The science and common sense behind creating an inexpensive,flourishing marine aquarium Marine Aquarium Keeping is the firstcomplete, step-by-step handbook to bring scientific perspective andinsight to the practical basics of assembling and successfullymaintaining a conventional marine aquarium. While minimizinggadgetry and underscoring a simple, commonsense regimen of looking,seeing, and understanding, author and marine biologist StephenSpotte offers logical, chapter-by-chapter guidance to every facetof the hobby--from choosing equipment and setting up an aquarium,to selecting healthy animals and maintaining a flourishingunderwater environment. Inside, readers will discover: * How to make a new aquarium suitable for sustaining life * How to select healthy animals from species demonstrating goodcaptive survival * The step-by-step basics of routine maintenance * How to easily meet the nutritional requirements of marineanimals * The key to disease prevention * The use of seawater and artificial seawaters * The living subgravel filter * Aquarium decorations as shelter spaces and as aestheticfeatures * The marine aquarium as a living community An extensive health and disease section offers detailed,easy-to-follow treatment regimens, several unique to this volume,for a variety of common diseases. Current controversies and popularmyths surrounding aquarium keeping, such as the benefits ofsupplemental light and the superiority of plastic filtrants, arealso examined. A wealth of black-and-white and color photographsthat strikingly depict marine animals in their natural habitatbring key facets of the text to life. Indispensable to the amateuraquarist who appreciates both the beauty and science of thisfascinating pastime, this newest edition of the popular classic isthe complete guide to successful, inexpensive marine aquariumkeeping. . . . Marine Aquarium Keeping will provide the neophyte aquarist with the basic and practical knowledge needed to start a marine fish-only aquarium, and sustain a stable and healthful environment. A good value for the price. -- Anonymous, Marine Fish Monthly 8(12):, January 1994. A no-nonsense practical guide for beginners and enthusiasts. Fifteen chapters navigate aquarists through the science and common sense of equipment, animals, maintenance, health and disease, communal living, and other topics. Photos, drawings, and color plates complement the readable text. -- Anonymous, Fishery Bulletin 19(1): 51, January 1994. Dr. Spotte makes his beliefs very clear at the offset of the book: "keep it simple," no need for elaborate, expensive mechanics to maintain a marine environment in a home aquarium. Just follow a few basic rules, often obvious and always explained in a simple, illustrated manner and success is almost guaranteed. . . . Overall, this is a gook that should be required reading for any hobbyist. . . . On a scale of 1 to 10 this second edition of Stephen Spotte's Marine Aquarium Keeping has to rate a 9 for economy, practicality, and ease of understanding. -- Peter A. Lewis, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 17(1): 150, 152, January 1994. Simple, effective equipment and procedures are listed, with in-depth explanations of topics that are often misunderstood. . . . For beginning hobbyists as well as frustrated, aquarists, this book presents a path to successful marine aquarium keeping. -- Thomas A. Frakes, Seascope (Aquarium Systems) , Vol. 11, winter 1994. This is a no-frills no nonsense book about marine keeping keeping written for beginners, but with sufficient information to be a useful book for experienced aquarists. Stephen Spotte is the leading writer on marine aquariology in the world. . . . Concise explanations of the theory of the various aspects of the marine aquarium hobby are what set this book apart from the other ordinary texts. . . . If you want detailed colour diagrams of how to actually prepare the new aquarium, there are better books, but if you want to know why, this book is so far ahead of anything else written, that it can be the only book to buy. . . . The book is packed full of 175 pages of information. . . . This is the essential reference book for all marine aquarists. Essential reading - it should be on your shelf! -- Andy Horton, Glaucus (British Marine Life Study Society) 5(3): fall 1994. [this book's] straightforward style and sensible ordered explanations put it in a class of its own ahead of any other book on the subject. Essential reading. -- Anonymous, Aquarist and Pondkeeper , December 1995. Completely rewritten to incorporate the latest knowledge developed over the past eight years particularly on diseases, nutrition and fish behavior. Abstracts invaluable information from the author's more comprehensive book Captive Seawater Fishes. Features 89 black and white and 60 full-color illustrations. The science and common sense behind creating an inexpensive, flourishing marine aquarium Marine Aquarium Keeping is t