Customer Reviews

Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I ordered this book having loved some other for dummies books. Thank goodness I ordered several other saltwater tank books. As I was picking through each of them I noticed that the for Dummies book contained information that completely contradicted the others! I was so angry at the wrong information in this book that I sent it back at a $5.00 loss. I'm actually considering checking some of my other for dummies books for errors. Yes, the language is simpler than in other books, but the amount of wrong information is not worth the cost of the book. Buy this if you want to kill some fish.

I bought this book for one reason. I wanted to start a marine aquarium but had absolutely no idea how to do it properly. I suppose I could have set out on my own just as the author did at one time. After reading this fine book, I can say with great certainty that my expensive salt water pets wouldn't have stood a chance. Nobody can include everything in one book. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want everything in one book. I wanted good coverage of all the basics necessary to be successful in this great hobby without being overwhelming.
Recommend to anybody who is clueless when it comes to salt water aquariums.

This new edition of Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies has been brought much more up-to-date with current marine aquarium techniques and is one of the most recently published books I could find on the subject. That said, it's still not a great book on the subject. It becomes overly repetitive in some areas and lacking in others and is often poorly organized. For instance, even basic species information is divided between multiple chapters with each one incomplete on its own and constantly referencing you back-and-forth. Too much time is spent on filtration techniques which the book itself deems are generally inadequate while leaving the reader confused between other techniques [and glances over or completely neglects advanced techniques used for reef aquariums]. The book is clearly aimed at the beginner, but fails to provide adequate direction for moving forward from there.

This book makes saltwater aquariums seem easier than they actually are. For one, I don't even think the book mentions the use of reverse osmosis or deionized water, which is strongly recommended by all marine aquarists. The author also doesn't mention the importance of live rock. In fact, he goes as far to advise against using live rock for fish-only tanks! Sure, you might be able to get away with not using live rock, but it won't be worth it in the long run. Also, I don't agree with the list of recommended filter combinations. One more thing, the book lists an air stone as essential equipment, but the only thing an air stone will do is aid evaporation and cause salt creep! If you have enough movement of water at the surface, you should get sufficient gas exchange. There is, however, one thing the book does get right: its strong recommendation of using a protein skimmer.

This book is easy to understand, but you won't be getting the best information.

This book contains the no nonsense approach typical of the Dummy series of books; and contains good basic information on marine aquariums. It is geared for those new to marine environments, and as such is simple to understand.

The main issues I have with this book begin with a very limited discussion about diseases, parasites and health issues that ALL new aquarists will run into (Sooner or later). Secondly, all the pictures are B&W which really takes away from the book.

Fair book, but if you want comprehensive details and color pictures; keep looking.

I'll keep this short. This book is not worth buying. At all. Half the book is descriptions of different fish and aquarium fauna. Most of the rest is information on equipment. And tacked on at the end, almost as an afterthought, are TEN pages of information on setting up and maintaining a saltwater aquarium. I'm not saying that this book doesn't have a plethora of information. But for someone like me, someone setting up their first saltwater aquarium and looking for beginner information, this book is seriously lacking.

This book did a lot of harm when trying to build a 90 gallon predatory fish reef tank after having fallen out of the hobby for many years (and previously only having a FOWLR). I would not suggest this to anyone, especially not a beginner in need of serious guidance and easy answers. If you are looking for some very helpful books that you will want to keep in your collection for the years to come I would suggest:

1) The Marine Fish Health & Feeding Handbook: The Essential Guide to Keeping Saltwater Species Alive and Thriving
2) Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History
3) The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (Microcosm/T.F.H. Professional)
4) The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide

Depending on your personal experience in the hobby some may be more helpful than others, but none are one read wonders. Suggestions out of the way let's look at why this book is far more confusing than helpful for someone brand new to saltwater systems.

1) This book regurgitates very old and out of date knowledge about filtration and tank cycling, it does not take into account newer methods that have been proven viable and safe alternatives over the past five years. Due to this you can be fooled into believing there is only one right way to set up a tank, keep it clean and healthfully balanced, and cycle it.

2) There are very few helpful diagrams that will outline to a saltwater newbie the different ways and different parts of a filtration system and other plumbing for your tank. Now you're left searching again.

3) This book fails to explain some of the very strange and beautiful ways a tank changes while it is cycled, this can leave someone new to the hobby flailing in panic searching the internet for answers on what Pineapple sponges are, what types of algae blooms are to be expected and how to take care of them, and what harmful algae should be immediately removed because it won't just fall into balance.

4) There is very little information in this book on hitchhikers and why they can be beneficial nor is there a guide to when they should be removed and that is so vitally important to someone starting out. One bad hitchhiker can destroy most of if not all of your work.

5) Common pests and ways to avoid them are almost entirely left out.

6) There is inadequate representation of lighting systems, their differences, uses, and the pros and cons of the use of one versus another for your tank based on what you are stocking or your long-term goals.

7) We have a wealth of beautiful marine life available in this hobby, while no book will cater to everyone's needs there isn't anything new about what fish truly do well with one another. It leaves out the importance of tank size in determining the approach of stocking, some fish will be far more dangerous to one another in a closer and/or larger environment in other words they will no longer be compatible. It gives canned responses to how you should stock your tank by size of fish to gallon, when temperament and environment can be and usually is far more important. Even sand and the amount used in an aquarium can determine the health and happiness of your fish depending on the species, while that may be more in depth it's invaluable.

These are only a few reasons why this book falls far short of being anything close to a guide. If you're new to the hobby please check out other books (there are many more quality reads than just my base suggestions above), find a good LFS (live fish store), and try to meet people in your city / town that share in this passionate and often confusing world. You've just started a fantastic journey that will unfortunately cost you quite a bit of money; make sure you spend it where it will do you and your tank the best.