Marine Aquarium Handbook - Beginner to Breeder
Updated August 12, 2019
Author: Mike - FishLore Admin
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By Martin A. Moe, Jr., T.F.H.Publications (2009)
The Marine Aquarium Handbook - Beginner to Breeder by Martin Moe, Jr. is on it's third printing! I had the first edition and it was an excellent resource for the time but it had become outdated. When the first edition of the Marine Aquarium Handbook came out the saltwater aquarium industry was just starting up. Lot's of great things have happened to the marine aquarium industry over the years and Mr. Moe has played a big role in it's development.
This is a good sized book covering about 350 pages. The author starts with the absolute basics and progresses all the way up to explaining the basic marine fish breeding processes.
Book Chapters:- The Aquarium - Size, Shape, Style and Construction - talks about things to consider before buying the aquarium. Good location in your home for a tank, materials aquarium are made from and the basic equipment you're going to need such as live rock, power heads and a protein skimmer.
- The Water - Composition, Collection, Mixing and Preparation - covers the elements saltwater is composed of, collection natural sea water, mixing synthetic saltwater, etc.
- Filtration - Mechanical, Chemical, Biological and Sterilization - discusses the various filtration processes along with the tools needed such as protein skimmers, ion exchange resins, phosphate binders, activated carbon, ozone, uv sterilizer, live rock, live sand, macro algae and more.
- The Biological Filter - Live Rock, Live Sand and External Options - an in depth chapter on biological filtration in the saltwater aquarium.
- Physics and Chemistry - The Essential Information for Marine Aquarists - covers lighting options (T5's, metal halides, power compacts), temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen, nitrogen and dissolved organics.
- Setup and Maintenance - The First Day, The First Year - step by step guide on how to setup a saltwater aquarium, water testing and routine maintenance. A troubleshooting section is included too which helps you when your tank has certain symptoms such as cloudy aquarium water, red slime, fish gasping and other issues.
- Fish Selection - What to Look for: Condition and Compatibility - provides tips and information on how to select healthy species to begin with and then discusses fish temperament. A really good section in this chapter is the breakdown by tank size the species you could look in to. There are species recommendations for the 10-30 gallon range, 40-75 gallon range and the 90-300 gallon tank range.
- Introduction and Quarantine - Purposes and Methods - talks about fish quarantineand how to acclimate fish to the aquarium.
- Diseases and Distress - Identification and Treatment - provides information on how to diagnose and treat various saltwater fish disease. Problems caused by poor environmental conditions, poor nutrition and organisms that cause disease in fish. This is a good chapter. Directions on how to do a freshwater bath which is really good for hobbyists to know about.
- Foods and Feeding - What, When and How - give the hobbyist all the information they need to know regarding fish food. Algae, detritus, sponge, plankton, fish feeders, crustacean feeders, parasite pickers, coral eaters, etc. You will also learn about dry foods, live foods, gel foods and others. How to feed fish, invertebrates, anemones and corals are covered too.
- Breeding Marine Fish - The Basic Process and Easiest Species - for the longest time the first two editions of the Marine Aquarium Handbook (in the 80's and 90's) was considered the most comprehensive work on how to breed marine fish. Good news for us, Mr. Moe enhanced this part of the book with the most up to date information for those intrepid hobbyists wanting to try their hands at breeding saltwater fish! It definitely doesn't go in to as much detail as the Breeder's Guide to Marine Aquarium Fish but it will get you started on the right path.
The Marine Aquarium Handbook - Beginner to Breeder is definitely worth the $15 to $20 it is selling for. Martin Moe, Jr. is a great author and does a great job at explaining the core concepts. Whether your a novice or pro you will enjoy this book. We give this book 
Reviewed by: Mike FishLore
Summary: Revised and Expanded - The best selling aquarium book of all time
Description: This is a good sized book covering about 350 pages. The author starts with the absolute basics and progresses all the way up to explaining the basic marine fish breeding processes.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
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