coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
I just scored 2 hatchling cuttlefish, I know Im stoked!. Anyway just seeing if anyone has a local foodsource for them. Anyone keep them around here adn feed them some little crabbys or shrimps from around here?
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Cuttles are coming
- Thread starter coldshutter
- Start date
pillowfish
#2
That sounds pretty cool..where are the pics???? How old are they?
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
Oh sorry coming overnight tonight
I will post picts tomarrow
I will post picts tomarrow
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
They were listed 0-1.5 months
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
Almost here
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
Here they are. So cute just about 1/2in. Im trying to get a pict of them in the tank but its kinda hard. THey just look like little rocks. So cool. Im really hoping i can get these guys eating frozen without getting mysid shimps. $$$
More later
They did this alot during acclimation
THis one inked at me in already , he is going to be a problem.
More later
They did this alot during acclimation
THis one inked at me in already , he is going to be a problem.
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
They have their own little setup now a 10gal. I was using as a pod farm. I just scoop a gal a day from my reef as a mini water change. They are soo cool. Change colors and everything. My girlfriend thinks Im crazy I cant leave the tank.
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
Same cuttle within seconds
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
Gonna try. I would have to culture mysid shrimp which i hear are not so easy
agentfive
Non-member
Okay - so what size tank would you need to raise them or just keep one or two? I have a 14 gallon biocube - but would get another setup just to have them...
Long story - but when I was a kid I got hooked on the cuttlefish tank at the Boston Aquarium - I used to make up clubs about Squid and Cephalopods - like the Lost Albino Squid Milk Carton Club - etc - I know LAME. But in College I got a tatoo of a squid and now this? I didn't know it was even possible to keep them.
Long story - but when I was a kid I got hooked on the cuttlefish tank at the Boston Aquarium - I used to make up clubs about Squid and Cephalopods - like the Lost Albino Squid Milk Carton Club - etc - I know LAME. But in College I got a tatoo of a squid and now this? I didn't know it was even possible to keep them.
luumanfoo29
Cephalopod lover
Those look like sepia bandensis. I attempted keeping a couple of those about the same size. They were so awesome...but I had a power outage unfortunately and they both didn't make it (it was a short power outage so I assume the temp drop or 02 drop was too much for them at such a small and fragile size). I've been dying to find some more cuttles to try but I haven't had any luck.
ANYWAYS...if you don't want to breed mysis or whatever, I just collected some amphipods from the local beaches (Nahant beach is where I went) but just make sure the beach isn't a complete dump. I just went along the rocky tide pool areas during low tide with a fine mesh net and just scooped under the seaweed attached to the rocks a couple times. In about 5 mins I had enough amphipods to feed the cuttles for seriously like...3 months. I put them in a bucket with an airstone and dropped some flake food in it every day. They stayed alive like this for about a month (probably longer had I attempted to keep them alive after my cuttles died).
Whenever I wanted to feed the cuttles I just dropped my net in and picked out the smaller ones that I knew the little cuttlefishes could eat. I dropped like 2 or 3 for each cuttlefish. The next time I fed the cuttlefish, I checked and made sure most of the other amphipods were already eaten and removed the dead ones (they are cold water amphipods so they don't last very long (~2 hours) in reef tanks) before dropping some new ones in. Its pretty important that they eat often when theyre such a small size but they grow quickly. I fed 2x/day. Sometimes 3x times whenever I had time. I had them eating like crazy and they were very healthy until that fateful day the power went out.
When they get bigger (ie. 1"), I heard you can start waning them onto larger foods and this is apparently when you should/could start trying to get them to eat frozen. I heard if they don't initially have a taste for frozen, you can feed them some live small shore crabs or ghost shrimp. Then once they get used to it, skewer the live crabs/shirmps onto clear acrylic rods. Then once they get used to THAT, you skewer dead ones on it. Then after THAT, you skewer frozen on it. I heard that's the best way to get them to eat frozen if they dont bite during the first few attempts.
In any case, I hope you found my tips helpful. Good luck and keep posting pics! Oh yeah and I call dibbs on a couple if you get them to breed!
P.S.
Where did you get the cuttles anyway?
ANYWAYS...if you don't want to breed mysis or whatever, I just collected some amphipods from the local beaches (Nahant beach is where I went) but just make sure the beach isn't a complete dump. I just went along the rocky tide pool areas during low tide with a fine mesh net and just scooped under the seaweed attached to the rocks a couple times. In about 5 mins I had enough amphipods to feed the cuttles for seriously like...3 months. I put them in a bucket with an airstone and dropped some flake food in it every day. They stayed alive like this for about a month (probably longer had I attempted to keep them alive after my cuttles died).
Whenever I wanted to feed the cuttles I just dropped my net in and picked out the smaller ones that I knew the little cuttlefishes could eat. I dropped like 2 or 3 for each cuttlefish. The next time I fed the cuttlefish, I checked and made sure most of the other amphipods were already eaten and removed the dead ones (they are cold water amphipods so they don't last very long (~2 hours) in reef tanks) before dropping some new ones in. Its pretty important that they eat often when theyre such a small size but they grow quickly. I fed 2x/day. Sometimes 3x times whenever I had time. I had them eating like crazy and they were very healthy until that fateful day the power went out.
When they get bigger (ie. 1"), I heard you can start waning them onto larger foods and this is apparently when you should/could start trying to get them to eat frozen. I heard if they don't initially have a taste for frozen, you can feed them some live small shore crabs or ghost shrimp. Then once they get used to it, skewer the live crabs/shirmps onto clear acrylic rods. Then once they get used to THAT, you skewer dead ones on it. Then after THAT, you skewer frozen on it. I heard that's the best way to get them to eat frozen if they dont bite during the first few attempts.
In any case, I hope you found my tips helpful. Good luck and keep posting pics! Oh yeah and I call dibbs on a couple if you get them to breed!
P.S.
Where did you get the cuttles anyway?
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
thanks alot for all the advice. i always wondered if all the little iso and amphipoods i would pick out of my hair after surfing could serve as food in my neptonic kindom. i got them from daisey hill cuttle farm. daniel over there said they we stiking at frozen foodstuffs on a stick when they left the facilty. i didnt even try and feed em yet they were way freaked out when they got here.. the tank tthey are in is bursting with pods so i hope they will eat those up tomarrow and that will buy be some time to unt around tomarrow.
pillowfish
#2
Wicked cool looking guys.....now I want a pair too! Good luck with them and definetely keep posting pics as they grow. Stupid question...but does the tank need to be escape proof as in the case of keeping octopi? Wonderign how crafty these little guys can be? Are they toxic to other tankmates?
luumanfoo29
Cephalopod lover
They don't need an escape proof tank. From what I've read, sepia bandensis is the best cephalopod to have in an home aquarium because they don't grow very large (6"), they don't need a enormous tank so a 30 gallon is the minimum but a 30 gallon tall is preferred (height is more important to them). They don't jump or try climbing out of tanks. They are usually fairly easy to wane onto frozen, and they are diurnal so they actually do well with Metal Halide lights and hang out in the front of reef tanks rather than hiding in the back (like most other cephalopods). Awesome creatures.
With all that said, I wouldn't suggest keeping them in a tank with other fish. I'd suggest a species only. They'll leave all of the sessile inverts alone in your tanks and they usually dont go after snails (but hermits sometimes).
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
THe tank that they are in is crawling with Munnid isopods. Is this a good foodsource for these very little cuttles?
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coldshutter
Neptonic High Priest
THey do eat these for future reference
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