Hunt, Philip. The Marine Reef Aquarium. Danbury: Barron's Educational Series, 2008.
This work has the feel of a textbook. It has a good amount of illustrations and photographs, but is lacking in tables and charts. It is made of of four main sections. "The Aquarium System" explains the more technical aspects such as water movement and filtration. "Setting Up A Reef Aquarium" is helpful in that it explains the best way to position coral within the tank. "Solving Problems" gives information about removing pests, how to deal with algae problems, and treating diseases. Lastly is the "Conservation" section that explains the dangers facing wild reefs and steps the hobbyist can take to help conserve wild reefs. This books is written with the beginner in mind. Although I believe Tullock's Natural Reef Aquariums to be slightly stronger, this work has the advantage of being more recent and still readily available.
Lougher, Tristan. What Invertebrates? A Buyer's Guide for Marine Aquariums (What Pet? Books). Danbury: Barron's Educational Series, 2008.
For the aspiring hobbyist who favours invertebrates, this book is ideal for choosing prospective tank residents. Lougher writes with the assumption that the reader has a tank with all the technical aspects in place. Thus, this book could only be a supplement to other sources that explain the technical aspects of aquarium keeping. The book gives a profile for each species with the following information: size, food, where from, cost, how many per tank, compatibility, water flow rate, light, relationship with fish, etc. A price guide also gives the reader an approximation of cost. The types of invertebrates covered ranges from coral (sponges, anemones, etc.) to crustaceans and echinoderms. Also useful is the "Accidental Arrivals" section which provides information on the invertebrates which are famous for hitchhiking on live rock and coral. A reader could use this book to fill out Tullock's aquarium species plan (see Tullock, Natural Reef Aquariums) in order to create a plan for their aquarium.
Mills, Dick. Saltwater Aquarium: Comprehensive Coverage, From Setting Up An Aquarium To Choosing The Best Fishes. Danbury: Barron's Educational Series, 2004.
This book is geared towards the aspiring hobbyist who thinks keeping live coral seems a daunting task, and really just likes the fish. Artificial aquariums are the focus of the work. Lots of pictures, tables, and charts are included. One of the included charts showed the best and worst positions for an aquarium in a house - information that I didn't find in any other source. This books seems like it would serve best as a quick reference, but should not be used as the sole source of information.
Tullock, John H. Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications, 2001.
This work instantly catches the reader's eye with the numerous beautiful colour photographs that can be found throughout the book. Aside from the main text, Tullock includes smaller focused section of text (i.e., "The Lure (And Peril) of the Small Marine Aquarium" is included in the chapter describing the various available tanks). Of special note are the figures that Tullock has included in each chapter. Charts, models, and graphs illustrate the various topics, which a novice who is confused or overwhelmed by plumbing schemes or the nitrogen cycle, for example, would find especially helpful. Tullock includes tables which are meant to be copied by the reader in order to help him in the process of planning and building a tank. For example, he includes a table used for tracking tank conditions, and one for creating a aquarium species plan.
This work has the feel of a textbook. It has a good amount of illustrations and photographs, but is lacking in tables and charts. It is made of of four main sections. "The Aquarium System" explains the more technical aspects such as water movement and filtration. "Setting Up A Reef Aquarium" is helpful in that it explains the best way to position coral within the tank. "Solving Problems" gives information about removing pests, how to deal with algae problems, and treating diseases. Lastly is the "Conservation" section that explains the dangers facing wild reefs and steps the hobbyist can take to help conserve wild reefs. This books is written with the beginner in mind. Although I believe Tullock's Natural Reef Aquariums to be slightly stronger, this work has the advantage of being more recent and still readily available.
Lougher, Tristan. What Invertebrates? A Buyer's Guide for Marine Aquariums (What Pet? Books). Danbury: Barron's Educational Series, 2008.
For the aspiring hobbyist who favours invertebrates, this book is ideal for choosing prospective tank residents. Lougher writes with the assumption that the reader has a tank with all the technical aspects in place. Thus, this book could only be a supplement to other sources that explain the technical aspects of aquarium keeping. The book gives a profile for each species with the following information: size, food, where from, cost, how many per tank, compatibility, water flow rate, light, relationship with fish, etc. A price guide also gives the reader an approximation of cost. The types of invertebrates covered ranges from coral (sponges, anemones, etc.) to crustaceans and echinoderms. Also useful is the "Accidental Arrivals" section which provides information on the invertebrates which are famous for hitchhiking on live rock and coral. A reader could use this book to fill out Tullock's aquarium species plan (see Tullock, Natural Reef Aquariums) in order to create a plan for their aquarium.
Mills, Dick. Saltwater Aquarium: Comprehensive Coverage, From Setting Up An Aquarium To Choosing The Best Fishes. Danbury: Barron's Educational Series, 2004.
This book is geared towards the aspiring hobbyist who thinks keeping live coral seems a daunting task, and really just likes the fish. Artificial aquariums are the focus of the work. Lots of pictures, tables, and charts are included. One of the included charts showed the best and worst positions for an aquarium in a house - information that I didn't find in any other source. This books seems like it would serve best as a quick reference, but should not be used as the sole source of information.
Tullock, John H. Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications, 2001.
This work instantly catches the reader's eye with the numerous beautiful colour photographs that can be found throughout the book. Aside from the main text, Tullock includes smaller focused section of text (i.e., "The Lure (And Peril) of the Small Marine Aquarium" is included in the chapter describing the various available tanks). Of special note are the figures that Tullock has included in each chapter. Charts, models, and graphs illustrate the various topics, which a novice who is confused or overwhelmed by plumbing schemes or the nitrogen cycle, for example, would find especially helpful. Tullock includes tables which are meant to be copied by the reader in order to help him in the process of planning and building a tank. For example, he includes a table used for tracking tank conditions, and one for creating a aquarium species plan.
Tullock, John H. Successful Saltwater Aquariums: A Beginner's Guide. Harbor City, CA: Coralife, 1994.
The small size and large print of this work makes it a quick read that travels easily. It gives a quick overview of the various facets of aquariums including equipment, water chemistry, and maintenance. A section also describes the different marine fish families and various types of invertebrates. Although it covers a wide range of topics, it is so brief that its ideal use is as a starting point for the curious hobbyist who desires an overview of the hobby before deciding whether to pursue it more thoroughly.
No comments:
Post a Comment