Customer Reviews

Reef Secrets

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beautiful book. There are lots of great pictures. The book is an excellent resource for those who are starting a reef tank. There are thorough and informative chapters on issues such as set-up, live rock, lighting, fitration, feeding, etc. The sections on selection & care of corals, other invertebrates, fishes, and algae are excellent. Issues of care, compatibility and conservation are addressed for all species.

I did notice a couple of incorrect pictures, but this is a very minor problem.

Overall, this is an excellent beginner/intermediate book by a pair of recognized and respected authorities in the field. Their superb 4-volume series is beyond the budget of most at a per-volume list price of around $90. Most of what the average new reefer needs is here in this book. It is an excellent value for the price.

You won't have to go over the ammonia cycle again here, though there is enough info to get you started. The title is a great indication of what to expect. This book is about thinking out of the box in aquarium keeping and planning them correctly.

My favorite section talks about ideas for aquariums and how when we start, we usually try to replicate a hodgepodge thrown together because we want a little of everything instead of a real underwater scene which could be much more interesting. This book has opened my eyes to new planning possibilities, I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

It has a great section on all types of fishes, invertebrates, cnidaria, etc... of options for choices with clear and concise care guide and potential pitfalls.

There is one or two things that might surprise if you have aquariums in the Americas, such as stating that 10% of water changed per year is reasonable. Maybe very large aquarium, but I change that per week. Then again, only because I have read elsewhere and heard advice to do so even though it does seem to make sense to me.

I wish I had found this book before planning my current aquarium, but it has certainly gotten me thinking about the next one. I recommend this as an additional starter book (perhaps to accompany Paletta's New Marine Aquarium) or for anyone who knows the simple basics and wants interesting new ideas to rehash the passion. Without question, worth it.

The best part of this book is the stocking guide section. It describes many, many common fishes & inverts that are found in the aquaria trade in great detail. Makes stocking a tank very easy.

They're very environmentally aware without being preachy about it. For instance, they will point out which fishes should be tank bred and why.

Beautiful photography!

One can appreciated the authors' long experience with marine aquaria who elegantly and with simple language explained larger biological concepts yet provide detailed instructions on how do to what and why. Very inspiring are the suggested biotopes that include among others "seagrass aquarium", "reef gorge aquarium", "pizza anemone aquarium", "rubble zone aquarium" as well as the standard reef tank. These are refreshing ideas that are needed with the current predominance of grocery store shelf-like stocked, overcrowded best-of-the-month SPS tanks. Also contains a comprehensive guide about most creatures possible in a reef tank and essentially makes e.g. Sprung's "Quick" guides unnecessary in one's library.

This book is great, it is not only a book packed with usful infomation for anyone beginer or advanced, it has a lot of info on what equiptement you need and tells you why you need it. It also is just a great book on hand. I would reccomend it to everyone

What a great cut-to-the-chase reference for the reef hobiest. The selection guide is very helpful, especially if you are concerned about compatability or just want to develop a specific region in your own reef tank.

Very good for beginners. Covers all important topics. Very simple language, without technical jargon which is often overwhelming people who just starting with hobby. Very nice stocking guide and chapter about biotops which is not found often in similar position.

I recommend it to anyone who thinks to start with reefkeeping hobby.

As a beginning reef aquarist, I enjoyed reading this book, but I am not sure it is a practical book for the novice.

Some of the advice it gives seems designed for the advanced hobbiest who has little need for the book. For example, it advises no more than about a 10% water change each year. That is probably enough for an established, well-maintained aquarium in service for a couple of years already, but I doubt it is a regime suitable for someone just starting.

The authors' advise seems to defy conventional wisdom in other areas. The suggested Ph paramaters, for example, vary from anything I have seen elsewhere. Perhaps that's why they are called reef "secrets". Or perhaps they are just "typos"

Interestingly, the book presents a photo of what it bills as one of the finest amateur marine aquariums anywhere. I went on-line to learn more about that system and learned that the owner has a maintenance regime and water paramaters at odds with the recommendations in this book!

Still, all in all, an enjoyable and well-informed read. It's just not a suitable "how to" book for most of us. On the other hand, the section at the end on species selection was very useful.

This one had good info but fabulous pictures, too. Extremely helpful when trying to decide if we were going to do a reef aquarium. If you are the least bit on the fence or think it is too complicated, this book will help either way. Good luck.

A very good book for getting started in salt water aquarium tank. Vivid colors of different species with needed information for making the right decisions for buying the right species for your tank. I highly recommend this book.