Customer Reviews

Reef Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibility

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I'm new to coral reef keeping - and have been voraciously reading a dozen+ books on all aspects of reef husbandry. Calfo and Fenner's book on Reef Invertebrates is both a beautiful pictorial of reefs and invertebrates and is a very comprehensive guide to reef keeping water husbandry.

I was surprised and amazed at the thorough and complete description of approaches to the essential aspects of reef husbandry. After an introductory section on water quality, additives, tank sizing there is the very best reference I've found on the potential goals and approaches to refugiums. This leads into a beautifully photographic essay on macro and micro algae - giving clear advice on balancing the choices of species.

I was completely engrossed in this so clearly written treatise on tank water quality approaches that I was surprised that the first detailed discussion of "invertebrates" was the better part of a 1/3 into the book!

The rest of the book is largely based on the various genuses of invertebrates that you could consider having in your tank. Again, complete and comprehensive, and especially clear on what will leave your corals alone and what will feast on them, what eats what, water quality requirements by species, diet requirements by species, etc. For almost every family there is a picture. For every species pictured there is at least a small paragraph near the picture describing the husbandry required to have the invertebrate thrive...and often the better part of a chapter when there are a number of varieties of approaches or animals.

This is the best reef book in my library.

This is a great book with scores of wonderful color photos. It is not an encyclopedia of every known marine invertebrate. Rather, it is a practical guide to keeping the non-coral invertebrates that aquarists are likley to encounter & consider for their saltwater tanks.

The book is a sturdy, large-format (81/2 X 11), quality-bound paperback with nice glossy paper and beautiful color pix. It is packed with useful, accessible information.

One of the best aspects of this book is the addition of extensive chapters on natural filtration, refugia, live rock and deep sand beds.

This book is a must for any marine aquarist, not just reefers. Well worth the $.

I'm on a tight budget, so usually try to get a book through the library rather than buying, if possible. This one was not available, so I took a chance buying it. I'm soooo glad I did. There's an enormous amount of information. I will be referencing this book for years. I'm interested in raising macroalgae and dwarf seahorses, and compatible invertebrates. Everything is geared toward corals nowadays and live rock, neither of which are necessarily safe for 1 inch seahorses. I was thrilled to find a large section on macroalgae in this book. The focus is on using them for refugiums, but I easily adapted the techniques, including a deep sand bed, to my 2.5 gallon dwarf seahorse tanks. Start here for the easiest way to get incredible water quality in your tanks. The live deep sand bed with macroalgae technique in this book, keeps the approx 1.5 gallons of water in my tanks ammonia-free. Amazing. Also, explains which macroalgae go "sexual," so you can avoid purchasing the ones that may foul the tank (and which are often promoted and sold as the best to buy!). Thanks so much to Anthony Calfo & Bob Fenner - and for their website, too ([...]).

This book is a great read for those of us interested in reef tanks. The illustrations are excellent and leave you longing for more, even though there are a LOT of them. The book is full on valuable information. I had a few types of algae in my own tank which I was curious about, and sure enough, there they were, named and described in the book! There are detailed explanations of creating and maintaining a refugium, deep sand beds, and many more ideas/tips which CURRENTLY are the best ways to maintain a successful reef tank. Bob and Anthony have a wealth of knowledge that comes from their own experiences and are passed down to the reader in this great book. A must have for anyone interested in captive aquatic life.

This book provides in-depth information about a plethora of topics useful for the reef aquarist. Instead of providing a re-hash of information generally available in virtually every aquarium book (eg, the nitrogen cycle), the authors provide in-depth information about such "under-covered" topics as water flow, refugiums, etc. Their discussion of marine organisms also hits the mark, providing more information about biology, husbandry, etc. than most other books without becoming so technical that only someone with a Ph.D. in marine biology would find it interesting or comprehensible. I found the book to be interesting, well-written, and very useful.

This is an absolutely superb book, and I eagerly await the other projected volumes in this series that the authors so teasingly mention. Hats off to the authors!!

I am simply amazed at the depth, clarity and insight this book provides. Do not be thrown off by the lack of information on corals and fish. Everything else immaginable is covered. From refugiums to plankton , this is in depth , easy to read sound advice. The authors have two more books in the series that are in the works on fish & corals. This first book is a monster and an excellent reference for those of us who hunger for knowledge in this area. It is packed with in formation, photos and humor!

Do not wait to get this book. Get it now!

I found this book to be quite good in covering most invertebrates in the marine trade. I use this book to reference every invertebrate before I buy them. The book even has some good sections on setting up a refugium and identifing various algaes and their benifits and their drawbacks. The only thing that this book seems to be missing is a section on anemones.

this book is a must have for any serious reef keeper. i have read and reread it many times. the opening chapters are a great aid to setting up a reef tank with discussions of live rock, live sand, refusiums, etc.

i must admit i was a bit disappointed when i first got the book as i was expecting one about corals. it is the other invertebrates that are in our reef tanks. i'm not disappointed any more.

He tells us what invertebrates can go in the tank and compatibility with other inhabitants.

one of my favorite books for my reefkeeping hobby. the cost of the book will be repaid many times over in lives not lost, and frustrations not realized.


Reefski

This book is ideal for the hobbiest who wants to make the transition from blindly maintaining a reef tank that lives, to a vibrate natural system, incorporating natural filters and food production. Goes into detail of various refugiums methods (nutrient export, plankton production, etc), and info on deep and live sand beds. Section on macroalgae is very good, with good clear photos for identification and basic description and care info.

Also contains info and photos on other welcome and unwelcome reef members, such as shrimps, crabs, snails, nudibranchs, mantis shrimps, worms (featherdusters), sponges, clams, starfish, sea squirts, etc. Note that it talks about these invertebrates as a family, and usually does not go into detail of subspecies, in general this book cant be used to identify a particular subspecies, just general care/info. This book describes all the invertebrates that most coral books leave out.

This book provides introductory information for a wide range of topics, good for those who have not been aware of these techniques or are considering adding to their system, this is a good springboard to the wider marine world although detail is lacking in implementation and further research would definitely be required. At times topics are spread widely, but a little too thinly. There are many examples where the authors will tell you about something that you need to know, but wont tell you the answer, eg: In reference to macroalgae going sexual, it says "sexual events are fairly predictable, and are easily avoided...", yet it does not describe how to predict (ie, what signs to look for), or how to avoid. However scientific names/terms are used, which can be used to search the internet.

If, like me, you like constantly adding fresh pieces of live rock to your system to see what wonderful things come/grow on it, I would recommend this book, especially if you have recently moved from marine to reek keeping.

This is a wonderful book covering most invertebrates. I'll mention that there are no anemones, as that seems to be a purchasing reason for many - maybe that will be part of a future volume on Cnidaria. It goes over groups and give some specifics on particular species. I use it regularly to consult, but be prepared to read through and understand groups of animals as a whole. For example, you might not find that specific sponge at the store to know if it is photosynthetic or not, but you can read about sponges of all types in detail and understand whether or not you should try sponges yet.

There is a nice section on refugiums if you are getting interested, that is more complete than any other book I own.