Captive Bred Inverts

The term invertebrate is very much a blanket term used to consolidate all animal groups that simply are (you guessed it) not vertebrates. While it is not used much by zoologists, it has for long been in regular use by aquarists. For the latter folks, this might actually be a little bit appropriate because fish are so different and typically require distinctly different care from other aquarium fauna. The invertebrate animals can be divided into two more groups: Mobile or sessile. This distinction, too, might be a little trivial for the zoologist but meaningful (at least in a practical sense) for the aquarist. Mobile animals can freely and relatively quickly move about. This means that they can chase their prey or flee from their predators. It also means that they can easily relocate if they do not “like” conditions that prevail in their current, specific location. Sessile animals, on the other hand, remain firmly attached to or burrowed into some substrate. This means that they must filter or grab their food as it passes by in the currents. To escape predation or deal with adverse conditions, they must withdraw into the substrate or into some sort of protective covering (e.g. shell). Compared to the fishes, the invertebrates are much more diverse not only in terms of genetic relatedness but also of aquarium husbandry. By and large, they are more delicate and caring for them is a bit more complicated. It is for this reason that so many aquarium hobbyists start out with fish-only systems and then gradually advance towards invertebrates. “Inverts” are generally more challenging to keep in captivity. Because of their slightly higher sensitivities to factors such as light intensity, water flow, and so on (depending upon the species), captive bred invertebrates are much more preferable to wild stock for newbie and expert alike. Aside from being the environmentally responsible choice, aquacultured invertebrates are safer in that they are far less likely to introduce diseases or pests into your tank. In this section you will learn why captive bred invertebrates are superior as “pets” to their wild counterparts with detailed descriptions of commonly aquacultured invert species.