The Tropical Marine Fish Survival Manual

by Nick Dakin

Aquarium enthusiasts encounter a whole new world when they collect saltwater varieties of fish. They also face different challenges from the ones they met with their freshwater tanks. Vivid full-color... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812093720
• ISBN13: 9780812093728
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: B.E.S. Publishing
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.5" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

A light introduction that should definitely be supplemented

I bought this book in 1996 when I was thinking of going from freshwater to saltwater. I found the information extremely helpful in making general decisions regarding stocking the tank. The rating system of 1-10 for each fish's ease of care has proven true over and over again. The fish the authors chose to describe are very common in the aquarium trade. If nothing else, it prevented me from making disastrous choices regarding tank mates. This is a beginner's book, an introduction to the world of saltwater. If I had read "Natural Reef Aquariums" by Tullock first, I probably would never have set up a tank. I would have thought that marine fishkeeping was too expensive and complicated for me, when in fact it has been very rewarding and worth the effort and the price! Maybe this should be classified with one of those "For Dummies" books because it provides an easy to read, enjoyable introduction, but you would never consider it to be your only reference. This book was lost while I was visiting my mother in the hospital and I missed it so much, I bought another. I'm glad I still have it in my library along with the other, more detailed, books. I rate it 4 stars because it's an excellent starting point.

One of the best photo marine book for its price

Every book has its strength and weaknesses. To criticize this book for lack of reef information is unfair because this book was targeted towards the audience who either have not owned a fishtank before or who has freshwater experience but getting into salt water setup with fish only tank. I read the book cover to cover in a very short time and I feel that I've learned so much in just two hours which I would not have if I read a "more detailed" book. I got an excellent overall view of the marine fish keeping, the physiological differences between salt and fresh water fish, the evolution between the two, etc. The colorful brilliant photos printed on high quality paper for popular marine fishes is worth keeping the book for its price as a quick reference to show friends. My personal favorite and if not the only reason to keep this book is the picture of the "Picasso Triggerfish". Literally, that fish looks like an artist random dabs and stroke colorful paint all over the fish's body and it has the personality of a true pet who sleeps like a hog and rearrange and personalize its own shelter. Doesn't that make you want to go out and collect such an adorable fish? That is a mark of a good book to inspire a beginner to study more and to learn more so that one day you can keep one of those. If Clown Triggerfish cost over a hundred, that Picasso (Rhinecanthus Aculeatus) must cost much more! Reason for not being a 5 star is that this book could have gone into more detail into the poison of the Mandarin fish and how it may or may not be harmful to its surrounding ecology and fish. I really don't understand why the author would put such information to make a reader curious yet not satisfy their curiousity? Points OFF. Also, I think the tank setup is a bit outdated and I would recommend visiting a local marine fish store or the internet for updated filters/skimmers currently available. Can't really blame the author because the book was written about 8 years ago and wet/dry filtration would be too expensive for most beginners back then. Reason for not being a 3 is that each photo selected for this text is meticulously hand picked to represent the most beautiful of breed, not just some randomly obscure photo as in most pocket hand books for fish identification. Solid, easy to flip quality photo book to show friends.Excellent overview book to guide a beginner for introducing the types of marine fishes available to help them decide what kind of fish they would like to keep in their collection. Unless you already own a more comprehensive photo handbook, this book is a good place to start.

A good reference book for stocking up a fish only aquarium

It gives good identification of commonly available marine fish with a lot of great photos in high quality prints. It is specially useful as an aid to choosing fish. Pretty basic on setup and disease. Overall, it is a good beginner book for stocking a fish only aquarium system.

Very readable.

I've owned this book for some time. I was surprised that more people have not given it a thumbs up. It's not a comprehensive guide, but the description of many commonly available fish is informative and useful.

Great for all levels of fishkeeping

Being excellent for beginners as well as anyone who has an amount of marine fishkeeping, this book goes into descriptive detail on some of the most common marine fish families that are kept in the hobby. It provides species specific info for many species of marine fish which include temperament, level of difficulty (for keeping), as well as if it is reef safe or not. Four stars though as it doesn't go into reefkeeping.