Mostly, it has removed information and added pictures. LOTS of pictures. It is more of a coffee-table book than any kind of aquarium guide. But even the pictures are of uneven quality. I was shocked that the only picture included for a couple of fairly common fish were of dead, poorly-preserved specimens. Yikes!
An Atlas and Little Else
"ATLAS" is defined: A volume of tables, charts, or plates that systematically illustrates a particular subject: an anatomical atlas. That's what this book is and nothing else. It has both a scientific name index and a somewhat handy Popular Names index and usually several plates (pictures) of each species. This book can be used for two purposes. If you have the name of the fish, you can find pictures of the species from the indexes. One can also puruse the many pages of pictures and find something that interests them and then go to another book for detailed information. That's about it.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Aquarium fishes    3. Ecology    4. Fish & Aquariums    5. Identification    6. Pets    7. Pictorial works    8. Fishes & aquaria    9. Reference works   

Reviews (17)

Handy and Complete
Definitely a very good reference guide for any freshwater enthusiast. The mini-atlas has every freshwater species beautifully diplayed in color photo. Under each color photo is a group of symbols. These symbols are defined in the book itself. The symbols convey what water conditions are appropriate, size of tank, food, swimming level, breeding type and level of aggression. The mini-atlas also has separate chapters on breeding, fish diseases, aquarium plants and tank set-up.
A disappointment.
From the reviews, I expected alot from this book. I know that it is old, but I was really disappointed. The information is not consistent and incomplete. Here are my issues:
Occasionally difficult, but a great reference
Need to know if a certain breed of unusual fish is compatible with, say, your angelfish?Dr. Axelrod knows.This atlas is amazing in it's depth for a "mini-atlas," with page after page of freshwater fish.And then he gets into the real meat of fishkeeping after that!Although it can occasionally be difficult to use (the fish are listed by their scientific name in general, not their common name, which can make looking up a certain fish difficult), all in all this is an incredible book, and one every fishkeeper should have on their bookshelf. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aquarium fishes    2. Aquariums    3. Fish & Aquariums    4. Fishes    5. Identification    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pets    8. Pictorial works    9. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (20)

The perfect book for the hobbyist
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 WAS GOOD BUT I LIKED ANOTHER ONE BETTER
THIS BOOK WAS A GOOD BOOK, HOWEVER, WE WANTED TO GET INFO. ON BREEDING AND MATING MAROON CLOWN FISH.WE FOUND "CONDITIONING, SPAWNING AND REARING OF FISH WITH AN EMPHASIS ON MARINE CLOWNFISH" BY FRANK H. HOFF A BIT MORE ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT WE WANTED TO KNOW.

the most important book for aquarium owners
I found this book to be the most interesting and important book in my marine aquarium hobby.The details on the clownfish and anemonies was very helpfull in setting the tank up.The book also carrier the reader into breeding practices, or allows one to stay with collection and enjoyment of marine aqua-scaping.There is also information in this book not found in other resources that helps significantly in enjoying this hobby. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. Pets    4. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (50)

A great reference guide
This book is a great reference guide for anyone. If you're just getting started in saltwater, this book is a must have. If you're experienced this book will give you a nice overview of just about every species of fish,coral,and invert, what to look for and what to stay away from in those species.

Excellent Book Purchase
This order arrived on time and the book is brand new.The price couldn't be beat along with the free shipping for orders over $25.I am very satisfied!!

Book of Fishes
This is a great little reference book with detailed information about each type of fish and with whom they may or may NOT be compatible.Also advises as to the idiosyncrasies of each fish, and photos, as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Marine aquarium fishes    4. Marine aquariums    5. Pets    6. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (26)

Inspiration and Science in your own Home
On vacation, we toured the coast and did some hiking.It was relaxing, but my inner voice kept telling me, "you need to get in shape." Then we decided to rest for a day and check out the Monterey Aquarium.Let me say, the fish were beautiful!They were all lean, with almost no fat on them.And their conditioning would make the Brazilian Soccer team proud.When we got home it hit me -- why not follow the example that nature (presented by the Aquarium) provides?I picked up The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums, set up a 70 gallon tank, and did extensive research.After 90 days I concluded that the fish are in great shape for three main reasons:
An excellent first book, with a couple minor issues
My first attempt at finding a quality aquarium book was "Aquariums for Dummies".Big mistake.That book was worthless trash.Read my review of it if you really want details.
Outstanding First Book
This book saved my fish and consequently me a lot of grief when I started up my first aquarium.The author's advice is solid.The focus of the book is how to set up, establish, and maintain a healthy system.All the essential elements are covered:cycling, filtration, water chemistry, lighting, plants, ongoing maintenance, fish to avoid, etc.The book is not intended to be an encyclopedia, and you will discover the limits of its coverage as you progress.It is nonetheless a terrific book for starting out in the aquarium hobby. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. Pets    3. Fishes & aquaria   

Reviews (2)

Very very good
It is clear that the author has a serious love for Discus. Very easy reading, lots of great information. His excitement is felt in his writing.

Intresting introduction to the discus world
This is one of many books written on Discus by Bernd Degen, an very experienced discus breeder. The book is particularly suitable for the beginning Discus keeper and has excellent topics about discus care andselection. There is an rather good introduction to breeding too, showinhthechniques in detail. It is not an very detailed book, I think most Discusexperts will miss more detailed information on breeding and on selection,specially about the wild types. But in general it is a good introduction tothe novice in the Discus world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Discus (Fish)    3. Fish    4. Fish & Aquariums    5. Ichthyology    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pets    8. Pictorial works    9. Fishes (ichthyology)   

Reviews (1)

Great book for the marine aquarium hobbyist
I have positively oodles of books on fish behavior, diversity and ecology.When I brought this book home the wife asked "why do you need another fish book?" I will tell you like I told her.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish & Aquariums    2. General    3. Marine aquarium fishes    4. Marine aquariums    5. Nature    6. Reference    7. Sale Books