5 comments about Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques: Guide to Successful Professional Marine Aquarium Systems.

1. Of the 70 or so marine aquarium books I have this is certainly in the top five. There is information here that is simply not easily available from other sources and the book itself is very well written and illustrated. This is not a book for beginers because it assumes a basic level of knowledge and, thankfully, skips over such discussions as the nitrogen cycle, etc. There are few books written in this field that I would read cover to cover, yet this book is compelling and highly informative. I am surprised by how much I've learned from Hemdal's writing and how relevant it all is to my level of interest. Highly recommended!



2. This is a good book and terrible in others. I would ONLY recommend it for a well read, very advanced aquarist that has a good handle on the hobby already. Some of the advice is WRONG and will harm your system. However, there are also is some good info/ideas that are not available online or in other books (still in print). This is well worth the price _if_ you can sift through the junk to get to them.
   
   The author also needs to get an editor to read the book and fix things like parts of paragraphs that are missing and basic grammer/spelling errors.



3. Jay Hemdal's Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques picks up where most aquarium literature leaves off. Once you've gained a basic understanding of marine aquarium husbandry, reading this book is one of the next steps you should take. I've kept aquariums for well over 20 years, and I find that I keep referring back to this book for answers and solutions I can't seem to find anywhere else.
   I really appreciate the fact that, even though this book targets advanced hobbyists and offers in-depth explanations, it's written in easy-to-understand language. You won't find yourself swimming in technical jargon. Also, Hemdal doesn't simply parrot what has been written by others. His conclusions are clearly based on his own extensive professional experience, and he's not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom when necessary.
   If you buy this book, be prepared to learn something!



4. This text in my view is directed between marine fish only tanks and reef keeping. Many of the tropical fish listed are from the Australian tropical regions. It also appears the author does not follow Sprung or other cohorts in that he uses equipment that is currently not in fashion for maintaining reefs.
   
   I do agree that a well set up ozone reactor run with the dpd chlorine method is a superior way than ORP control and useful today despite its unpopularity. There are other texts available on this subject but this is an interesting point of view. He appears to adopt established public aquarium techniques to large private marine aquariums. However, I must admit many private aquariums are far superior to many public displays I have encountered, especially concerning sps corals. So I highly recommend the book but do not consider it an exhaustive reference on husbandry techniques, but more of an introduction to well established techniques.



5. What can I say, it contains information which I think a little bit unstructured. It has interesting concepts but I personally think a book of this price should have something special in it, which this one is lacking of. But overall, it's quite an interesting book to read.

No comments about Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium.

2 comments about Guide to Fancy Goldfish (Fishkeeper's Guides).

1. For the small cost almost every aspect of goldfish/fancy's are touched on. The pic's are first rate. It's a solid first book for anyone looking to have goldfish.



2. I'm an artist, not a goldfish owner. I mainly use this book's photos for references when I paint, and it's got lots of awesome photos, the colors are great~!
   I'd recommend if you want to use it for similar reason~!

4 comments about Your Healthy Garden Pond (Pond & Aquatic S.).

1. Borrowed this book from the library but have to buy it. It's a good reference and does great explanations. Real helpful for a novice like me.



2. This is a very good book for those who already have a pond. It does not get into the design and construction of ponds, but concentrates on maintaining the pond you have. This is exactly what I was looking for. I did not need to design or construct a pond; however, I did need the knowledge to maintain an existing pond, and this book fit the bill perfectly.
   
   It covers:
   * Water quality - the nitrogen cycle and what tests you need to perform
   * Filtration - types of filters, filter media, cleaning filters
   * Algae and plants - types of plants and how to grow them, how to contain algae
   * Fish - the different types of fish suitable for a pond and how to diagnose problems
   * Pond cleaning - when and how to clean the pond
   * Seasonal maintenance. - fall and winter preparations
   
   Also this book is illustrated with many full color pictures so you can see clearly what the author is talking about.



