wtb: reef books

[props]

info overloaded but i want to know more
located in surrey

[Van down by the river]

This is a great approach, too many new aquarists buy first, and ask questions later......to the suffering of the animals in their care.
Don't worry many stores don't mind, they will gladly sell you medication or another animal to replace whatever died.

There are many many options out there.
skill level, your long term goal, aquarium type, budget, attention span/interest level, etc
All will affect your choices. I will assume you are interested in Reef Aquariums.

My personal opinion is that a well read aquarist will make better and more educated choices when it comes time for practical application and problem solving skills. If you know what you are dealing with you make better choices as of what to do about it.

You can have success without reading, books and the internet, but it will be limited and the cost in lost animals and actual dollars will get you in the end.

Aquarium store advice ranges from expert, to the used car salesman level. To novices it is often difficult to tell the difference.

Give us more info on what you would like to achieve. Minireef, FOWLR=Fish only with live rock, Cichlid, Soft coral display, Planted freshwater, etc

I personally have some good used books I would be willing to part with.
If they are not to your liking:

Don't forget your public library, just check the publish date if it's older than
4 to 5 years much of the info will be outdated.

J and L's http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/sh...Supplies;Books
has a good selection. I'd say if they have it it's probably worth reading.
Plus I think their prices are good.

King Ed Pets, Big Al's(sometimes pricey), and Aquafanatics also keep books in stock

MOPS is a Canadian mail order company that has a quite a few books available. http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart....517+1055979714

In the states their is Champion Lightinghttp://www.championlighting.com/e/en...oks/books.html
be advised if you are only buying one item it often isn't worth the shipping and duty. It may be better to buy from J and L's

Notes on buying books.
-Generally if it's published by TFH it's very simple,outdated and not worth your money.
-You get what you pay for, a $15 quick guide will collect dust. You'd be better off spending it on lunch for a more experienced aquarist while you pick his brain. The library always has the very simple books anyways.

Microcosm, Two little fishies (Julian Sprung),WetWebMedia/Readingtrees, and BSV all publish Good series.

The following list is not conclusive nor do you have to read all of them.
Any of these books would be helpful. Authors opinions often contradict so exposure to various sources is beneficial. If you have more specific interests, the internet, myself or others on this board could be very helpful in directing you to the appropriate info.

Suggested Reading:

Beginner Books for Salt water Fish/ Invert
Easy to read, often step by step.

The Marine Aquarium Handbook -Martin Moe
I know this book is older and has no color pictures, but it did a great job of covering much of the basic building blocks of becoming a good aquarist.
Also as it is older it would be easy to find a used copy for under $10.

The New Marine Aquarium- Michael S. Paletta
Good beginners book, straight forward,nice pictures.

Beginner to Intermediate Fish/Invert/Corals
Step by step, with greater detail.

Natural Reef Aquariums-John H. Tullock
Good images, covers set-up to fish/coral/invert care selection and care. Basic fish/invert/coral id guide. It has set-up examples of different sizes and habitats.

The Conscientious Aquarist- Robert M. Fenner
Another Microcosm book similar to Natural Reef Aquariums, It has a more detailed id guide as it is also 100 pages longer.

Intermediate Fish/Invert/Corals
Scientific terminology is common in these books.

The Reef Aquarium Vol 1- Julian Sprung and Charles Delbeek
Often considered the bible of the reef hobby. This volume covers the selection/care/biology/pests/disease of Stony Corals and Clams.It also covers Algae control
propagation, reef set-up,etc. Even though this book is starting to be dated, I would still consider it recommended reading.

The Reef Aquarium Vol 2 - Julian Sprung and Charles Delbeek
This Volume follows the same format but covers Soft corals and anemones.

The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium Volume 1-4- Svein A. Fossa and Alf Jacob Nilsen
This series is visually and technically superior to all the above mentioned books. These books assume you have already accumulated the basic aquarist knowledge. All four volumes together require a hefty investment, but I believe a worthy one.This series is an excellent addition to any serious reefkeepers library. They are filled with excellent information on selection,care,biology,and propagation, as well as functioning as id guides.

Volume One: Zoogeography, Decoration techniques, Biotope aquariums,Live Rock,Lighting,Heating,Water chemistry, Filtration, Conservation, and an extensive section on Algae.

Volume Two:Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Gorgonians, Anemones,Mushroom Anemones, etc

Volume Three:Sponges,Worms,Feather Dusters, Crabs, Shrimp, Mantis, Lobsters, Sea Spiders,etc

Volume Four: Coral Farms,Snails, Sea Slugs, Nudibranchs,Limpets,Cowries,Giant Clams,Clams,Scallops, Oysters, Feather Stars,Brittle Stars,Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Tunicates, and many more

Aquarium Corals- Eric H. Borneman
A wonderful book that focuses entirely on Corals. Each description has color variants, care, collection impact,Common names,Natural location,Propagation info,etc
A definite recommendation.

Book of Coral Propagation- Anthony Calfo
This book is sold as a guide to propagation, but much of the info applies to any reef aquarium. Info ranges from suggested biotope aquariums, to aquarium design, business systems,to propagation, shipping, and on and on. Much of this book is delivered in an easy to read, almost conversational often humorous style. It is not a visually stunning book but it makes up for it with greenhouses full of practical knowledge.


There are others such as the Vernon Corals book but I think I've already vastly over answered ProPs question.

[props]

thats a lot
well i've been reading quite a bit online so i've decided to go for coral reef aquarium.. got most equipment already just need a skimmer and maybe a calcium reactor but i don't think i'll go that far yet so i'll just do ca supplements for the time being.. somewhat need a mentor though thats for sure find a friend that have a similar hobby..
neways thats for your suggestions
so got any books for cheap?
heheheh

[Delphinus]

Moved this into the newby section because Van's response makes a fantastic article for that section.

[BC_Grl]

Have you checked any used book stores? We got a couple of good books there last year when I was looking...

Van- good article.

[StirCrazy]

Van, do you know of a place that has all volumes of The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium Volume? J&L only has vol 1

Steve

[Van down by the river]

Yes Emily, used book stores sometimes have aquarium books but I find they are usually very basic beginner books. I have to admit I did find my copy of Corals of Austrailia and the Indo Pacific-J Veron for $40 in a used book store. Ebay is also good but the after exchange/shipping/ and duty it's not always such a good deal.

As it seems there may be enough interest, and the local stores aren't carrying them, I think I'm goin to put a power buy together. I will link to it in the buy sell section when I get some prices.

Stircrazy, the list includes all of the Modern Coral Reef aquarium series,
as nobody local is carrying all of them.

Here is the list:
http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewto...?p=41201#41201

[Troy F]

Big Al's had a copy of MCRA Vol 2