We
are fortunate to have two new books, both excellent, with very
different approaches to a common goal – providing the information
you need to achieve success in creating and maintaining biologically
thriving and aesthetically beautiful marine aquariums. Mike
Paletta’s technique is to show you what 50 outstanding aquarists,
many of them writers for Advanced Aquarist, have achieved. Anthony
Calfo and Robert Fenner have chosen to write an up-to-date manual
emphasizing theory as well as practice.
Ultimate Marine Aquariums: Saltwater Dream Systems and
How They Are Created By Michael S. Paletta
(Co-Published by TFH Publications, One TFH Plaza, Neptune City,
NJ 07753, www.tfh.com.
and Microcosm Ltd. 823 Ferry Road, P.O. Box 550, Charlotte,
VT05445, www.microcosm-books.com.
Hard cover, $39.95 ISBN 1-890087-74-2
This
large format (8.5 by 11 inches) volume contains 192 pages, each
illustrated with at least one photograph of a marine aquarium
or with details of its inhabitants and/or its construction.
The excellent photographs are beautifully reproduced. There
is an index of the tanks, their owners and designers.
Mike Paletta’s book of photographs featuring an international
group of 50 outstanding, healthy and beautiful marine aquariums
proves that the variety of techniques developed by a largely
amateur cadre of marine aquarium enthusiasts has proven capable
of sustaining coral reef organisms in prime condition. The volume
emphasizes reef aquariums but includes fish-only tanks, and
shows the outcome of a wide range of approaches, from “low-tech”
systems to those relying on ultra high-technology designs.
In addition to the superb photographs, Paletta provides vital
information for those seeking to emulate the conditions that
maintain these gorgeous and successful tanks. He starts by stating
the system’s owner and designer, it’s location, its date of
establishment and its location. For each aquarium he then provides
an “Aquarium Profile,” detailing its volume and dimensions,
its overall construction, water circulation, temperature and
other control systems, filtration system, lighting method and
photoperiod, and water parameters and chemistry. He also includes
details on the system’s livestock and feeding regimens and provides
short notes on each system’s major successes and problems.
In
the last issue of Advanced Aquarist, August 2003, Mike provided
a very useful summary of the information included in the “Profiles,”
with basic statistics that attempt to digest and condense much
of the information he provides for each aquarium, but we know
how much is lost in averages. If you really want to see how
far we’ve come in our efforts, and motivate and stimulate yourself
to reach for the maximum you can achieve in terms of health
and beauty in your aquarium system, treat yourself to a copy
of this book.
One
is tempted to compare Ultimate Marine Aquariums to
Takashi Amano’s Nature Aquarium World books that are
devoted to photos of beautifully landscaped freshwater tanks,
but the comparison does not hold up. It is my understanding
that the Amano photos are based on plant compositions specifically
created with new specimens at the time they were photographed.
The displays Mike Paletta shows are true living systems with
organisms that have been growing and thriving over time. That
makes all the difference.
Reef
Invertebrates: An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatibility. Volume 1: The Natural Marine Aquarium Series By Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner
(Reading Trees and Wet Web Media Publishing. PO Box446, Monroeville,
PA 15146. www.ReadingTrees.com.
Soft cover, $42.95, ISBN 0-9672630-3-4)
This
large format (8.5 by 11 inches) volume contains 400 pages, illustrated
with many excellent photographs of marine invertebrates, most
of them from Fenner’s collection. There is a bibliography, a
glossary, a list of suppliers and an index.
Anthony
Calfo and Robert Fenner intend this volume to be the first in
what they call “The Natural Marine Aquarium Series.” In their
opening pages they define the “natural aquarium” as an evolving
method of endeavoring to “replicate a small slice of the ocean,”
using “living filtration dynamics.” These filtration dynamics
“often include live rock, live sand, adequate nutrient export
processes, natural plankton and refugiums.” They strongly advocate
the use of protein skimming for nutrient export. In addition
they stress the creation of “specific biotopic” collections
rather than the melange of organisms from different ecological
niches that have characterized most systems to date. This approach,
including the use of refugia and especially the attempt to replicate
specific micro-ecosystems, is not controversial, although many
of us who have maintained systems and their inhabitants for
long periods of time would certainly be reluctant to cull vigorous
and beautiful specimens because their initial origins are ecologically
far apart. This book then is primarily for those starting new
systems or doing extensive refurbishing of existing set-ups.
I should also add that this book’s title should more accurately
be “Reef Invertebrates Other than Corals and Their Relatives,”
as the cnidarians are not included.
