Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies [Paperback]

Gregory Skomal PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2007

Demystifies aquarium setup and maintenance

Combine and care for a wide variety of marine fish and invertebrates

Dive into the colorful world of saltwater fish! This fun, friendly guide gives you easy step-by-step instructions for choosing and caring for these amazing animals. You get the latest on feeding, tank upkeep, filtering systems, maintaining live rock, and preventing algae build-up, as well as what not to include in your aquarium.

Discover how to

• Choose the best fish and equipment
• Get your tank up and running
• Maintain proper water conditions
• Keep your fish happy and healthy
• Avoid tank pitfalls
• Keep a brackish aquarium

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Demystifies aquarium setup and maintenance

Combine and care for a wide variety of marine fish and invertebrates

Dive into the colorful world of saltwater fish! This fun, friendly guide gives you easy step-by-step instructions for choosing and caring for these amazing animals. You get the latest on feeding, tank upkeep, filtering systems, maintaining live rock, and preventing algae build-up, as well as what not to include in your aquarium.

Discover how to

• Choose the best fish and equipment
• Get your tank up and running
• Maintain proper water conditions
• Keep your fish happy and healthy
• Avoid tank pitfalls
• Keep a brackish aquarium

About the Author

Dr. Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, underwater explorer, photographer, aquarist, and author. He has been a fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. Greg holds a master’s degree in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD from the Boston University Marine Program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe, taking him from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to coral reefs in the tropical Central Pacific. He has written numerous scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and CBS.
Although his research passion for the last 23 years has been sharks, he has been an avid aquarist for more than 30 years and has written nine books on aquarium keeping. His home and laboratory are on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (January 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470068051
• ISBN-13: 978-0470068052
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Animal Care & Pets > Fish & Aquariums
  • #5 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fish & Sharks

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed with Dummies, March 31, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book and The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide by Michael S. Paletta in order to plan my new saltwater aquarium. The Paletta book is fantastic, up to date and is everything a beginner could want. The dummies book still pushes the undergravel filter as the best method for filtration. About a dozen websites that I checked dissagree. That's my major problem with this book. Having read both books over the course of two nights, I was astounded by how little information you actually get from this book. No subject is given in enough detail, even for a beginner's book. You will see my copy on ebay soon.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Out of Date and sometimes misleading information, December 14, 2004

By 

Karen L. White "Raveness" (Cumberland, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies (Paperback)

I was very excited to start my aquarium and used this book to start, within a few weeks I found out by visiting stores that I was basically doing everything wrong. I went to buy an underwater filter and they laughed at me and told me that they haven't sold any since the 70's. They also fail to mention how important and easy to maintain live rock is. I didn't even get any until a very knowledgeable sales person mentioned it. This book mentions very little about it and even less of it's importance. Overall the book is terrible, I am shopping for something new.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Primer. The Only Marine Tank Book You Need, January 29, 2006

By 

Ryan M. Hart "Esquilax" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies (Paperback)

I first want to contradict some of the other reviews on this page. This is a great book for the beginner. I used it and followed it to the T same goes for two of my friends. We have all had successful and healthy tanks for well over a year. This book will touch all the basics. Once you learn those you will then know the terminology and concepts and be able to find any other information you need for free, on the web. It is also very previlent in the marine fish hobby to learn conflicting information. Much of the care of fish really requires observation what one person claims solves the problem may not be the best for another with a different setup and different fish. Keep this in mind when you do run into so said "contradictions" that other reviewers have claimed to exist.

The book does talk about live rock, it also talks about undergravel filters being obsolete. Some of the reviewers seem to interpret being concise as not being informative. The author even states that technology in the hobby is always expanding, so you need to talk with your local livestock dealer.

If I could take the time to improve this book I would do two things.
1.) Color photos it is hard to tell what a saltwater fish looks like in real life from a b/w photo.
2.) A fish compatibility chart that details fishes and their compatabilities . (These are availible on the web if you image:google fish compatability) Fish incompatability can be more problamatic than in proper tank care.