newb

[el espence]

i am new to the hobby and won't waste anyones time with 1,000 questions. only one, what is a good book or other source to prepare myself. i'm wanting to set up between a 20 and 35 gallon display with a 10 gallon refugium, i want to use the most natural filtration i can. a friend of mine who has kept tanks going for years suggested that i set the refuge up with alot of macro algae. so if anyone has any suggestions on how i should execute this set up. please feel free to let me know.

 

[beaslbob]

I agree with your firend. A refugium however does not have to be a seperate tank with overflow, pumps, sump and all that. Just a partition near the glass so the area between the glass and partition from the refugium. And some added side lighting to light up that area.

I hear Dynamic Aquaria, Third Edition: Building Living Ecosystems (Dr. walter Adey and Karen Loveland) is a good book but kinda technical not too diy setup orientated and heavy on algae turn scrubbers.

The-Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist by Bob Fenner is a good general primer covering many topics.

my .02

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome to R2R and PLEASE ask 1000 questions if you need to. That is what we are here for!

 

[AndyDuckets]

that conscientious marine aquarist book is large, and has lots of pictures, but i think the info is outdated. Yes, i feel i wasted my money on it. i found better info here, just surfing with the search button.

i did like these two books because it tells you everything you want to know about behavior, diatary, habitat, and necissary husbandry required etc. however you can find all that info on any one of the forums on the internet.

A PocketExpert Guide to Reef Aquarium Fishes
Amazon.com: A PocketExpert Guide to Reef Aquarium Fishes: 500+ Essential-to-Know Species (Microcosm/T.F.H. Professional) (9781890087890): Scott W. Michael: Books
A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Invertebrates
Amazon.com: A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Invertebrates: 500+ Essential-to-Know Aquarium Species (9781890087661): Ronald L. Shimek: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

 

[Steve W]

I'm a relative newbie also. My tank has been up and running about 5 months. As for sources of information, I recommend if you buy nothing else you buy a copy of Aquarium Corals, Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, by Eric H. Borneman. While it is about 10 years old, this book will tell you more about corals than anything else I've seen.

Another good source of general information is www.about.com and search on saltwater aquariums. Lots of pretty good info and lots of DIY projects that can save you a bundle.

A few others I've sound useful are:

• A Buyer's Guide to Saltwater Invertibrates
• A Buyer's Guide to Saltwater fishes
• Marine Reef Aquarium Handbook; by Dr. Robert J. Goldstein
• The Marine Aquarium Handbook, Beginner to Breeder; by Martin A. Moe, Jr.

The final ultimate reference I would recommend is to find your local reef club and join! This will give you a support base that will be more help than any book, and who will probably help you stock your tank at prices that are less than any LFS or internet site.


Steve W.

24 gallon Nano w/ 150w MH

 

[el espence]

thanks for the help everyone

 

[sowellj]

While the literature is good, it is somewhat outdated just due to how fast the hobby changes. So ask away with your questions. This will save you some time and money. Generally speaking, I would try and get an idea of what you want to do with your tank. If you want fish only, sofites, mixed reef, full SPS, etc., will dicate to some degree the equipment you buy. I would get the largest tank you can afford, as it is a bit easier to keep things stable with higher volumes. While you do not need top of the line equipment to be successful, don't skimp too much .. buy right or buy twice.

 

[skinz78]

Welcome to R2R, honestly I think you will get your best info right here so please ask away!:bigsmile:

 

[ThaBeast]

Please ask all the questions you can think of! I agree with the others, I've got $600 worth of books and learn more on the forums than I do in the books. I do however really like Sprung and Delbeek's 'The Reef Aquarium' series for a thorough understanding of some concepts and chemistry, although this series is a bit dated as well--just try to find something about Mg levels and its importance in relation to Ca and alk in vol I or II

 

[mlove]

The internet is the greatest (and worst) resource you have available to you. Ask questions here where you can actually speak to people and see the results they personally have gotten. A book is great and most can help you a ton, but you cannot see live updates on what the book's techniques have done to a tank/ecosystem. Just my thought on the matter. Plus a book can deliver round-about answers that can leave you wanting for more information, whereas here you can get a straight answer for exactly what you're looking for. If you're looking to go natural filtration use a lot of quality liverock, livesand, fuge w/ macro algae, and a protein skimmer rated for a tank larger than what you will be keeping. This would be if you were going to do fish, LPS, some SPS, softies, and some invertebrates. You may have to adjust your system if you plan on something like a fully-stocked SPS tank with a decent amount of fish or may not need as much if you're doing a strictly softy tank. Multiple variables that you'll have to help us understand with questions

 

[Captain Nemo]

Please ask all your questions! I will totally vouch for everyone here as they have helped me tremendously, though they may not know it. This website is a great resource and the people that are here make it great! P.S. look for the chattanooga reef club thread and people within distance can actually help. Just FYI