Hobbyist Quinn C. Horn Writes:
When most of us started keeping marine aquariums, we went into the hobby blind. We read outdated books that praised the development of undergravel filters and listened to the self-serving advice from our local fish shops. Only after the death of many marine animals and the purchase of expensive, useless equipment did we accumulate the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully keep these creatures. Looking back on those years of “trial and error” reef keeping, I’ve often wondered why someone never wrote a comprehensive, modern book to guide people through the setup and maintenance of reef aquariums. Well, finally someone has. Robert Metelsky’s book, “Simplified Reef Keeping”, guides the reader step-by-step through every aspect of setting up and maintaining a reef aquarium.
Metelsky starts with the basics and then expands on them. The first part of the book outlines and describes the equipment and livestock required to have a successful reef aquarium. He guides the reader through the planning and design stages of starting an aquarium. Later in the book, Metelsky describes in detail how to set up equipment properly for the long-term health of the aquarium. Proper maintenance and aquarium husbandry skills are also discussed in detail.
Perhaps the most useful portions of the book to the experienced reef keeper are the extensive “Fabricating Components” and “Plumbing” chapters. Everything from plans for building a plywood/epoxy aquarium to descriptions of common PVC connectors are provided in these chapters.
To summarize, “Simplified Reef Keeping” fills an informational void that has existed in the literature for far to long. If the reader follows the step-by-step guide to designing, setting up and maintaining a reef aquarium as written by Metelsky, I have no doubt they will achieve success in this hobby on their first try. I personally feel that “Simplified Reef Keeping” should be required reading for anyone interested in starting up a reef aquarium. I am also quite sure that even experienced reef keepers would benefit from Metelsky’s advice and suggestions. I only wish he would have written it seven years ago when I started my first marine aquarium.
Quinn C. Horn Graduate Student Metallurgical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
email: qchorn@mtu.edu; fax: (906) 487-2934
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