Store owner Retailer © Luis Mercado
Last week I had the opportunity and good fortune to read the new book by Robert Metelsky entitled, "Simplified Reef Keeping".After having been in the reef keeping hobby for many years, I thought I had heard of just about everything that has been tried on our aquariums. I thought I was the only one who had gone through all the troubles of stacking rock,having the skimmer overflow on me or trying to place that coral just right on that rock.
Mr. Metelsky has done a wonderful job of documenting in great detail of just one should go about planning a reef tank. There is a heavy emphasis on planning early on in the book as this is considered to be the most important part of the project of setting up reef tanks. All too often beginning hobbyists do not place enough importance on this phase of the project and wind up with tanks that are hard to control or to properly place or care for. This has resulted in numerous people leaving the hobby and has also helped to contribute to the misconception that our hobby is very difficult if not impossible.
Robert Metelsky's philosophy is simple. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to maintain a reef aquarium successfully. It is popular in the hobby to listen to many experts talk about calcium demand,alkalinity rates,phosphate concentration ratios, whether that skimmer is better than that one. This often leaves the average hobbyist bewildered and confused to say the least. Do we really need to know such things in order to maintain our own slice of the ocean at home?
Robert not only tells you what equipment is necessary and which ones are nice to have if you can afford them but not essential. He also explains how to use the equipment properly for maximum effeciency. Another great benefit of this book is that it teaches you in complete details how you can build the filtration components you need yourself at home. Why spend money unneccessarily.
For years I have thought about the same things with regards as to simplifying the reef keeping approach.It is great to be able to understand the relationships between elements that will cause an ionic imbalance in your water's chemistry but the average hobbyists only wants you to,"Show me what WORKS!".
In this amazing book, the Author does exactly that. He does not glance over anything. He includes everything you will need to make the reef tank work. He does not bewilder the beginner with technical terms and equations.
This book contains a wealth of practical information. Robert has shared everthing he can and has not left anything out. He shows you that he too has gone through the same experiences that begining hobbyists go through, He lets you know that he made the mistakes so you do not have to.
I enjoyed all aspects of this book and personally feel that this book should have been written long ago. I wish I had written it myself! Every new hobbyist as well as seasoned ones can learn something from this book.It contains a welath of information you will not find anywhere else.
My philosophy has been that although theory is great, it sometimes only works on paper. That coupled with the fact that we have too many amateur experts out there who will make you feel that because you do not have the latest and greatest devices on the market, you are doing something wrong, The fact remains that many aquariums that are being maintained "Old School" so to speak, are doing exceptionally well.
Gadgets are great for those that can afford them. Some are not essential but nice to have. Others like Protein skimmers are essential to the well being of our captive guests. Robert gives you the knowledge to see for yourself and then DO for yourself.
This book has no fluff. Every sentence in it is full of information. The only improvements I would make with the book would be to add color pictures. This is a minor point.
I found the book to be generous with good advice and practical with solutions being offered.At its $39.99 price, I found it worth every penny and I encourage every new hobbyist or even the old salts to give it a read,you will not be dissapointed.Robert gives a money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with the book but I doubt anyone will be unhappy with this one. This book belongs on the shelf of anybody who wishes to become a serious reefkeeper. For the more advanced, I think it provides new ideas and ways of looking at things that might just help solve some nagging concerns about reef tanks and their associated equipment and costs.
Robert, you have written a great book. Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to an updated edition in the near future!
Luis Mercado-New York,1997
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