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

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