Any Good Book Suggestion for Newbie setting up?

lennon

lennon

Member
Hi Everyone,
I am getting ready to purchase a 64 gallon with all the fixings. I am 100% new to all of this and do not have one clue as to what to do when I get my tank. Does anyone have a good book that will truly help guide me through all the steps?
Thank you in advance. I love that I have such a great site to turn to.
Bella
You all are so great! Thank you for the suggestions! I will look into all those books. Hopefully I won't screw this up.
 
mbrands

mbrands

Member
Read through as many old threads on here as you can. This website taught me to the most.
The best book I read was the Conscientious Marine Aquarist (sp?) by Fenner.
Welcome to the hobby!
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Not sure about what book to get when setting up the tank. I got "Saltwater aquariums for dummies". I found it informative, but it lacked a lot of information, like cycling your aquarium for the first time. That's a book i would definately advise NOT to get.
However, i do have a great book for when you decide to get fish. It's called the "Pocket Expert Guide To Marine Fishes". It contains information on over 150 species of fish. It'll tell you everything you need to know about the fish you wanna get, so that you make all of the right decisions. It tells you what size tank each fish should have, if they're reef compatible, what size they'll get, what fish they're not compatible with, what they eat, etc.
One great suggestion i can make is to read through these forums. There's a ton of great information in them. You can also do a forum search to look for threads that have to do with setting up a tank. If you have any other questions, i'll be happy to guide you.
 
mbrands

mbrands

Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
"Pocket Expert Guide To Marine Fishes
This is a good suggestion. There is also a similar book on marine inverts that I've almost finished reading through.
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
i purchased a good book a while back that takes you througha ll the steps from different aquariums to all the equipment the set up the cycle process what ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, nitrite, ph, salinity and more are all about and what they mean and how to keep them at the right levels....
it also goes on about everything from uv sterilizers to reverse osmosis to calcium reactors....
its an easy to read book with a lot of questions and answers that an aquariumist might ask in a situation and how to deal with it....
i also like the fact that the 2nd half of the book deals with fish, ineverts, anemones, and lots of other creatures that people keep in there tanks and tells you how difficult they are to keep and what demands they have such as feeding and climate needs....
the book is called " The Marine Aquarium Problem Solver"
its by Nick Dakin and was released by Tetra Press
i really recmommend it since it helps you through every step in setting up a tank and the equipment to helpinh you decide on what kind of tank you want with what kind of animals...
good luck!
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Originally Posted by mbrands
This is a good suggestion. There is also a similar book on marine inverts that I've almost finished reading through.
Ya know, i've been looking for a book just like that for inverts. What's it called?
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member

Originally Posted by tombonius
try "Reef Invertebrates" by Calfo and Fenner. Best book on mobile inverts I've come across...

Awesome book. And the other one is Marine Invertebrates by Ronald Shimek (Dr.Ron) also great book.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Robert Fernner's, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" should be a must read for all new hobbyists.
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Thank you!! I appreciate the help. My husband says this is all me...I want to do this right and since I am new I have been reading as much as I could.
I want to have corals and all those nice flowing items in the tank. That is pretty important to me..as well as getting a Dory and Nemo...lol Those are a must!
I am ok with losing some $'s on this hobby..but I don't have to be stuck with dieing fish all over the place. I don't have the heart. lol...I really don't though. I would feel badly..but I understand that it will happen sometimes. How much rock do I need to get for a 65 gallon. I noticed that in many pictures of tanks..there are other things that are hard and colorful. I do not know what they are ..but I assume those are not LR. And what is the best sand to get? I want to get the best of everything. Money is not an issue when it comes to those things. I want to do this right.
Thanks again! I value any help with this.
Oh, Is it a good idea to fill the tank and put in the LR and let it filter for a bit before adding fish, corals etc? I hear alot about the tap water being terrible and needing alot of time to filter..So I want to make sure I follow the right steps..
Thanks again!
 
teresaq1

teresaq1

Member
Welcome, First off, dont use tap water, you should use reverse osmosis water. you can get it from fish store, walmart machines, or buy a unit. second you may not be able to have dory, aka blue hipo tang. they need a 6 ft tank for swimming. third. you will need agragate sand, seeded with live sand, and about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of live rock. so at least 65 lbs. third, you will need to let your tank cycle before adding anything to your tank. and also you will need a good skimmer,and a couple of good maxi jet powerheads. I have a few site to order catologs for goods, if you want them. just give me an e-mail. m0m24@earthlink.net Good Luck
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Awwww
I am so sad about not being able to have a Dory fish in a 65 gallon tank. I really wanted one so badly. Oh well..I guess I will see what I do now..
I could have sworn they told me at the lfs that I could have it. I guess they just wanted to sell their stuff.
Thanks for the info and yes I would love info on the catalogs..
Thank you so much for the info.
 
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