inuyasha_lover_21

Salt water aquariums for dummies by Gregory Ph.D. Skomal. His quote* "When I decided to set up an aquarium all those many years ago, my immediate impulse was to go out and buy, buy, buy ..."

BIO: Gregory Skomal is an experienced aquarist and Marine Fisheries Biologist at Martha's Vineyard Fisheries, Department of Game, Massachusetts.

Softcover

Published in February 2002

Publishe:r John Wiley & Sons Inc

Price: $18.00 on ebay

Retail price of book $21.99

Table of contents:

Introduction.

PART I: The Basic Aquarium.

Chapter 1: Your First Steps to Keeping Fish.

Chapter 2: Choosing an Aquarium.

Chapter 3: Figuring Out Filters.

Chapter 4: Heating Your Aquarium.

Chapter 5: The Light Choice.

Chapter 6: Fishy Furnishings.

Chapter 7: Final Ingredients.

Chapter 8: Setting Up Your Aquarium Step by Step.

PART II: Fish and Invertebrates.

Chapter 9: Fish Basics.

Chapter 10: Choosing the Right Fish.

Chapter 11: Identifying Invertebrates.

Chapter 12: From the Dealer to Your Home.

PART III: Caring for Your Aquarium.

Chapter 13: The Cycle of Nitrogen.

Chapter 14: More Chemistry: Salt, Acidity, and Gases.

Chapter 15: Always Algae.

Chapter 16: Keeping Your Aquarium Clean.

PART IV: Caring for Your Pets.

Chapter 17: Feeding Your Fish.

Chapter 18: Preventing Stress.

Chapter 19: Diseases and Treatments.

Chapter 20: Observing Your Fish.

PART V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 21: Ten Fish to Avoid.

Chapter 22: Ten Invertebrates to Avoid.

Chapter 23: Ten Simple Metric Conversions.

PART VI: Appendixes.

Appendix A: Resources.

Appendix B: Glossary.

Index.


I bought this book for the simplicity. Its a very easy to understand book. This is the only book I used to do my research. I read it about 5-6 times. This book will tell you everything you need to know about saltwater tanks. If I did not buy this book I would have never setup a saltwater tank. It tells you how to take care of saltwater tanks without the confusion. This book covers all the basics. It is very detailed book. It will also tell you how to maintain live rock, filter systems, feeding and tank upkeep. it has icons on what to do, what not to do and danger. There are 2 books. saltwater aqauriums for dummies first edition and saltwatrer aquriums for dummies 2nd edition. I am going to buy the 2nd edition soon.


Pros: as stated up above.

Cons: none

For me this was the best book I bought. Its the only book I needed to setup my tank

Mike

nice review - thank you.

I read this one too and I only thought it was average compared to some of the other salty books out there. See here: Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies

If you liked this one, you'll be sure to enjoy The Conscientious Marine Aquarist or The New Marine Aquarium

inuyasha_lover_21

If you had a choice between The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, The New Marine Aquarium, or Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. What one would you pick?

Tom

Just out of curiousity, what are the ten fish and inverts to avoid?
Tom

Mike

If I had to pick one... I'd go with the Conscientious Marine Aquarist.

inuyasha_lover_21

cool thanks! I can only remember 2 species to avoid> I packed away the book. jellyfish and seahorses. I think mantis shrimp was another one

inuyasha_lover_21

I think the reason why I liked this book so much was the little comics in it. I found almost all of them to be funny.

BlueGreen

Buy them both. Look around and you usually get a deal when you purchase more than one book in most places.