Top Pick Fish and Invertebrate Care Books

A PocketExpert Guide series publication, "Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species" by Scott W. Michael covers over 500 of the most popularly kept marine fishes in the saltwater hobby. Each fish spotlighted in this book includes a full-color photograph with a simply outlined, but detailed profile. It includes a Quick Finder common name animal index that makes it easy to quickly locate the information you are looking for. This is a must have fish identification and captive aquarium care guide recommended for beginners and experts alike.

The second published book in the PocketExpert Guide series, "Marine Invertebrates: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species" authored by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. profiles over 500 of the most popular invertebrate species kept in the saltwater and reef aquarium hobby. Structured just like "Marine Fishes", this book also includes the special Quick Finder index, is packed full of color photographs with need-to-know profile information and advice about keeping invertebrates, and is recommended for aquarists of all levels.

The first book in this series, "Reef Fishes - Volume 1: A Guide to Their Identification, Behavior, and Captive Care" by Scott W. Michael provides an introduction to coral reef habitats and fish families associated with them, profiling the following groups: Moray Eels - Conger & Garden Eels - Snake Eels - Eel Catfishes - Lizardfishes - Livebearing Brotulas - Toadfishes - Frogfishes - Walking Batfishes - Flashlight Fishes - Pineapple Fishes - Squirrelfishes & Soldierfishes - Trumpetfishes - Sea Moths - Ghost Pipefishes - Seahorses & Pipefishes - Shrimpfishes - Coral Crouchers - Waspfishes, Scorpionfishes & Lionfishes - Flatheads - Helmut Gurnards - Dwarf Seabasses, Hamlets & Anthiases. Includes 800 full-color species photographs.

"Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes PLUS Seven More Aquarium Fish Families With Expert Captive Care Advice For The Marine Aquarist" is the second book in the five-volume "Reef Fishes Series" by Scott W. Michael. This volume is packed with information about keeping Basslets, Dottybacks and Hawkfishes, and profiles seven more most-popular fish families and species of interest in these groups -- Grammas, Longfins, Jawfishes, Bigeyes, Morwongs, Cardinalfishes, and Tilefishes.

The third book in Scott's highly acclaimed "Reef Fishes Series" is "Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes PLUS Ten More Aquarium Fish Families With Expert Captive Care Advice For The Marine Aquarist". As the title reflects, this volume centers around Angels and Butterflies, but also profiles ten more groups of coral reef fishes that are of interest to marine aquarium keepers -- Remoras, Jacks, Scads & Pompanos, Snappers, Fusiliers, Sweetlips & Grunts, Whiptails & Spinecheeks, Drums & Croakers, Goatfishes, Sweepers and Monoa.

by Denise Nielsen Tackett and Larry Tackett is a book that profiles uncommon, rare and unusual marine life not often found or seen in nature or fish stores. Therefore, this is an excellent book for any marine aquarist to have to help identify strange things that show up in saltwater aquariums and reef tanks.

Not only is "Reef Secrets: Starting Right, Selecting Fishes and Invertebrates, Advanced Biotope Techniques" by Alf Jacob Nilsen and Svein A. Fossa a complete, easy-to-follow guide to setting up or converting an existing system into a reef tank, it is a marine life care guide as well. The Aquarium Stocking chapter covers topics on Thinking Before Buying: Selecting Species Based on Compatibility, Population Density, Aquarium Size, and Human Hazards, with the Stocking Guide chapter containing a large collection of full-color marine fish and invertebrate photos that include at-a-glance notes on their identification, feeding, compatibility, and other profile care information.

Don Carner gives his review on "Reef Invertebrates - Volume 1: An Essential Guide To Selection, Care and Compatibility" authored by Anthony Rosario Calfo in partnership with Robert Fenner, the crew of WetWebMedia. This book is a complete and concise guide to understanding, setting up, and caring for true reef aquariums, and the invertebrates in them.