3. I used Interpet Products available from my local garden centre and I decided to check out some of the books advertised with their products and so ordered the "Your Healthy Garden Pond".
   I have read this book and found it a very useful reference,easy to read and with good illustrations. I would recommend it to anyone with a small garden pond.



4. This gem of a book contains all the information a new pond owner needs to maintain a healthy, happy water feature. It's very readable, well-organized, and succinct.

4 comments about Aquarium Plants (Mini Encyclopedia Series for Aquarium Hobbyists).

1. Basically a good book. Pictures are nice and I couldn't find many faults. Book could be more extensive.



2. This book is a great buy for the price. It has the most recent information (2005 edition), is nicely organized and formatted, and the illustrations and descriptors are very good. The sections on individual plants is very helpful with most popular plant types illustrated and described. I especially like the fact that the decriptions, while brief, are very to the point and provide essential information in a clear concise way (plant height, light and other requirements, overall ease of maintenance, growth rate, suggested placement in tank etc). Not as comprehensive in listing species as some other books, but more than enough for most avid aquarists (I have had aquaria and live plants for over 25 years!). If you buy only one book, make it this one!



3. this book is more than a paperback of color plant profiles, it touches on all the basics of fresh water chemistry, plant keeping, layout and maintenance, using short paragraphs and nicely illustrated pages. it lost a star for not elaborating more on the wide variety of fish, shrimp and snails that are often used to keep a planted aquarium clean.



4. I bought this book specifically because it has a guide to diagnose plant problems. The leaves are turning yellow? That means something specific! There are holes in the leaves? That means something else entirely! Well worth the price if you're having problems growing healthy plants or are just starting out in the hobby.

2 comments about Quick and Easy Hermit Crab Care (Quick & Easy (Tfh Publications)).

1. A good basic book. Very little detail on day to day. More than I wanted to know about reproduction. B&W photos do not do much to make the little crabs look attractive.



2. Answers a lot of questions, quick & easy to read w/many pictures. Would highly recommend it for anyone interested in hermit crabs or w/a hermit crab pet. My oldest daughter (3) brings it to school frequently to show everyone the pictures - she's learned a lot from it - so far it's a good substitute for the crab.

3 comments about The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums (Simple Guide to...).

1. 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.



2. 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!




3. 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.

5 comments about The Complete Guide to Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium (Complete Guide).

1. This touches all the bases. Very informational, but easy to read. If you want to own dwarf seahorses, get and read this book BEFORE you buy them! I wish I had!



2. I'm so glad this book is available and it will be a regularly referenced book in my library. I missed having an illustration that showed the anatomy of seahorses, however, when I was looking at one of my new dwarf seahorses anal fin yesterday, thinking it was a parasite (doh). I had to get on the internet to see an anatomy illustration. There are lots of photos of healthy seahorses, but none of what diseases look like, etc. (Although there is one of hydroids). There are no photos of tank set-ups either. I guess mainly it's the illustrations that are lacking in my opinion. But, lots of kudos & thanks to Alisa Abbott for her research and for sharing it with us, saving us from the things she learned the hard way.



3. This book is a nice, thorough, easy to understand, reference for the beginner. Short, well-organized with pictures. Not very detailed for the experienced marine aquariest.



4. This book was amazing! I have purchased many books on seahorses and yours was the most knowledgeable and understanding with great tips. Thank you so much!



5. I bought this book as a resource to address whether I wanted to keep a seahorse aquarium. The book is neatly organized and the pictures are glossy and bright. They are really the highlight of the book. The material is presented with simple language that appeals to those just starting this hobby. There is very little technical information: Aquarium design, filtration, or ecological considerations, so that is why I gave it an average rating. This book provides a nice overview of seahorses but you will need to consult more comprehensive sources if this is to become a serious hobby. Respectfully submitted, K.

5 comments about Your First Marine Aquarium (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals).

