which books if you had to pick 2 or 3???

[enosmeanus]

Corals : Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Compatibility (Paperback, 2000)
Author: John H. Tullock
Corals : A Quick Reference Guide (Hardcover, 1999)
Author: Julian Sprung
Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies (Paperback, 2002)
Author: Gregory Skomal
The Coral Reef Aquarium : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish (Hardcover, 1999)
Author: Ron L. Shimek
Reef Secrets : Starting Right, Selecting Fishes & Invertebrates, Advanced Biotope Techniques (Hardcover, 2003)
Author: Alf Jacob Nilsen, Svein A. Fossa
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist : A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: Robert M. Fenner
Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: John H. Tullock
The New Marine Aquarium : Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide (Paperback, 1999)
Author: Michael S. Paletta
Reef Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibilty
by Anthony Calfo, Robert Fenner

 

[the claw]

You forgot one of my favorites. Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman. THe book I got started with was Tullock's Natural Aquarium Reef or whatever. It was very simple for a beginner yet was filled with good information. There is just something about that big blue clam on the front that makes me want to pick it up.

 

[flipper263]

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist : A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: Robert M. Fenner
[/B]
This is one of the books I have and it's fantastic, very helpful on all aspects of SW. I am looking for more books though so I will be watching this post to see what books others like.
flip:jumping:

 

[doodle1800]

Originally posted by enosmeanus
Reef Secrets : Starting Right, Selecting Fishes & Invertebrates, Advanced Biotope Techniques (Hardcover, 2003)
Author: Alf Jacob Nilsen, Svein A. Fossa
Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: John H. Tullock

I like these 2. In my opinion the conscientious aquarist is out of date (undergravel filters) and labors on cycanide usage when catching livestock.

 

[flipper263]

Originally posted by doodle1800
I like these 2. In my opinion the conscientious aquarist is out of date (undergravel filters) and labors on cycanide usage when catching livestock.

True about the undergravel filter...but the book offers some amazing information on the different fish, inverts and corals and helped me a great deal in stocking my aquarium...or at least sending me in the right direction. (Most of my actual stocking decisions came from information I got from this site)
flip:jumping:

 

[doodle1800]

ok - I'll agree to what flip said... I was annoyed by the cyanide chapter, but the book was my first and it helped lots and I'd purchase it...

 

[aandersen]

I liked The Succesful Saltwater Aquarium by John Tullock, it taught me alot when I was first starting

 

[barry cuda]

I'll put my $.02 in for The New Marine Aquarium by Paletta. It's very approachable and has lots of nice "don't-forget-this" checklists for clueless noobs like myself. Not as exhaustive as some of the others, but very practical. I didn't much care for Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies...It just didn't have quite as much useful, practical info as the other books.

 

[innsmouth]

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist : A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: Robert M. Fenner
A good well rounded book with a nice variety of information. A decent overview if you will. Ditto on the UG filters, I liked the chapter on cyanide however. Education is key in any kind of conservation.
Reef Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibilty
by Anthony Calfo, Robert Fenner
I recommened this because of the exhaustive chapter about live rock. The integral part of most SW systems. You can't know too much about it IMO. Not to mention loads of other chapters chocked full of good info about shrimps, crabs, snails and just about every other invert you could imagine. Great pics too.

 

[innsmouth]

The New Marine Aquarium by Paletta. It's very approachable
This should get an honorable mention as well. Great starting up guide. Doesn't read like a textbook and is easy to follow. However you'll be craving more info soon after reading it.

 

[barry cuda]

This is true. It's like the Chinese food of aquarium books But it's a great introduction, especially for those who feel intimidated by all the specialized knowledge the hobby requires.

 

[pacopetty]

The new marine aquarium by Paletta is great for beginners

 

[aiber]

I liked this one:
The Coral Reef Aquarium : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Fish (Hardcover, 1999)
Author: Ron L. Shimek
I just wish that it was more updated. I have been looking for a good more recent book.

 

[innsmouth]

I just bought a couple old marine aquarium books from the late 60s and 70s a couple weeks ago at a used book shop just for the hell of it. I was suprised to see that they ween't quite as out dated as I would have thought.

 

[sashimi]

Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms (Paperback, 1997) Other Editions...
Author: John H. Tullock

 

[daniel411]

Natural Reef Aquariums by Tullock
Reef Invertebrates by Anthony Calfo, Robert Fenner
Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman
and I'll add Corap Propagation by Anthony Calfo. An incredible book after you've read the other three.