The
book proper starts with a section titled “Living
Filters,” stressing the use of cured live
rock, live sand and refugia to supplant technology
for biological filtration. The authors discuss
the additional benefits of this approach –
quick nutrient cycling, a natural source of
nutritious food production, physical similarity
to natural surroundings to provide “behavioral
enrichment” and adjunct for mediating water
quality. They discuss the curing process for
rock in detail and present the pros and cons
of using “wild” rock and aquacultured material
and have an extensive discussion of sand and
other substrate material. They advocate the
periodic replacement of some of the rock and
sand.
The
next section, on refugium culture, provides
important information on the functions and
types of refugia, their size, placement, and
illumination as well as alternatives for substrates
and stocking. This is a very valuable guide
for those setting up new systems or for the
increasing numbers of aquarists augmenting
their existing systems with these valuable
modules.
The
next chapter, “Marine Plants and Algae,” discusses
these foundation organisms of marine ecosystems.
As a Hawaiian aquarist faced with strict local
regulation of importation and collection of
coral species, I found the extensive material
in this chapter of great interest and an important
addition to the usually available information
in references such as this. Marine macroalgae
varieties play an important part in the aesthetics
and function of my aquarium. The authors cover
the main groups of macroalgas – the browns
(Phaeophytes), greens (Chlorophytes) and reds
(Rhodophytes) as well diatoms, dinoflagellates,
cyanobacteria and the true vascular plants.
They offer a detailed list of suggestions
for control of nuisance forms including an
illustrated section on herbivores and discuss
selection and care of desirable species such
as calcareous and other decorative algae and
of mangroves and seagrasses. The chapter is
organized alphabetically by scientific name,
not the most convenient technique for most
aquarists with a limited knowledge of nomenclature.
The
authors then present three short but informative
general chapters on selection, husbandry,
feeding and reproduction of reef invertebrates
for the marine aquarium. The remainder of
the volume is organized by phylum.
Proud
sponsor of this column
The
sponges, porifera, are covered first. This chapter, like the
others in the book, contains excellent and beautiful identification
photographs and solid information on selection and care of aquarium
specimens, with sections on placement, water movement, feeding,
illumination and general aquarium compatibility. The next chapter
covers the marine worms, including the sedentary polychaete
feather and fan worms, the errant polychaete bristleworms and
fireworms, the flatworms and peanut worms. The photographs are
large and detailed, enabling easy identification of troublesome
and predatory species. Extensive discussions are provided on
maintaining the desirable species and on controlling undesirable
ones using predator fishes and mechanical means.
The
mollusks are the subject of the next group of chapters, starting
with the gastropods and the chitons. A growing number of snails
and other gastropod species are being offered for sale and by
no means all are suitable for the average aquarium. The numerous
identification photographs cover a wide range of species and
will facilitate differentiating between herbivorous and predatory
species and appropriate and questionable ones. The authors stress
criteria for the selection of healthy specimens of aquarium
appropriate species and provide information on their care, including
acclimation and feeding. The nudibranchs are covered next, this
section also containing numerous identification photographs
and excellent practical advice. The next sections, on the bivalves,
concentrate on the tridacnids. As in the other chapters in this
volume it contains very useful identification photos and solid
information on selection and care. The section on mollusks concludes
with the cephalopods, none of which are suitable for the reef
tank or the less-than-expert and devoted aquarist.
The
arthropods are the subject of the next group of chapters. The
authors start with the mantis shrimp, then cover the reef shrimp,
crabs and lobsters. As in the other chapters the identification
photos are numerous, labeled well and useful. The text is also
valuable and informative. The section concludes with a short
but interesting discussion of “crustacean microfauna” and their
role in the aquarium.
The
next group covered is the echinoderms, starting with the sea
cucumbers and then discussing the urchins and seastars. The
information is practical and the identification photos are useful,
especially in the sections on holothuroids and seastars. The
book concludes with a chapter on the beautiful but nearly impossible
to maintain tunicates.
This
volume has two major qualifications in a single volume. It is
an excellent and practical introduction and compendium of knowledge
and advice about what the authors term the “natural aquarium”
and it is an excellent reference on the species it covers. As
I suggested at the beginning of this revue, it is very worthwhile
especially for those who are starting new systems or are planning
to add refugia to present systems. It is also of practical value
for those who want to increase the diversity of the beneficial
organisms in their aquariums without endangering important residents
or obtaining (and encouraging the trade in) inappropriate or
very difficult specimens.
