TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Foreword 1
- Acknowledgments 5
- Table of Contents 7
- Part I – Designing Your Aquarium Habitat 13
- Weight is a Primary Consideration 13
- Pick a Tank Type 16
- Fish Only (FO) 16
- Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR) 16
- Reef Tank 17
- Selecting Your Equipment 18
- Tank Size and Material 18
- Protein Skimmer 19
- Pumps or Powerheads 20
- Salt 21
- Reverse Osmosis De-Ionization 21
- Lighting 23
- Substrate and Rock 23
- Heaters and Chillers 25
- Equipment to Monitor Water Quality 26
- Sump 28
- Auto Top Off 29
- Backup Generator 29
- Overflow Box 30
- Installing Tank Components 30
- Understanding Basic Water Chemistry 31
- Water Parameters by Tank Type 33
- Cycling Your Tank 35
- Estimated Setup Costs 36
- Part II – Populating Your Saltwater Tank 41
- Things to Consider Before You Buy 41
- Terms Used to Describe Fish 43
- Buying Healthy Fish 45
- Best Fish Lists? 46
- For Beginners 46
- Damselfish 46
- Clownfish 47
- Blue Green Chromis 47
- Firefish 47
- Kaudern’s Cardinal Fish 48
- For Fish Only Tanks 48
- Eels 49
- Groupers 51
- Soldierfish 52
- Puffers 54
- Lionfish 55
- Larger Angels 56
- Butterfly Fish 58
- Largers Wrasses 60
- Trigger Fish 62
- Parrot Fish 62
- Tangs 63
- Surgeon Fish 64
- Rabbit Fish 66
- Boxfish 67
- Mandarins 69
- Squirrelfish 70
- Batfish 71
- Blennies 72
- Moderate to Advanced Tanks 73
- Basslets 73
- Seahorses 74
- Filefish 75
- Gobies 75
- Reef Tanks 76
- Invertebrates 76
- Coral 77
- Acclimatization Techniques 77
- Floating Acclimatization 78
- Drip Acclimatization 79
- Dealing with Aggression 81
- Acclimatization Tips 82
- Part III – Overview of Saltwater Tank Care 83
- Feeding Your Saltwater Fish 84
- Carnivores 84
- Herbivores 85
- Omnivores 85
- Types of Fish Food 86
- How and When to Feed 88
- Cleaning Chores and Maintenance 89
- Daily Maintenance 90
- Weekly / 10 Days 91
- Monthly 91
- Dealing with Emergencies 92
- Part IV – Saltwater Fish Health 95
- Signs of Disease 95
- Your Tank’s “First Aid” Kit 97
- Common Disease and Conditions 99
- Parasites 99
- Bacterial and Fungal Disease 101
- Viral Diseases 104
- Worm Infestations 106
- Medications and Treatments 107
- A Word About Veterinarians 108
- Afterword 111
- Relevant Websites 113
- Frequently Asked Questions 115
- Glossary 121
- Index 129
