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WunderpusOctopus chierchiae
Metasepia

Things to think about before you keep a cephalopod

Article:Keeping and breeding
Sepia bandensis
Article:
The Ballet of the
Wunderpus
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Wunderpus photogenicus

If you are interested in keeping cephalopods please read the following:

Even experienced ceph keepers with mature tanks should think long and hard before obtaining this species. Their needs are resource intensive, specific, and not yet fully understood. Perhaps more importantly, the size and health of their wild populations is unknown.

Even the sharing of information, photos and video of these animals can be controversial. Some fear that detailed information and attractive photos may encourage inexperienced saltwater aquarists to obtain specimens. Personally, I believe that knowledge should be freely available, rather than hidden from view. I also believe that the admiration of a species can be of benefit to its preservation in the wild rather than its detriment. Furthermore, it is my hope that the information on the site will empower aquarists to make sound, rational decisions regarding the advisability of keeping these very difficult animals.

If you are interested in keeping cephalopods, there are several species that are easily available, better understood and much more inexpensive than wonderpus or flamboyant cuttlefish. Please do some reading on www.TONMO.com before purchasing any ceph, and look at things to think about before keeping a cephalopod.

Click here to see a video of a Wunderpus hunting

I was able to keep a wild collected, adult Wunderpus alive for over 7 months which is a long time for the species. I only accepted responsibility for Fontanelle because, by serendipity, I was able to obtain a healthy animal before it was tanked at an importer, at a time when I had a mature, ceph-ready aquarium available.

Click here to read Fontanelle's story

The Ballet of the Wunderpus
Click the image or here to see the whole article.

Click here to see a 19 meg video of the Wunderpus doing things octopus do and digging

Click here to see a 12 meg video of the
Wunderpus hunting

The ethics of keeping and collecting this animal are complex. Please follow these links to www.tonmo.com for further discussion:

Ethical Considerations for Keeping Octopus in Captivity

Zebra Octopus for sale

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