Customer Reviews

Saltwater Aquarium Handbook, The (Barron's Pet Handbooks)

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

 

 

I spent months researching marine and reef aquaria for my own involvement as a hobbyist, and this was my first book. While it covers the characteristics of different vertibrates and invertibrates, as well as diseases and basic feeding information, it perpetuates many of the myths which cause so many tank "crashes", specimen deaths and discouraged hobbyists. This book does not address the most successful and widely-used water treatment and filtration methods used today: Protein skimming, live rock and live sand, and sump systems.

The science of marine tank and reefkeeping has changed radically in the past few years, lowering the mortality rate of tank inhabitants and increasing the ease of tank maintenance. This book seems to focus on the out-dated methods, and in several instances, leads the reader to believe that certain animals best left to advanced keepers are suitable for immature systems.

I would recommend this book only if you are "iffy" about starting a tank. It is a decent overview; but if you do take the "plunge", do thorough research first. Pariticipate in online forums, and buy "The Conscientous Marine Aquarist" before even purchasing your tank. You will have a solid foundation to build upon, you'll save money by purchasing the right equipment first, and you'll learn how to correctly cycle your first marine tank. From there, you'll want to pick up more specific and technical books to lead your way.

I found this book very helpful in the setup of my new aquarium. It offers complete instructions on setup, suggested matenance, and species selection. It doesn't contain many photos but the species descriptions are well written and very informative.

I also recommend "The Complete Idiots Guide to Saltwater Aquariums" and "The Tropical Marine Fish Survival Manual."

I found this book to be helpful as an overall general guide. It covers much of the general information needed to start and keep a saltwater tank. I was hoping to get more detailed information about different tank environments (reef, fish-only, invertebrates), saltwater species, diseases, etc. I would suggest for the true beginner.

this book was worthless, I am going to try to return it. I was not at all happy, very outdated information and some info I found to be quite incorrect. :(

This book is outdated. About all it has of any value is pretty pictures. There are much better books for the beginner out there. I found this out the hard way.

If you are looking for a complete guide, don't pike up this one. I found it good for first time reader, who doesn't know a thing about reef tank, but it doesn't realy help to set up you own.

there are better books out there, but if you want a nice book to read on saltwater aquariums in general, then this book is quite okay.