(repost) Marine aquarium book recommendations?
Peter Marvit
rec and alt groups. Hence the re[cross]-post. If this is against
*.aquaria etiquette, please advise and forgive. -PM ]]
-- Original Follows
[[ OK, I'm new to this group, so have of course missed averything! ]]
The current discussion around our house is to shift our local foodchain
from reptiles to a marine reef community. Well, reptiles are fairly
simple as far as I'm concerned, but marine aquaria...
I've started looking and buying books on the subject, but need some
recommendations and/or comments on accuracy. Specifically, what do folks
think of these books. How accurate or "gospel" is their advice and
descrptions? What other books would you recommend and why. So far:
o Advanced Reef Keeping, A.J. Thiel (1989)
By far the most comprehensive book (437 pages), as far as it goes, in
terms of equipment and setup. He seems to be *very* gadget-oriented
and predisposed to *much* larger tanks (>>100 gallons) and "serious"
setups than the average home environment. I am also very distressed at
the production quality of the book itself; every page has significant
typos and ungrammatical passages which casts doubt on the accuracy of
the substance. I find the writing to be semi-organized and perhaps
suited to those "in the know" who can piece together his thoughts than
to educated beginners. He advocated extensive monitoring systems with
elaborate filtration and chemical balancing (external to the tank
environment). He does have specific manufacturer recommendations,
though liberally sprinkled with adverts for his own company.
As to be expected, he often gives several alternative methods for a
particular problem (e.g., overflow vs. siphon) and states his (often
very strong) preference. He does not always list a balanced set of
pros and cons, however, so the reader must take his word.
He references an earlier book "Marine fish and inverts" (or some such)
as well as a newsletter and Vol II of this "Advanced Reef Keeping". ANy
comments on these?
o The Marine Aquarium Handbook, M.A. Moe (1982)
A well written and well organized introduction (subtitled "beginner to
breeder"), it is a bit dated (e.g., describing undergravel filters as
the only approach to biological filtering, no mention of live rock).
It seems like a nice overiew, however, and covers many of the major
points. Due to its date, however, I am skeptical of the accuracy of
the information and the completeness of the presentation.
o Miniature Reef Aquarium in Your Home, C.W. EMmens (1989)
Quite a nice color picture book from THF, it appears to cover all the
basics with appropriate diagrams and photos, without going into much
detail. Relatively slim (127 pages), it too appears to cover all the
important basics in clear and well organized prose. He offers
recommendations in the form or "Some experts say X, other say Y, for
these reason, and I do Z," allowing readers to make a semi-informed
choice of method. An example is his discussion of undergravel vs.
external filters; while clearly favoring the latter, he does not slight
the former. His approach is as natural a system as possible, with
minimum necssary external treatment of the water (though with
reasonable changes, though he mentinos some experts prefer no changes
at all!). i often find myself asking harder or more detailed questions
than the book can answer, however.
o Guide to Marine Fish, ADI 42, S. Andrews (ed) (date unknown)
A slim collection of articles purchased more for the photos than prose.
My SO, who has volunteered to be in charge of feeding if we "go for it"
requires photots for her fish and invertebrates (as well as cookbooks!
but that's another story).
o Marine Aquariums, W.E. Burgess (1987)
Very similar in style and content to the Emmens book, it tends to be
more "how-to" and less "why" than Emmens. Also slim (124 pages), it
tries to cover everything from set-up to diseases. The writing is not
as tight as Emmens, but far from the extraordinarily poor style of
Thiel. The general content is a bit "fluffier", but the photos are
quite nice (including examples of commerical products). It is
insufficient, in my opinion, for a real start but does whet the
appetite for a marine aquarium.
So that's it so far. Reactions? Finally, any Bay Area folks want to
recommend local (esp SF) marine pet stores. Nippon is closest and
appears to be quite a complete supply. Is mail order a reasonable
approach?
Thanks for listening.
-Peter "Snakes and Lizards are stil cute" Marvit
: Peter Marvit Hewlett-Packard Labs in Palo Alto, CA (415) 857-6646 :
: Internet: <mar...@hplabs.hp.com> uucp: {any backbone}!hplabs!marvit :
: Peter Marvit Hewlett-Packard Labs in Palo Alto, CA (415) 857-6646 :
: Internet: <mar...@hplabs.hp.com> uucp: {any backbone}!hplabs!marvit :
Richard Brosseau
[stuff deleted]
+o Advanced Reef Keeping, A.J. Thiel (1989)
+
+ By far the most comprehensive book (437 pages), as far as it goes, in
+ terms of equipment and setup. He seems to be *very* gadget-oriented
+ and predisposed to *much* larger tanks (>>100 gallons) and "serious"
+ setups than the average home environment. I am also very distressed at
+ the production quality of the book itself; every page has significant
+ typos and ungrammatical passages which casts doubt on the accuracy of
+ the substance.
Well, he's basicaly accurate, but extremly sloppy (or the publisher is).
+ I find the writing to be semi-organized and perhaps
+ suited to those "in the know" who can piece together his thoughts than
+ to educated beginners. He advocated extensive monitoring systems with
+ elaborate filtration and chemical balancing (external to the tank
+ environment). He does have specific manufacturer recommendations,
+ though liberally sprinkled with adverts for his own company.
+
You've hit the nail on the head here.
I read and reread this book and was disappointed about missing details
(few of those but I was looking for specifics). This IS the book to get
for those that want an off-the-shelf solution to mini-reefs. I was also
inpressed with the alternate bio-filters described.
+
+o The Marine Aquarium Handbook, M.A. Moe (1982)
+
+ A well written and well organized introduction (subtitled "beginner to
+ breeder"), it is a bit dated (e.g., describing undergravel filters as
+ the only approach to biological filtering, no mention of live rock).
+ It seems like a nice overiew, however, and covers many of the major
+ points. Due to its date, however, I am skeptical of the accuracy of
+ the information and the completeness of the presentation.
Believe me, the info IS accurate and complete (up to the age of
under-gravel filters that is.) Check out the health and food sections.
The breeding section is also complete (up to a point). When I have a
problem, I look up this book first, be it chemical,health,food, etc..
+
+o Miniature Reef Aquarium in Your Home, C.W. EMmens (1989)
+o Guide to Marine Fish, ADI 42, S. Andrews (ed) (date unknown)
+o Marine Aquariums, W.E. Burgess (1987)
Haven't read these.
Check out Moe's new book, The Marine Aquarium Reference:Systems and
Inverts. It's very interesting if you're one that likes to tinker around.
--
RIP Gryphon:198?-1990:'The day-care center from hell finally died'
Richard Brosseau Cognos Inc. decvax!utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!richardb