Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Saltwater Aquarium Basics 5
Chapter 1: Taking Your First Salty Steps 7
Chapter 2: Some Things Fishy 17
Chapter 3: Choosing the Best Fish for You 41
Chapter 4: Looking Closer at Invertebrates 67
Chapter 5: Going from the Dealer to Your Home 93
Part 2: Setting Up Your Aquarium 101
Chapter 6: Selecting the Best Aquarium That Meets Your Needs 103
Chapter 7: Figuring Out Filters 115
Chapter 8: Heating and Lighting Your Aquarium 141
Chapter 9: Decorating Your Tank — Fishy Furnishings and Finishing Touches 159
Chapter 10: Partial to Salt — The Brackish Aquarium 185
Chapter 11: Getting Your Aquarium Up and Running 193
Part 3: Taking Proper Care of Your Aquarium 201
Chapter 12: Tackling the Nitrogen Cycle 203
Chapter 13: Considering Chemistry: Salt, Acidity, and Gases 211
Chapter 14: The Lowdown on Algae 221
Chapter 15: Keeping Your Aquarium Clean and Handling Issues 233
Part 4: Caring for Your Fish 247
Chapter 16: Feeding Your Fish 249
Chapter 17: Preventing Stress 263
Chapter 18: Playing Fish Doctor — Diseases and Treatments 273
Chapter 19: Observing Your Fish 285
Part 5: The Part of Tens 293
Chapter 20: Ten Fish to Avoid 295
Chapter 21: Ten Invertebrates to Avoid 299
Chapter 22: Ten (Plus More) Simple Metric Conversions 303
Chapter 23: Ten Great Public Saltwater Aquariums 307
Part 6: The Appendixes 311
Appendix A: Additional Resources Every Saltwater Aquarist Needs 313
Appendix B: Glossary 317
Index 323