1. I purchased this book as a "first exposure" to keeping a saltwater fish and reef tank.
   It presented a bit wordy for someone unfamiliar to saltwater--and that turned me off right away. There didn't seem enough information to really get started, but too much for a beginner, if that makes sense. His other book "Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms" (while it did have a very long introduction story) was much better in this respect (it had a Step-by-Step Starter Reef section that I think would have belonged in this book instead.) While "Your First Marine Aquarium" may look like a typical beginners book that you might take home with a tank and equipment, I don't think it covers enough slowly, basically, and simply to serve in this capacity.
   Let me interject here that it is full of good pictures and has some useful reference tables.
   After reading both of these books, I still don't understand the exact mechanism or technique of feeding either corals or marine fish--something I think is very basic and always simply covered in freshwater literature. If I had picked it up and looked this book over in the store, I would have put it back and bought his other book "Natural Reef Aquariums..." instead.



2. Once I started reading this book I couldn't stop until I was done. I have fairly good experience keeping a fresh water tank but I never had a marine one, or for that matter I never read anything about it. This was my first book on the subject and I found it to have
   all necessary information to get me familiar with what is required to start a marine tank and how involved is the process of maintaining it. The step-by-step guide on who to setup a mini-reef tank is also very helpful. I also liked the explanation of different filtration systems (Berlin, Smithsonian, Monaco).
   The book has more text than photos so it might appear a little bit overwhelming. But that is good because the text gives good information and is well written. Not that this book doesn't have any pictures, it does have good ones, but there are some pages that are just text.
   All in all I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting a marine aquarium. This book will tell you if that is something you can commit to or not. And if you choose to do it, this book would definitely be valuable as a reference.



3. Strengths: Good beginners' guide, including a 30 gallon tank setup, start-to-finish. Reasonable "fish compatibility" guide.
   Weaknesses: Brief; the description of fishes/invertebrates for stocking your tank is pretty short. The salinity calculation is more complex than it needs to be, and lighting advice is dated.

   John Tullock advocates a setup with lots of live rock, and with a protein skimmer. This is the preferred saltwater setup nowadays, as it sets up a mini-environment for your fish. He closes the book with a walk-through of a 30 gallon "mini-reef" setup, including curing live rock yourself (if you don't live where a local fish store stocks pre-cured live rock), which also includes fish recommendations.




4. Wonderful book as an "introduction" to the world of starting and maintaining a salt water aquarium. It is excellent in giving anyone who is think of starting a tank the basics of set-up and more importantly, what to expect as the tank matures. My 75 gallon tank is now 4 months old and has done great right from the start in large part due to the knowledge I gained from this book.



5. This book features plenty of details on which marine fish and invertebrates can coexist. This book also has material on successful marine aquarium management. If you are considering to begin keeping a saltwater aquarium, this book is a nice guide.

5 comments about Marine Chemistry.

1. This is a pathetic rushed effort. If you are looking for up to date
   information about the chemistry of modern reef keeping it is not in this
   book. Go read 'Reef Central' magazine for free.



2. As my specialty is in psychology and human behavior (I am an avid hobbyist in my spare time), I tend to be suspicious of the motives of individuals who write reviews that blindly spit angry and critical remarks, but fail to substantiate their comments with any real reasons. Doubting the validity of the negative review, I bought the book anyway. I have to say that my suspicions were confirmed and I have been nothing but impressed with this useful, explanatory, and in-depth discussion of marine aquarium chemistry.
   
