Book or reading material for newbie!!

[Semo]

Hello Everyone,
I am in hopes of getting some recommendations on reading material to get me started. I could possibly be one of the greenest visitors to this site. I love how beautiful the reefs look and I am going to try starting with a small 6g tank. I just don't know where to start.

Instead of asking you all to give me tons of information, I figure you can tell me the best reading material to start with. Anything to make my learning curve less painfull.

Thanks in advance, Semo..

 

[MartinE]

I would say you are on the right track wanting to read before you start.
Some things to start you would be "The new marine aquarium" by Mike Paletta, and "The Reef Aquarium" (1,2 and 3) series from Deelbeek and Sprung.
And by the way :welcome:

 

[ChrisRD]

I second the welcome and the recommended books.

Also, from our library (link at top of page) here on the site, check out:

http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/beginner/beginner.html

I strongly recommend you go with something larger than a 6 gallon tank to start (a larger tank will be more forgiving). IMO a minimum of about 30 gallons would be best.

 

[cjsrch]

the reef aquarium is a great book

i would say get book 3 first ( apparently its more newbi friendly from what im told)

beprepared to spend over 50 bucks

 

[Semo]

Thanks a lot, I am now saturated...I'll keep at it. I was really excited about getting started on this, but it seems I have too much to learn. It seems I need to take it a little slower.

 

[SnowManSnow]

look on ebay for the reef aquarium books

great btw.. just FULL of useful information.

b

 

[aklaum]

I too am new at this and still in research mode. Besides the hours and hours I have spent reading forums and online resources I have read three books as well, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed:

1. The New Marine Aquarium - Michael S. Paletta

2. Ultimate Marine Aquariums - Michael S. Paletta

3. Aquarium Corals (Selection, Husbandry and Natural History) - Eric Borneman

The last one gets pretty scientific but it is a vast amount of good information on how corals work and how to select and care for them.

Also, I know you asked for books but I can't let any new people slip by without recommending this site:

http://www.garf.org

It has been months and I still haven't read everything on this site. They are doing amazing things there and their Bullet Proof Reef concept makes starting a new reef seem far less daunting.

This is the site that inspired me to look into the hobby and got me excited about it.

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Aklaum and :welcome:

You might want to do a search on garf to hear the variety of opinions regarding them. It has come-up a lot in past discussions on this and other boards.

I have nothing against them, however, some of their ideas/methods/recommendatons in regards to reefkeeping are not what many experienced hobbyists and professionals would recommend. For example, their recommendation to use a plenum in their "bullet proof reef" setup is basically an outdated concept and likely contributes nothing to the sucess of the setup.

That said, despite the obvious commerical intent of much of the site, it does contain a lot of information.

JMO...

 

[Semo]

Also, I know you asked for books but I can't let any new people slip by without recommending this site:

http://www.garf.org

Thanks aklaum....Well, I think...I am now saturated..great link.

 

[MartinE]

I agree with Chris on GARF. IMO as well that they are quite outdated.