Customer Reviews

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is far and away the best book about hobbyist fishkeeping I have EVER read - that includes everything for freshwater, as well. Probably little here for the very experienced marine aquarist, but for the beginner, there is NO BETTER BOOK. It's worth every penny I spent on it. The author even points out silly errors and terrible misinformation present in OTHER books I also own! It is the ultimate reference, with enough information to take the complete newbie from a simple fish-only setup to a reasonably advanced reef system, avoiding the many, MANY possible pitfalls in between, from equipment and feeding, to which fish will eat your invertebrates (and vice-versa). Highly opinionated, and incredibly experienced, the author also demonstrates a rare talent in this typically dry genre: His prose is actually FUN to read, and his points are highly memorable because of it.

I might repeat the cliche' "If you read only one book about marine fishkeeping..." But the fact is, until you get to really exotic reefs and invertebrates, you only NEED to read one book - This one.
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The above review was written quite some time ago, and I'm making this addendum because I now have a relationship with Mr. Fenner (I work on his website(s)) and I think it's important to disclose that - also because Amazon finally added this 'edit' feature! Also important though, I now believe that "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta is possibly a better beginner's book. I still think Bob's CMA (as it is called by insiders) is the "One Book". But if you plan on having -more- than one, and you're looking for your first, you might check out Paletta's, it's a shade easier to digest than the all-powerful CMA. [grin]

Thinking of getting into the saltwater aquarium hobby? Do not buy anything until you have read this book cover to cover! You will be sorry if you don't. By applying the principles in this book, you will have much greater success at the venture. You will save a lot of money and spare the lives of many fish.

But first, buy and read The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. It's a great starting point. Then read this one and give this great hobby a go.

Being a marine aquarist is a great responsibility. Most marine aquarium fish are wild-caught. We have a responsibility to choose only those can thrive in captivity and are not endangered. Beyond that, we have an obligation to properly care for the animals we have assumed stewarship for. This book makes that clear and it will welp you achieve this.

I had already been in the reef aquarium hobby for a year when I picked up this book. Most of the information I had already heard about, but alot of it was either new to me or covered in a new way. This book will give the straight talk about which fish and animals are "best" for the aquarium, and the author is not afraid to say what is wrong with keeping certain type of fish. A must for beginners, a decent refernce for all other aquarium keepers.

Written by one of the foremost experts in the hobby, this is an essential book for beginner and intermediate marine aquarists. It covers the fundamentals of setting up, stocking and successfully maintaining a saltwater aquarium and does so in a common sense, easy to understand fashion. It is an approachable and well-written primer on the topic and is the best way to get started.



However, the book was written in 1999 and is now 8 years old. Remarkably, that means it is already out-dated given the rapidly evolving state of technology in this hobby. The author, Bob Fenner, frequently provides advice and suggestions to aquarists on an internet website and much of the information in his book is qualified or revised the advice he provides now. For example, he highly recommends that macroalgae calupera in this book but, while still recommending it some setups, cautions people today that this algae is not right for all setups due to a tendancy to take over tanks. Some of the modern trends in saltwater aquariums are also not covered in enough depth -- simply because they weren't a trend eight years ago.



Accordingly, this is a GREAT book to read as you begin your research on setting up a saltwater aquarium. Not only is it a first read, but it is a valuable resource that you will continue to turn to before, during and after setting up your aquarium because it is filled with useful advice. However, it is also advice that should be complimented by additional research with more up-to-date materials.



If Bob is reading this, I'd just like to say this: This book is incredible and I can't thank you enough for writing it. If you have the time, please consider writing a Second Edition -- the hobby would benefit from such an endeavor tremendously. Thanks!

Thinking of starting your own marine aquarium? This beautiful guidebook is your best ally towards combating the whole array of problems that you may encounter when you got started with the hobby. The author did a very commendable job in recommeding marine species that are easy to keep and caught in a humane manner. There are plenty of marine fish out there in the local aquarium shop that are cynaide-collected and have a low survival rate since they either have special eating habits or need a HUGE space to survive and thrive. In this book, the author will cover most of the marine fish that you will likely encounter and learn to avoid those impossible to keep species.

The author, like an experienced teacher will guide you thru the entire process from selecting the right aquarium shape/size, equipments, liverock/livesand, down to the actual livestock. As they say in the marine hobby, nothing good ever comes fast. So the key to success in marine fish-keeping besides knowledge is patience. Having seen the gorgeous saltwater aquariums on display, please don't rush out and buy the equipments and setting it up in one day and thinking it as a "weekend project". It is defintiely a long and laborious process involving lots of readings and research, practicing what we have learnt from this excellent book, but the results are extremely rewarding.

What could be better than keeping a piece of the ocean right in your living room?

I'll just start off by saying this is a great book for someone to start with, it touches on almost everything. The only problem I had was the beginning half of the book (mostly dealing with the tank) doesn't get detailed enough and then the 2nd part (livestock) was too in depth dealing with the anatomy and natural habitat etc.. with only 1 or 2 paragraphs out of 30 actually discussing how it would behave in a reef tank, and that's if you're lucky.

I'm glad I bought this book, it's helped me get a handle on reef tanks, but it's not good enough to be the only book you'll need and it's not something you will likely reference due to the skill level it targets.

Here is an excellent book for beginning or advanced hobbyists alike. If you need information on tank setup, filtration, lighting, or reef fish information this is a must have for the reef hobbyists library. There is information about tank sizes, the various system components needed for success, heating and cooling, Wet/Dry filters, UGF, lighting types and spectrum, various additives, substrate, live rock and too much more to list in this text. Very detailed descriptions about fish and inverts including origin, habitat, selection, feeding, reproduction, and disease. There is even a section on fish to avoid. All of the information and incredible pictures in this book will make you come back to it for years to come.

This book is on ReefCentral.com's reading list for those new to the hobby and it is easy to see why. Fenner gives a great introduction to keeping saltwater aquariums: fish, invertebrates, equipment, filtration, water, setup, aquascaping, feeding, diseases, etc. The advice on selecting and keeping fish is very practical. For example, when he discusses angelfish, he lists the species that do well in aquariums and the ones that should be avoided because they do not. His books also gives the reader a good basic understanding of compatability: you learn what types of fish and invertebrates you can put together and what types you can't.

Fenner writes in a way that is fun to read. On top of it all, as he goes through fish collection methods and other issues, you also walk away with knowledge on how you the consumer can help influence practices in the fish trade by the choices you make.

This is the must have, best, most complete work on saltwater fish keeping ever produced. If there is a better book, I would certainly like to know about it. The book has everything: Information for the new hobbist, great pictures, and the species section is fantastic. The book promotes a conscientious look at fish keeping, and for most of us it echos what we all believe. Wonderful!! I can not recommend this one high enough!

I purchased this book because I was interested in starting a salwater tank for the first time, and couldnt find any definite answers from reliable sources on the net. This book has taken care of that, as well as served as a constant reference.

The first 175 pages is dedicated to "Demystifying the Marine Aquarium" which it accomplishes efficiently and easily, with enough photographs to hold your attention, but not too many that it comes off as a child's book. I must admit, after reading this book I am very confident in my set-up because it gave me the tools and direction I needed to enter this wonderful hobby without any second guessing.

The rest of the book (228 pages) covers fishes and invertebrates of the trade that would be appropriate for a home aquarium, and it repeatedly points out that there are many fishes available that just arent suitable for captivity - which is an important fact that many people don't realize. The livestock section is not as comprehensive as the first part of the book, but it still gives you enough information to start up a tank that isn't doomed to failure.

Its definitely my new "Bible".