Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium [Hardcover]

Colin Dunlop (Author), Nancy King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2008

While books previously published about octopuses and cuttlefish offer information about these animals in their natural habitats, Cephalopods is the first book that extensively covers care and husbandry techniques for keeping these exotic and highly intelligent marine creatures in the home aquarium.

Written by two experienced hobbyists who have had multiple successes keeping cephalopods, Cephalopods includes species that will survive in the home aquarium as well as species to avoid. The book also provides instructions for the difficult but rewarding task of breeding cephalopods in the home aquarium. A special chapter is devoted to photographing your octopuses and cuttlefish so you can capture their exquisite appearance and ethereal movements for years to come. Tip boxes, charts, and sidebars serve as the perfect compliment to the beautiful photography and informative text.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nancy King is a TFH Publishing author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: TFH Publications; 1 edition (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793806585
• ISBN-13: 978-0793806584
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcomed publication for the cephalopod enthusiast, November 15, 2008

By 

Denise Whatley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium (Hardcover)

Over 37+ years of marriage, my husband and I have kept a number of unusual pets, along with the typical dogs and cats. For each of these (both the unusual and for each breed of the typical) we have purchased untold numbers of books about each animal. Most have been read once and never reviewed again because the information was too basic, found to be just plain incorrect or lacked an appropriate index to locate information when needed. The prospective and current cephalopod keeper will find this book pleasingly different. Octopuses and Cuttlefishes for the Home Aquarium stays on topic, has a 12 page index and provides solid guidelines for successfully choosing and keeping a cephalopod at home.

Opening the book, one of the first things the reader notices is the display of on topic photographs at the turn of every page. It is quite clear that the pictures are of multiple environments and depict actual aquarium pets, a welcomed accomplishment from both the publisher and the authors. The type is clear without being geriatric, the layout and subtopic headings make skimming for specific information quick and easy while the sidebars provide interesting suggestions or observations based upon personal experiences.

The content is a must for anyone contemplating keeping an octopus or cuttlefish. In December of 2006, with the help of [...], we added our first octopus to an aquarium designed and setup 8 months prior for this inhabitant. At that time there were no books and few on-line guides. Today keeping a cephalopod has become an interest to a fast growing number of marine enthusiasts but until this publishing, short, hard to find magazine articles have been the only publications giving a hint on successful aquarium environments and containing very little about care or what to expect during the animal's lifetime. Nancy and Colin discuss the entire captive life cycle from housing design, choosing a species, obtaining, acclimating, housing, feeding and egg laying to dying, providing aquarist with a clear understanding of the requirements for raising a cephalopod as well as sighting which animals to avoid and why they are unsuitable for aquarium life.

The book is an enjoyable and informative cover-to-cover read. Don't stop reading once you reach the appendix! It is full of interesting suggestions and factoids for enriching a cephalopod experience.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about keeeping cephs, but also a beautiful coffee-table book!, January 20, 2009

By 

L. Harbott (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is a long-overdue resource, detailing everything you need to know to successfully keep a cephalopod at home. It clearly explains why cephs are not the easiest marine pet you can choose, without being daunting, and it is obvious the authors are not only extremely knowledgeable and experienced, but very enamored with cephalopods. The book concentrates on Octopuses and Cuttlefish, since these are the most common cephs kept as pets, but there is also interesting information on Nautilus.

I set up my first Octopus tank last summer, and during the planning stages I was intimidated by the lack of concise yet comprehensive resources. I am lucky enough to have access to academic journals, so I was able to refer to the small number of published methods papers, but I don't know how anyone was brave enough to keep an Octopus without access to scientific methods papers UNTIL NOW. With the publication of this book, that has all changed. It is fantastic, and really covers everything you need to know to get started (luckily after reading the book it turns out I am doing most things right!).

On top of the content though, the pictures are incredibly beautiful. This would work easily as a coffee table book for those who don't intend keeping a cephalopod, but just find them fascinating. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone interested in cephalopods.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, practical, approachable guide to keeping cephalopods, April 5, 2010

By 

John Van Uden (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book on multiple levels. First and foremost, it is the most complete and practical book in circulation regarding how to successfully keep cephalopods for the layperson. This is the reason I bought the book, and it is the previously empty niche that this book fills nicely.

Secondly, it is a beautiful work, with many stunning photos of cephs, examples of their behavior, and demonstrations of their diversity. This not only makes it aesthetically pleasing, but also encourages hobbyists in what is otherwise a daunting subject. This is also the reason that this book has broader appeal, to the non-hobbyist but nature-loving group, as a coffee-table book. I even caught my artist brother using it as a model for some sketch work.

Thirdly, although the subject matter can be intimidating and technical, the writing style is not, so the end result is that it is quite approachable. I think that anyone even casually considering keeping cephalopods should read this beforehand. It is a relatively miniscule time/money investment and is very helpful in this regard. This is the category I am in; I am an experienced marine aquarist, but have never kept a cephalopod before.

My only criticism of the book is that it could have been made into more of a reference, with some more detailed advice. For example, one of the unique features of keeping octopuses (and therefore not found in other books) is sealing the tank. This is treated superficially, and would have benefited from additional practical suggestions, some detail tank photos, and perhaps some diagrams. Similarly, another of the unique problems cephalopod hobbyists face is picking the correct species. The descriptions of commonly kept species is excellent, but a tabled summary comparing them would be helpful. More practical help with identifying species of octopuses (text and photos) would also be welcomed, especially since we cannot rely on the vendors for correct identification, and the species makes such a difference.

In summary, this book is outstanding on several levels, and is a very informative and enjoyable read.