Marine Aquariums: Todays Essential Guide to Creating: Aquamaster

The rewarding hobby of keeping marine fish in an aquarium is the subject of this superb Aquamaster book by Tim Hayes, Tristan Lougher, and Dick Mills. With full-color photographs filling every page, Marine Aquariums is lavishly illustrated with over 250 photos and drawings. The authors begin by describing the exacting demands of a marine aquarium, specifically addressing how keeping saltwater fish differs from keeping freshwater fish. The book provides information for the the marine aquarist whether he or she decides to embark on a fish-only set up, a live-rock fish-only, or a reef aquarium (that includes fish and invertebrates). The discussion of setting up the tank includes choosing and placing the tank; furnishing the tank with live rock, a substrate, and/or artificial décor elements; temperature control and lighting; water management; and installing heaters and filters. The authors discuss the choice of which fishes to include in the aquarium in terms of their compatibility with other fish, their diet, tolerance of captivity, appearance, and cost considerations. The book introduces the reader to invertebrates, too, such as sea anemones, shrimps, crabs, corals, starfish and tube worms.

For marine keepers interested in pursuing a reef aquarium, the authors give step-by-step instructions, from selecting and siting the tank to adding sand, corals, snails, and so forth. Feeding saltwater fish, maintaining the tank, health care of fishes, and breeding are also discussed, providing the reader with essential information about each of these important topics.

In terms of stocking the marine aquarium, the authors present the following fishes and make recommendations about buying and keeping each: clownfish, damsels and cardinals, dwarf angelfish, true angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, tangs, surgeonfish, triggers and puffers, groups and grammas, blennies, gobies, cowfish and boxfish as well as invertebrates (corals, shrimp, hermit crabs, etc.) and some rare but captivating options like the clearfin lionfish, pink scooter dragonet, and sea horses.