Reef Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibility by Robert Fenner isbn: 0967263034 400 pages, Paperback Publication date: 2003-06 Publisher: Reading Trees Buy this @amazon.com List price: $42.95(USD)

Editorial review

At 400 pages, this first volume of the Natural Marine Aquarium series takes a comprehensive look at the wide range of wondrous organisms both large and small for modern marine aquaria. Topics include extensive refugium and natural filtration methodologies, dynamic living vegetable and animal filters, and... of course, gorgeous photo galleries and information on husbandry for all the magnificent reef invertebrates suitable for study and display including shrimp, crabs, sea stars, live sand infauna, microcrustaceans & plankton, sponges, sea squirts, gastropods, giant clams and other bivalves, and much more! Heavily illustrated, this reference is handsome, entertaining and above all informative. Written by the highly regarded team of Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner, the authors bring their humor, wisdom and talent for the art of content provision to the reader with their uniquely humble yet passionate style of delivery. It is an essential guide for every conscientious marine aquarist seeking to finesse their fish or reef aquarium.

Customer reviews from amazon.com

Great book for moving from Beginner to intermediate Hobbiest

"I'm still a New Saltwater hobbiest - and have read 4 Marine aquarium books and spent alot of time reading Online Forums. First two were fairly basic - and didn't cover much in depth. The 3rd book I read was " New Marine Aquarium " which is a great hands on - get started with your first FOWLR tank ( fish only with LIve Rock). It wasn't overly technical but is a crash course systemized ABC book in setting up a your fist FIsh Only tank without having to obtain a great depth of information about your new pets.

This book fills in alot of the gaps in information that have arisen and is very thorough without getting overly technical in terminology. I'm reading it cover to cover ( about 3/4 of the way read ) and will use it as a reference book. It's very readable in content.

Examples of what makes this book valuable over others.

* Live Rock - this book covers Live Rock soup to nuts. It goes in depth between Florida aqua cultured rock - vs Fiji Rock - vs Base Rock - vs Dead Rock - and goes in depth the differences along with pros and cons of each choice. The segment on Curing Live Rock is also quite thorough.

* Also covers the same with Sand - Live Sand that you purchase cultured online - vs Live Sand you buy in a bag - vs Dead Sand in a box. It covers the reasons along with Benefits of Argamax Sand vs Silica based sand that is always mentioned to avoid.

* This is the first book I've read that goes into Refugiums - what they are - what they do - what kindof choices / options are involved ( it's definitely more of an art than a science ). It covers Microalgae in depth - macroalgae - Mangroves - what ones are beneficial vs troublesome to a tank / and which are easier to maintain vs more difficult. What benefits each species offers and to what degree in your aquarium.

* The book covers Clams / pods / shrimp / sponges / crabs / urchins Snails / Starfish / Micro & Macroalgae / and much more - with enough information to understand how they fit in terms of benefit to your aquarium environment and what species make sense in a captive aquarium and why.

Bottom line - After putting this book down - I feel I have enough base of knowledge to make good decisions in setting up a system while avoiding many costly mistakes of basic restraints of trial and error. I still want to add a pocket guide on Fish and Invert species selection ( although this book is a good reference ) - and would like to add a book that covers info re: plumbing a Sump system and Coral Reference book. But this is a very thorough book for the subjects it covers."

An excellent addition to the library.

" I've been reading information penned by Mr. Calfo and Mr. Fenner online and was hoping this book would reflect the same wealth of knowledge and sense of humor I've come to expect. I wasn't dissapointed. If you're looking for information on selection, compatibility and geographical origin of many invertabrates for the reef aquarium this is the book to buy. As an added bonus there is a chapter dedicated to refugiums."

Awesome, must have

"This book is awesome. Covers everything from basic waterflow and setup through animal interactions and suggestions. Lots to be learned from both novice and experienced."

Exactly what I was looking for!

"I'm on a tight budget, so usually try to get a book through the library rather than buying, if possible. This one was not available, so I took a chance buying it. I'm soooo glad I did. There's an enormous amount of information. I will be referencing this book for years. I'm interested in raising macroalgae and dwarf seahorses, and compatible invertebrates. Everything is geared toward corals nowadays and live rock, neither of which are necessarily safe for 1 inch seahorses. I was thrilled to find a large section on macroalgae in this book. The focus is on using them for refugiums, but I easily adapted the techniques, including a deep sand bed, to my 2.5 gallon dwarf seahorse tanks. Start here for the easiest way to get incredible water quality in your tanks. The live deep sand bed with macroalgae technique in this book, keeps the approx 1.5 gallons of water in my tanks ammonia-free. Amazing. Also, explains which macroalgae go "sexual," so you can avoid purchasing the ones that may foul the tank (and which are often promoted and sold as the best to buy!). Thanks so much to Anthony Calfo & Bob Fenner - and for their website, too ([...])."

Absolute excellence

"I have an extensive library of reef aquarium books, including all Sprung & Delbeek series. This book is beyond doubt the very best guide to reef inverts. It does not cover corals, anemones or, of course, fish. There will be future volumes for those topics. The authors provide extremely thorough coverage of the topic in an entertaining writing style. I anxiously await future volumes in this series. Highest recommendation."