   Marine Chemistry is a book that can better equip the novice and even the most advanced hobbyist in making the best possible choices about how to maintain water chemistry. It helps take the guesswork out of deciding which water care products promote a healthy environment and conversely, which ones could be detrimental. (The index even includes sample calculations on determining how much of specific additives are required to maintain water parameters; this is not something that I have seen included in other books, nor is it usually on manufacturers' websites/labels. There are several "before" and "after" photographs of aquarium specimens showing the impact that elements can have on their care). Further, the book discusses basic principles of maintaining important aspects of water quality, such as calcium, for instance, and why certain methods are advantageous to others in various situations (e.g., kalkwasser vs. calcium chloride). These and others are issues that most, if not all, marine aquarium hobbyists have dealt with, or will deal with, at times during the course of their participation in the hobby; this alone makes the book very valuable. I have found that an initial read-through has been excellent review of basic concepts (e.g., explanation of alkalinity and pH) and has exposed me to newer, unfamiliar ideas (e.g., supporting arguments for strontium and iodine use based on marine biology and chemistry). I keep this book accessible and refer to it often. I feel confident that as I continue to become increasingly competent in this hobby, I will continue to be able to reference information in this book, progressively deepening my proficiency in the hobby.
   
   As a last comment, in my opinion, the information in this book is as up-to-date as any marine aquarium hobbyist of any skill level needs it to be. Further, it explains concepts in a comprehensive, yet easy to understand, manner, whereas articles written in Reef Central magazine tend to be verbose and seem to reflect an effort of the author to talk over the head of their readers.



3. I have been reading the internet non-stop for past 1 month !! I have spent over 150 hours reading various topics related to aquariums. In addition i have read over 5 books in this 1 month about aquariums. This all was motivated after my first fish died. As a well educated person, i have gone from complete idiot to an advanced (theoretically) aquarist in this 1 month period. So i have the unique perspective of what a novice beginner needs to know to start an aquarium (freshwater, brackish or marine) and i have the theoretical knowledge needed by an advanced aquarist who wants to run a reef system / planted freshwater. So, after having spent a month on nothing but reading books and internet, i can make good judgement on which is a book to buy and which is worthless. I can say this book is excellent reference material as well as introduction to water chemistry. A must have for beginner to intermediate level aquarist. The author has presented complex material in a well written form. The degree of difficulty in understanding this book depends on your understanding of chemistry and formal education or time spent in aquarium hobby. Considering the prices of other books, i would say this book is a bargain. It can be useful even to a freshwater or brackish water aquarium, because of the knowledge one would gain about water chemistry. my only complaint is that the author has failed to address the role Potassium (K), which makes up a bigger ppm in water more than many of the other elements discussed. That would have made this book complete. Also the table of seawater elemental composition would have been more complete if it presented amount of Carbon present in the form of dissolved CO2. I am writing these tiny criticisms in the hope that the author would come across this review sometime. I reviewed numerous books at 4 different bookstores before i picked some of the books i need to add to my collection. One of my criteria is that a book i bought should stay useful as a reference book, even if i finished reading it. And this is the first book for which i felt like writing a review in amazon.



4. This book should be in every aquarist's library whether you are just a novice starting you first marine aquarium or an experienced hobbiest wanting to revisit concepts in water chemistry management. If you are a novice, you may want to pace yourself reading the material. The material may take the non-science oriented person time to understand some of the discussion on chemical reactions and the chemical equations associated with those reactions, but the manner in which the material is presented allows for comprehension and practical application of the information. Examples of information presented include the intricate relationship of pH, calcium and alkalinity, the remineralization cycle and impact of organic materials, total dissolved solids and generation of phosphoric compounds (all with relevant chemical equations) in the aquarium and finally the latest techniques in water purification. The best aspect of this book is after the scientific discussion, the author explains how to use this information in a practical manner to achieve optimal water parameters in the aquarium. After you finish reading the book, you are sure to use this as a reference in your aquarium library.



5. This is not a picture book, nor is it a book of anecdotal information based on myth-information.
   It is factual information written in easy to understand language,based on accepted scientific facts.
   You can search the internet for hours,or just get it all right here.
   People often accept unresearched opinions as fact, this is what causes most people to fail.
   You will find plenty of bogus info,geussing and twisted opinions online.
   Many people don't even bother to research the online info, make poor judgements ,and lose livestock.
   The choice is yours, get the the facts right the first time, or this book will haunt you everytime you make a mistake on your aquarium.