books from beginners to advanced

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tammielynz9881

Large Fish
#1
Jul 22, 2004
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northern illinois
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#1
ok, saltwaters for dummies is a book that should of never been printed (i hear that alot) and now for the list? well that is where you all come in. I would like to know if everyone could write in the books that they think are

(1.) the title
(2.) the author (if known)
(3.) "must have" or "convenient"
(4.) for the beginner, advanced or both
(5.) books to just down right AVOID

I have looked at some of the books at bookstores and with the choices i dont want to "waste money on "stupid books"" that i could be putting into my tanks to make them better! thanks
 

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wayne

Elite Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
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#3
1. Palettas New Marine Aquarium - must have for the beginner
2. Tulloch's Natural Reef Aquarium - must have for most people - very ethical, nice setup, nice biotope ideas.
3 . CMA by Fenner. Freshwater people should read this too
4. Scott Michaels - pocket Guide to 500 Aqurium Fish (or whatever it's called). Not bad, tank sizes are a bit dodgy long term.
5. Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman. Pretty good for corals obviously
5. Marine Inverts by Fenner and Calfo. Lots, lots of real life info, very good for everything except fish and corals. Mine is falling to pieces though, will have to rebound
6 . The Book of Coral Prop by Anthony Calfo is not as hardcore as it sounds and a good practical guide for the ambitious. In common with the other Calfo book mine is.... falling to pieces, but it's ring bound so not a big problem.

Ones for Johnny Scientist
Fossa and Nilsson Volumes 1- 4 - pricey , lots of knowledge and info and NOT for those scared of Science. Very, very good. (all 4 will run you 450 dollars)
Sprung and Delbeek - 2 volumes, 75 bucks apiece I would imagine. Slightly less info than the above, but more readable

All the above are avilable on amazon, you can have a damn good library for <150. The first and second books will take you a long way to success though - if you only get one book make it one of these, getting both and you will be well set.
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#5
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
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Cape Cod
#5
I've got the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Fenner and I think it's good for both beginner and expert (not sure though-I'm not an expert). Has more general information about the fish groups, and which fish in each of the groups are to be avoided. And it's understandable by the complete newbie.
 

OCCFan023

OCCFan023

Superstar Fish
#7
Jul 29, 2004
1,817
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New Jersey
#7
The CMA is noticably bigger than the NMA, does it contain more info than NMA? I havent picked it up yet, but is there alot of information on fish and equipment in CMA?
 

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wayne

Elite Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
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#9
NMA is better than the CMA for equipment, though eq. is a minefield for textbooks - the CMA is almost 10 years old, so don't even think of getting skimmer, light recommendations for a particular model from books...
Books can't keep up with the market
 

JNevaril

JNevaril

Large Fish
#10
Jul 10, 2005
369
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Lincoln, Nebraska
#10
(1.) the title You and Your Aquarium
(2.) the author (if known) Dick Mills
(3.) "must have" or "convenient" MUST HAVE
(4.) for the beginner, advanced or both Both
(5.) books to just down right AVOID Any of those 'Guide to Owning ______" books that are sold at PetCo/PetSmart.

You and Your Aquarium has been my Fish Bible. It goes into proper set-ups for coldwater, tropical and marine. Walks you through what kind of equipment is needed, shows you how to set each up, even shows you how to make a DIY filtering system and lighting system..

Briefly talks about plants...not much on the complicated CO2 tanks and such, just basics.

Has a good list of fish from each section (fresh, tropical, marine) and lists their needs, habitats, companions (if any), water issues (hardness, salinity, pH, etc...) and any special foods/needs...

Tells you how to cultivate live foods....

Talks about showing fish in a show/contest...how they are judged, etc.

Photographing fish, etc.

This book is really down to earth in the fact that a beginner can understand it, but it also provides a LOT of technical information about everything.

It is an all around great book, and if you ever see it cheap, GET IT!!!!!


I LOVE this book, and it is what got me started in the hobby.
 

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tammielynz9881

Large Fish
#11
Jul 22, 2004
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northern illinois
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#11
thanks for all the input, i will be going to the store this weekend so i will see if they have a couple of the suggested books there if not i will order off the net next week.
I hope more than me got a couple ideas from here other than myself, i hate to waste space on posting a thread but then again, no question is a stupid question, unless its and unasked question
 

A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#15
Jan 14, 2004
1,987
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mass
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#15
I have the Dakin book, there is alot of good information in there but also some very out dated stuff as well, it is good as far as infomation on fish an d corals for the most part, but tank methods are a bit out dated, just to give you an idea, when the book was first published it still listed xenia as extremely difficult corals to keep....hehehe
 

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