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Here
is a list of some books (and not only) that I have recently read.
8.
GEORGE BLASIOLA
"THE SALTWATER AQUARIUM HANDBOOK" by
BARRON'S, Published in 2000, 164 pages. Another book for saltwater beginners. Unlike the other books from
Barron's this book offers 164 pages which cover a lot more than just
the basics. It will not cover all your needs but it is really good
for a start. Apart from the introductory chapters which will guide
you through your first steps this book also offers a description of
the basic fish and invertebrate families which is really essential
when starting a marine aquarium. Again, although there are some
photos, they are not placed next to the relevant fish family which
is a bit messy. All in all a honest book and offers the basics at a
very affordable price.
9. HELMUT
DEBELIUS "INDIAN OCEAN REEF
GUIDE" by IKAN UNTERWASSERARCHIV,
Published in 1999, 324 pages, Hardcover. Maldives, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, South Africa, Maurtius, Madagascar, East Africa,
Seychelles: This book is perfectly illustrated with over 1000 photos
from the natural environment of the animals on 324 pages. A true
bargain in terms of price/achievement. Helmut Debelius doesn't need
any special introduction and this volume leaves very little to be
desired. This book does not contain information about keeping those
species in captivity but gives invaluable information concerning the
natural habitat / habits of each species which is of course useful
to any fishkeeper. One of the great things about this book is the
short stories (usually 3-4 pages packed with photos) which show what
happens in the natural biotope of the various species. It is a great
help to those who wish to understand the needs of the fish they keep
better. The photos are of high quality and the fish are
easily identified. A great work.
10. HELMUT
DEBELIUS "MEDITERRANEAN AND
ATLANTIC FISH GUIDE" by IKAN
UNTERWASSERARCHIV, Published in 1997, 308 pages, Hardcover. From Spain to
Turkey, from Norway to South Africa: This book is perfectly
illustrated with over 1000 photos from the natural environment of the
animals on 308 pages. A true bargain in terms of price/achievement.
Helmut Debelius doesn't need any special introduction and this
volume leaves very little to be desired. This book does not contain
information about keeping those species in captivity but gives
invaluable information concerning the natural habitat / habits of
each species which is of course useful to any fishkeeper. One of the
great things about this book is the short stories (usually 3-4 pages
packed with photos) which show what happens in the natural biotope
of the various species. It is a great help to those who wish to
understand the needs of the fish they keep better.The photos
are of high quality and the fish are easily identified. A great
work. The comments are the same for all three volumes. I would like
to add that this particular book helped me a lot to identify almost
all creatures that I collected from the seaside myself.
11. HELMUT
DEBELIUS "RED SEA REEF GUIDE" by IKAN UNTERWASSERARCHIV,
Published in 1998, 324 pages, Hardcover.From Egypt,
Israel, Jordan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Arabian Peninsula: This
book is perfectly illustrated with over 100 photos from the natural
environment of the animals on 324 pages. A true bargain in terms of price/achievement.
Helmut Debelius doesn't need any special introduction and this
volume leaves very little to be desired. This book does not contain
information about keeping those species in captivity but gives
invaluable information concerning the natural habitat / habits of
each species which is of course useful to any fishkeeper. One of the
great things about this book is the short stories (usually 3-4 pages
packed with photos) which show what happens in the natural biotope
of the various species. It is a great help to those who wish to
understand the needs of the fish they keep better.The photos
are of high quality and the fish are easily identified. A great
work.
12. NICK
DAKIN "THE MARINE AQUARIUM
PROBLEM SOLVER" by TETRA PRESS,
Published in 1996, 210 pages, Hardcover. A very useful book written
by someone who knows what the hobbyist is most likely to encounter
while building and maintaining a reef or fish only marine tank. Well
organized, it covers the basic information on every topic and then
gives answers to the questions most commonly asked. A book which is
a very good addition for your library.
13. NICK
DAKIN "THE BOOK OF THE MARINE
AQUARIUM" by TETRA PRESS, Published
in 1992, 403 pages (large format), Hardcover. A very good book
indeed. Actually if you only keep commonly available species this
book is the best you can get for identification purposes. The
information about each species, although adequate for the beginner
will not satisfy the experienced hobbyist - very elementary.
However, to my surprise, the book looks (and probably is) a revised
and enriched edition of the book "The Interpet Encyclopaedia of the
Marine Aquarium" by Disk Mills listed in the previous page. I
was surprised to see that even the text is the same. Of course, if
you don't own the book of Disk Mills, this one is definitely for
you. If you do, there is no reason to spend your money.
14. JOHN H.
TULLOCK "NATURAL REEF AQUARIUMS"
- by MICROCOSM - TFH (PROFESSIONAL SERIES), Published in 2001, 338
pages (large format), Softcover. A really nice book which I enjoyed
reading although I don't have a reef tank (not at the moment
anyway). Its moto is "Less Technology - More Biology" and it gives
excellent advice on how to create a reef aquarium which will be as
self - contained as possible. It covers almost everything - from the
basics to the advanced - while remaining friendly to the average
hobbyist. I think that many fish keepers would benefit from reading
this book even if they don't have reef tanks. Actually even
freshwater hobbyists should take a look at it.
15. MICHAEL
S. PALETTA "THE NEW MARINE
AQUARIUM"
by MICROCOSM - TFH (PROFESSIONAL SERIES),
Published in 2001, 146 pages (large format), Softcover. Very good
book as well. The layout is neat and makes sense, while the usual
"Tips" are useful and will help the fish keeper to avoid some
pitfalls which he wouldn't otherwise. It may be of limited use to
experienced hobbyists but I think it is a great book for beginners
and contains some good photos. After reading it, I acquired a lot of
interesting and important information but I was left with the
impression that something was missing. My recommendation would be to
get this book as a supplement to a more "complete" one, like the one
by Moe (see book # 2 in previous page).
16. SCOTT
W. MICHAEL "A POCKET EXPERT
GUIDE TO MARINE FISHES" by TFH,
Published in 2001, 450 pages, Softcover. Perhaps the best book
around for the marine enthusiast. The reasons are very simple : high
quality photos which make identification easy, very accurate
information about the needs and expected behavior of those species
in captivity and an easy way to browse it. It covers 500+ species
and I feel those are the species most likely to make it to your
tank. An excellent book for selecting which fish to keep. However,
it should be noted that you will also need a general book which will
cover the topics of setting up and maintaining a marine tank and
another one for invertebrates and corals.
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