Customer Reviews:
 THIS SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST BOOK July 11, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
No doubt about it, if you need to buy one book to get aquainted with the hobby, this book is the one.
Being a librarian and new to the hobby, I have purchased about 12 books on marine aquariums now, some very good, but this is definitely the one to start with.
Information is current and presented effectively. It's filled with actual aquarium photos, unlike some great books that rely heavily on pictures from the ocean.
One complaint, and this was probably an editing ploy to sell more books, Kurtz claims you do not need to be proficient in fresh water aquariums in order to try marine. I HIGHLY DISAGREE WITH THAT, because you can learn a lot of lessons MUCH cheaper with freshwater fish than having to learn to manage water changes, overfeeding, medicating, and algae blooms with your salt-water friends.
Another complaint, my copy had poor binding and fell apart quickly.
Great for Beginners...but a bit confusing June 9, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I really have to give this book 5 stars - it is the first book I read on marine aquariums and it is the source that I bounce all new info off of. This book gives a great introduction to both fish-only and mini-reef aquariums. But that is also it's problem. It took me a long time to untangle exactly what information in this book pertained to which set-up. The emphasis of the book is on mini-reefs (and I have since started a simple 55-gallon mini-reef, as well as a 29-gallon fish-only tank), but the best set-up for a beginner would undoubtedly be a fish-only or fish with hardy invertebrates set-up. And this book does cover these issues, but it all seems to get mixed-up with the full-blown mini-reef (which requires higher, and more expensive - way more expensive - lighting, filtration, and livestock). The sections on fish selection are informative, but incomplete (like exactly what should you feed each fish?). All in all - no book is perfect, and this is a great place to start. For a briefer, but clearer, discussion of the types of set-ups, I would suggest that you consult The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. It covers the basic differences between each set-up in a much clearer fashion. All in all, a fish-only saltwater aquarium is nowhere near as difficult as most people believe, especially if you have experience with maintaining water quality in a freshwater aquarium, and if you carefully choose your fish. This book will help you do both - but keep on reading when you're done - the more you know about this subject, the better. Especially for your fishies!
best for beginners May 13, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book before making the big mistake of blindly plumetting into marine aquriums. It openes my eyes before hand to what ws in store. I truly got a head start of the game with this precise, simple great eexplaining fun to read book.
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