I have a FOWLR tank set up with no inhabitants and lately I've been debating whether to get a cuttlefish or go reef again. Originally, I had a reef but it got wiped out by hurricane Wilma. My main concern is what to feed the newly hatched ones until they are old enough for shrimp and crabs. I live right near the intracoastal & beach and I have access to fiddler crabs & sand fleas (mole crabs), but I understand they can't be fed until the cuttles are about 2 months old? What should I feed the hatchlings up until I can feed fiddler crabs or mole crabs as a staple?

Mysid shrimp, amphipods, and other tiny crustaceans.

If you live near the shore, look for places where the shore is made of mostly rocks. In my area, away from the beaches, near inland and in our bays, the shore is dirt, gravel, and clam shells. There are many large rocks here and at low tide, you can lift the rocks up and hundreds of pods will be jumping around. It took me a while to find good collecting spots, but they will serve well as a baby cuttle food source.

I found that these places were away from the main beaches and mostly in manmade landfills. If you find a place like this, the best method to catch them is to have a bucket with shallow water, lift up a rock and hold it over the bucket..The pods will just jump in!

If you want to see how i keep them, click on my website below and look in the tank setup section.