S. bandensis at the California Academy of Sciences

**Thales** · Aug 13, '09, 1:57pm

Hey guys,

The cuttle display is up at work, and its working out well so far. The idea is to have a bunch of cuttles on display (30) while they are small, and move them off show as needed. The display consist of leather corals and single polyp LPS. There are several starfish for clean up.
The tank is 48inx24x24, approx 120 gallons, connecting to 3 other tanks for a total volume of approx 300 gallons. There are 2 175 watt, 20k MH fixtures for lighting.
Circulation is mostly via the return from the pump, and glitter lines are achieved by single rigid airline tube and air bubbles.
The substrate is a mix of fine sand and coral rubble.
The S.bandensis were all hatched at the Academy and were fed live mysis and were weaned onto thawed PE mysis around week 4. Currently they are eating saltwater marine ghost shrimp and local cragnon bait shrimp. I was planning them weaning them onto frozen foods, but since we can keep cragnon at 50 degrees f here at work, I may just keep them on live stuff.

This morning I caught some hanky panky:

**Thales** · Aug 13, '09, 1:58pm

Some more pics:

**Tintenfisch** · Aug 13, '09, 4:42pm

And the tank looks great! Didn't get any good pics of the whole thing, unfortunately... will just have to visit again I guess.

**corpusse** · Aug 13, '09, 4:48pm

Wow amazing photos. Nice photography skills. I gotta get my guys out of their breeder net and into their display tank.

**DWhatley** · Aug 13, '09, 10:46pm

Full tank shot please

Did you create the entire display and setup design?

**Thales** · Aug 14, '09, 3:08am

I'll get a full shot this week.

I did the whole thing. I have the best job!

**DWhatley** · Aug 14, '09, 1:21pm

I am jealous!

**Thales** · Aug 20, '09, 2:59pm

I am jealous too! I have to keep pinching myself.

I haven't been able to get a full tank shot this week. I will though after I get back from vacation. Finally, a vacation!

**Thales** · Aug 20, '09, 3:00pm

I found four cuttle bones in the tank this week, one with bites take out of it, so I moved 8 to a holding tank.

**Thales** · Sep 01, '09, 6:45pm

Got home from a horrible 'vacation' and wonderfully discovered eggs in the cuttle tank! Yay!

**DWhatley** · Sep 01, '09, 8:58pm

In the holding tank with the 8 or the main tank?

**MrED** · Sep 01, '09, 8:59pm

Congrats!!!!! PICS????

**Thales** · Sep 01, '09, 10:51pm

Main tank. The male is tiny compared to the female. She was laying again as I was leaving and he was trying to mate with her, but she kept shutting him down by folding up all of her arms.

I'll try get some pics soon.

**Thales** · Sep 03, '09, 1:58pm

Full tank shot

**Thales** · Sep 03, '09, 2:00pm

One female has been laying eggs for the last 3 days. It takes her 2-6 minutes to lay one and add it to the cluster.

OB · Sep 03, '09, 2:22pm

They... Are... Huge...

**MrED** · Sep 03, '09, 4:26pm

WOW!!! Great pictures!! Awesome!!!
???? Does the female inject water while releasing the eggs, or do the eggs expand after being placed in the cluster? (hope question makes sense)

**Thales** · Oct 14, '09, 12:49pm

They started hatching around Sept 28, so about a month between laying and hatching. This batch was incredibly viable with I am attributing tentatively to tons and tons of food. I am shipping about 250 egg/hatchlings to other institutions this week, but sadly, I am restricted from sharing them with non institutions at least for now.