Clownfishes: A Guide to Their Captive Care, Breeding, & Natural History

by Joyce D. Wilkerson

Book Overview

Perhaps the most endearing of all reef creatures, the droll and exotically pigmented clownfish is a favorite of marine aquarists, divers, and amateur naturalists the world over. Now, one of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890087041
• ISBN13: 9781890087043
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: TFH Publications
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The perfect book for the hobbyist

If you're interested in keeping clownfish, this is the perfect book. The author goes into appropriate detail on what is needed to keep clownfish, what kinds of anemones can be kept with them (and their requirements), and how to breed them if you're so inclined. I found the book very easy to understand and not overly burdened with scientific and technical language. I also thought she had a very funny sense of humor that is sprinkled throughout. The pictures are great and she's actually had experience with most species in captivity and is able to make careful distictions to specific characteristics or needs of the different species. Some things I found especially helpful were the chapter on clownfish nutrition (she's really done her homework on that) and the common sense approaches to copepod cultivation for feeding baby clownfish. A great book for those keeping clownfish, even if you're not interested in breeding them.

Most comprehensive book on the subject.

This book covers every question. If youre interested in breeding clownfishes this book is a must have. A lot of detail with good photographs and illustrtions. It is just as usefull to somebody who just wants to keep clownfishes and not breed them.The author is well informed on the subject and has many years of experience in the field.

Very Helpful For The Clownfish Hobbyist

This is an excellent book for the marine hobbyist who is looking to keep and rear clownfish. It goes over many of the basics and goes into great detail of anenomes, species, spawning and care of the young. The beginner and even the advanced clownfish hobbyist will find this book helpful and informative, it is a definite recommendation.

Comprehensive guide, nice photos

This is an excellent guide to raising clownfishes. I love the numerous full-color photos. The book starts out with a nice overview of the benefits of raising clownfish & information on life in their natural habitat. Next, there is a list featuring detailed information on each of the host anemones. Anemone care & physiology are also covered. I found the chapter on species selection very helpful. Each of the different species is described in detail.There is also great information on choosing companion fish. General care of fish including aquarium setup, feeding, keeping your fish healthy & treating diseases is next. A section on breeding clownfish is invaluable. Clownfish reproduction & spawning as well as care & feeding of the eggs, larva & young fish are thoroughly covered. With its expert information this book would make a wonderful addition to any marine aquarist's library.

The best introductory book on breeding marine fish. Period.

I have purchased and read a half dozen books that cover the question of breeding marine fish, including books by Martin Moe, Frank Hoff, and others. None of them have presented their information in the readable manner that Clownfishes does. The sections on individual species of Clownfishes and Anemones were very helpful, including some great pictures of anemones both in tanks and in the wild. Ratings of difficulty in each phase of the breeding process are included for selected species. "Articles" in boxes outside the text provide simple, step-by-step procedures for doing just about everything: culturing algae, culturing rotifers, setting up various tanks (brood stock, larval, growout, etc.), preparing your own foods, tricks of the trade for handling various little chores, hints on how to sell the fish you raise, and ways of doing it all with a minimum of fuss and cost. While the main purpose of this book was not to tell someone how to setup a tank or teach about basic saltwater aquarium keeping, I found several explanations in the book to be easier to understand than those found in books by Tullock, Delbeek and Sprung, and Moe. It is probably superfluous at this point, but I highly recommend this book - to anyone interested in breeding marine fish in particular, and to salt water hobbyists in general.