Globe and Mail 11/22/2003
Exhaustive guide... about creating virtual underwater habitats.


Pet Age 11/2003
Easy-to-follow advice in a layout that makes specific topics easy to find.


Pet Business Magazine 11/2003
More than 500 stunning color photographs... simplifies the complexities of establishing and maintaining a marine aquarium... great reading.


Book Description
An encyclopedic reference for setting up, stocking, and maintaining a saltwater aquarium. Nothing rivals the color and appeal of a saltwater aquarium. The Complete Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium simplifies the complexities of setting-up and maintaining a successful saltwater aquarium. The book illustrates and explains: - Specific characteristics of invertebrates and marine fish - Important differences between tropical and freshwater fish - Choosing a tank: advantages and disadvantages of glass and acrylic, different shapes, and critical construction details - Accessories such as aquarium heaters, lights, and filters - Water testing and maintaining the correct chemical balance More than half of the book is a directory that covers species from 34 fish families. Details include their characteristics, natural environment, diet and feeding, size range, and aquarium behavior. Coldwater aquariums are covered in a separate section that shows how to establish an artificial habitat for fish requiring temperate saltwater. This full-color reference will appeal to saltwater tropical fish enthusiasts at any level.


About the Author
Nick Dakin is prolific writer and consultant on aquariums and saltwater fish. He has over 30 years experience keeping and breeding fish and invertebrates of all kinds. Julian Sprung is a marine biologist, scuba diver and consultant. He is a contributing editor of Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine.


Excerpted from Complete Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium by Nick Dakin. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Foreword by Julian Sprung (Julian is a marine biologist, diver and consultant, with many years of experience of keeping marine fish and invertebrates. He regularly lectures on aquatic subjects and is consulting editor of the magazine Freshwater and Marine Aquarium.) A marine aquarium is a living work of art, an attraction for the eves and the imagination. Seeing the fabulously colored marine creatures within an aquarium, we are astonished that these little gems are actually alive. The brilliance of their colors is matched equally by improbable shape. texture and pattern, while the way these creatures move is fascinating. The delicate undulations of the Mandarinfish's pectoral fins, the fireworks display of pulsing Xenia, a soft coral, or the effect of the motion of water over the flowing fins of say, a Pinatus Batfish, or a field of coral polyps, is hypnotic. The marine aquarium affords a window to the sea far away from its pounding shores, and a window to the unknown. It is precisely this element of mystery that holds the most enduring attraction for hobbyists, who learn about animal behavior, biology, chemistry, and ecology from exposure to an aquarium. When it is a marine aquarium, there is a particular satisfaction in the knowledge that you are taming a little piece of the sea. Sometimes the aquarium will not be tamed, however, and every hobbyist suffers moments of frustration because aquarium keeping is not, and never will be, an exact science. Living systems do not respond like machinery. Only experience and patience will allow you to achieve reproducible success. Our hobby has undergone periods of enthusiasm and periods of waning interest. Every time a new product or filter is introduced, one hears claims that the solution has been found to the successful, maintenance-free marine aquarium, and this attracts new hobbyists and re-attracts the old salts who gave up. Patience, knowledge, and experience will always succeed where the exaggerated claims fall short. Still, there is a purpose to such claims. They dispel a myth and widely accepted view that has long been an obstacle to the growth of the hobby: the perception that marine aquariums are impossible to keep. I can't recall how many times after I mentioned that I was a marine aquarist, a new acquaintance would blankly utter, "Oh, I've heard that marine aquariums are impossible ..." My reply is that a marine aquarium is as difficult or easy as you make it. With that in mind, you can use this book as a guide to help you decide just what kind of marine environment to create, and how to do it. You, can start with a small, simple system, a painless dip of a toe to test the water, but, eventually, you might just dive right in. Don't drown! You have many options, but you must be patient and avoid taking on too much responsibility too quickly. The 'fish only' tank, or one that primarily emphasizes fish, has long been the mainstay of the marine aquarium hobby. Showy angelfishes, butterflyfishes tangs and wrasses cruising among the skeletons of dead or fake coral is the stuff of most public displays. This type of display also typifies the first marine aquarium for most hobbyists. Whole displays may also be made with the fascinating partnership of anemones and clownfishes. And few lobbyists escape the attraction of the seahorse, Those fond of danger choose lionfishes and moray eels. A more recent trend in marine aquarium keeping is the fascinating creation of whole ecosystems. This aspect of the marine hobby focuses primarily on the duplication of tropical coral reefs and lagoon settings, but also includes temperate or 'coldwater' reef environments. Both are covered in this book. 'Reef tanks' are especially fascinating because the decor is dynamic -- ever changing as it grows. Each time you view the aquarium there may be a new discovery, a new pet, or growth. While older systems achieve success through a sort of clinical maintenance, the modern trend toward duplicating a natural environment achieves stability through the cultivation of rich populations of animals, plants, and micro-organisms, so that little external filtration may be required at all. Now, as there are more technical gadgets and sophisticated forms of filtration available to hobbyists than ever before in the history of aquarium keeping, an appreciation of the simplest forms of creating a successful aquarium is returning. While the idea of using live rock to create a naturally balanced aquarium is not new, only now is it popular and widely accepted. One of the most fascinating things about the hobby of marine aquarium keeping is that, as we learn more about the environments we create and the creatures we keep, the techniques and technology continue to evolve. The future of our hobby is bright. Advances in the care, propagation and aquaculture of marine species have brought an exciting new aspect of marine aquarium keeping within our reach. The trend towards environmental awareness and concern about depleting the natural resources makes captive propagation of marine life a positive alternative. Much progress is being made in this endeavor through the work of expert aquarists and active aquarium societies. These organizations of aquarists now have a multiple duty: conservation, regulation, education and captive propagation are presently on club agendas. If we are to continue to enjoy and learn from our hobby, we must actively ensure that the methods of capture and care of the creatures we keep are responsible, for while our impact on the marine environment is minuscule compared with the destruction from industrial development and pollution, to proceed recklessly in our endeavor is counter-productive. Most people who enjoy the rewards of marine aquarium keeping are also sensitive to environmental issues. As marine aquarists, we know the value of increasing public awareness of the marine environment by exposing people to the beauty and wonder of a healthy marine aquarium.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An encyclopedic reference for setting up, stocking, and maintaining a saltwater aquarium.

Nothing rivals the color and appeal of a saltwater aquarium. The Complete Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium simplifies the complexities of setting-up and maintaining a successful saltwater aquarium.

The book illustrates and explains: Specific characteristics of invertebrates and marine fish Important differences between tropical and freshwater fish Choosing a tank: advantages and disadvantages of glass and acrylic, different shapes, and critical construction details Accessories such as aquarium heaters, lights, and filters Water testing and maintaining the correct chemical balance More than half of the book is a directory that covers species from 34 fish families. Details include their characteristics, natural environment, diet and feeding, size range, and aquarium behavior.

Coldwater aquariums are covered in a separate section that shows how to establish an artificial habitat for fish requiring temperate saltwater.