???Books- Fishes that are reef aquarium safe.

[Abalone joe]

Hey- Anybody that's been in the hobby for quite a while, I'm looking to bur a reference book that catalogs aquarium fish with reguard to reef aquarium compatability. I know Scott W. Michael is a big name as far as aquarium books go. He has a book out titled Reef Aquarium Fishes. It's seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. It's layed out in the classic layout for a quike synoptic reference book and that kind of scares me. So many books in our hobby are layed out this way a really nothing more than lists parroting lists parroting lists of outdated or erroneous info from years before, or guesses made from gross piscene family & anactdotal generalizations. I plan carefully and would like to avoid as many reeef disaters as possible.
Have anyone with a good bit of reef experience out there read this book. What can you say to confirm or ease my fears?
Thanks

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

Scott W. Michael's books are the best reference out there for reef fish. His reef series is excellent but its only half finished and it may be some time before the other titles are available (Vol. 1,2, and 3 are out). In the meantime he also sells a paperback pocket guide that has most of the common reef fishes. HTH

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7451470#post7451470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kahuna Tuna
Scott W. Michael's books are the best reference out there for reef fish. His reef series is excellent but its only half finished and it may be some time before the other titles are available (Vol. 1,2, and 3 are out). In the meantime he also sells a paperback pocket guide that has most of the common reef fishes. HTH

He actually has 2 pocket guides out now. The newer one is the one joe is referring to, Reef Aquarium Fishes. Not surprisingly, there's a fair amount of overlap between the two.

I haven't been through the whole thing, but it looks like a very good book so far. It has the same "Minimum tank size" issue that all of his books have, but it's impossible to make everyone happy with that point. He was originally going to call it "Reef Safe Fishes", but wanted to avoid all of the arguments about what that term means.

Scott puts a lot of work into his books, and they're quite good.

The latest update is that the next books in the Reef Fishes series are due near the end of the year; so that probably means sometime 2008.

Dave

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

Is this the new book?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18...103-7870538-4891864?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7453688#post7453688 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kahuna Tuna
Is this the new book?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18...103-7870538-4891864?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Yes, that's the new one. The old one is called Marine Fishes.

Dave

 

[Abalone joe]

Yes... That is the book I was wondering about. Inside there are Icons simular to the old Simon & shoester format. Each Icon symbolizes a specific requirement the fish has or what treasured invert in is likely to eat. I would like to be confident that these indications can be relied upon. With such a vast number of fishes listed in such a simplistic layout, It just causes me some concern. I've been in the freshwater side of things for ages. Book after book seems to just repeat the same things other authors have written. With much of the repeated info generic or just wrong. That's what I really need to know; Is the info correct and consistantly so?

 

[FMarini]

Joe-
no offense but your asking alot from a book.
in general terms fish can be placed into catergories, safe, not so safe, not safe at all.
However all fish are indivduals so saying I would like to be confident that the info in the book can be relied upon, its taking responsiblilty away from you.
I would definately use the info in the book as a guideline, but everyones tank is unique and everyones fish combos are unique, so use the info book as it is, basic guidelines, but not gospel.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7455092#post7455092 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Abalone joe
Is the info correct and consistantly so?

I would say that it is correct as possible in a book that size (except, again, the tank sizes); you won't find a better source, if that's what you're looking for.

Like Frank was saying, there are going to be fish that haven't read the book, and may eat soft corals when they're not "supposed to", for example. That's something you have to accept in this hobby and you end up just playing the odds at times.

Dave

 

[Abalone joe]

I understand that all rules have their exceptions. Fish don't like to read; I'm cool with that. As long as the book offers sound guideposts, that,s fine. I had a dog that liked watermelon. I just wanted to know I wasn't going to buy a he said she said picturebook. If you've been in the freshwater side of the hobby; I'm sure you've read the Innes book or Exotic tropical fishes. These books were fantastic in the early days of the hobby. Ph, temperature and other attributes are mostly based on generalizations of family and geography. Instead of up to date info, later volumes by other authors seem to just repackage and repeat the same info and errors.
What you've had to say about Scott's book Reef Aquarium Fishes leads me to believe it is a worthy purchase. Thank you.

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

What you've had to say about Scott's book Reef Aquarium Fishes leads me to believe it is a worthy purchase. Thank you.

Scott Michael is the man. Like Dave said the tank size issue is the only beef I have ever heard anyone have with him and you can be your own guide on that one.