The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium walks the beginner step-by-step through the set-up of a stunning saltwater aquarium. Unlike other books and series guides, it doesn’t stop there. What sets The CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium apart from other books dedicated to starting a saltwater aquarium is that The CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium remains a valuable tool to the intermediate hobbyist. Want to buy a copy? It is available for only $14.21 from Amazon.com.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium tells you what you really need to know to progress in this hobby and successfully create and maintain stunning fish only, invertebrate and reef systems well beyond the reach of other series guide readers. While other series guides only touch on (or neglect to mention at all) equipment such as sumps, calcium reactors, refugia, and UV sterilizers, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium appreciates that you want to know the COMPLETE story before entering this hobby. That's why The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium discusses these important components in no-nonsense, straightforward language that you don't need an advanced degree to understand.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium also goes further than any other series guide for the aquarist looking to diversify the marine fishes, invertebrates, corals, and plants) in his or her tank. The CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium has the most (and the most comprehensive) species descriptions of any series guide written for the beginner. Where other books cover only the identification, selection, and care of a few beginner species,The CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium presents the reader with the first comprehensive, informative and easy-to-understand species guide written by experts for the beginner.
As you can see, this is a new approach to writing about the saltwater aquarium hobby for the beginning and intermediate hobbyist. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium does not treat you like a dummy (or an Idiot), but it also makes no assumptions about what you already know. This is truly the best start-to-finish guide for the beginning marine aquarist, and it is a book that, unlike other series guides, will remain a useful resource for years to come.
NEWS: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums is Out!
We are very excited to announce the publication of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums (yes, that is the new name chosen by the publisher--more on that in a bit). Please use this website as a way to communicate with us (Mark and Ret) regarding the book. You can post your comments directly to the Readers' Forum or you can email us. We want to hear your thoughts about the book and the hobby in general! Listed below are a several categories designed to help you understand both the book and the hobby better. These pages will be populated with more in-depth articles over time. If there is something you would like to see published here, please contact us.
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Definitive Start-to-Finish GuideThe CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium is the definitive start-to-finish guide to the saltwater aquarium and the species that commonly (and sometimes not so commonly) inhabit it. The book is loaded with practical advice, tips, tricks, strategies, and warnings that guide the beginner to success and help the intermediate aquarist expand and enjoy his or her tank(s) for years to come. Clear illustrations, straightforward text and detailed sample systems give you all you need to know to jump in (no pun intended) to this fantastic and rapidly growing hobby. |
Tech-Savvy
In addition to the practical information about setting up an aquarium and selecting appropriate species, The CIG to the Saltwater Aquarium is the first book to address in detail the largest-growing retail channel in the saltwater aquarium hobby—online sales of marine livestock. In addition, The CIG Stocking Your Saltwater Aquarium helps the new hobbyist negotiate the sometimes overwhelming but potentially helpful world of online resources, some of which is full of dangerous misinformation from misinformed novices |
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Bonus CD-Rom Included There are nearly 2000 species of marine animals available to today’s aquarium hobbyist. Knowing which species to purchase can be an overwhelming task. That's why The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium includes a CD-Rom loaded with descriptions, illustrations and pictures of nearly 60 family groupings of marine fishes, invertebrates, corals, and plants. This straightforward species guide focuses on the best species to consider, compatibility guidelines, general care recommendations, and what to do if things go wrong. . |
Beyond the Book The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium is only 304 pages long, and so obviously we had to leave out some things we would have really liked to discuss. While the book contains what you need to know, in this section of the book's website, we indulge our own desire to tell you even more. The information contained in this section of the site is intended as a supplement to the published text, and so it is understood that the reader understands the fundamentals covered in the book. As such, this portion of the site may be best left to intermediate aquarists until the forthcoming publication of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium. |
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Reefs in Peril The marine aquarium hobby is intrinsically tied to the natural saltwater ecosystems we strive to recreate. The only thing about which Mark and I are more passionate than the saltwater aquarium itself is the ecosystem the aquarium is replicating. We discuss the history and biology of reefs in the book, and we identify the major stressors that threaten the world's coral reefs today. Because, however, we wanted to make sure you got all the information you needed to succeed in the hobby, we necessarily had to cut the discussion of the environmental issues to a minimum, as that could easily have become a book in and of itself. On this portion of the site, we have the opportunity to expand on these issues that are so near and dear to us, |
Blue Zoo Aquatics Mark founded Blue Zoo Aquatics in 2001 as a custom aquarium design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance company servicing Los Angeles, California and surrounding areas. Today, Blue Zoo Aquatics has evolved into the complete source for all of the aquarium hobbyist’s needs. Although Blue Zoo Aquatics still designs and builds beautiful custom aquaria, they are also proud to offer one of the largest selections of livestock on the Internet as well as a wide variety of quality aquarium supplies. While the business has expanded, Blue Zoo Aquatics is still owned and operated by the same team of expert aquarists who have dedicated their lives to helping people succeed with saltwater aquaria. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Saltwater Aquarium is a natural extension of their desire to educate all aquarists. |
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Alpha Books, the Publisher of the Complete Idiot's Guide series, is a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
