bandensis courting video (thrid edit: BABIES EATING GUPPIES)

[theperfect01]

That cuttle condo is freaking awesome! How do you get such good pictures of your corals and stuff? I always have problems with glare and crap.

 

[Burstsovenergy24]

Light.


Righty, that is AWESOME!

 

[Colin]

nice set up!

did you make it or buy it or what???

 

[joel_ang]

Indeed, that is one nice tank

How big is it? And wadabout the one at the bottom?

 

[Thales]

It is a 100 gallon acrylic tank. I made the dividers and the doors for the dividers, and each divider is movable and removable. Each door slides up and down easily to make putting together cuttles as stress free as possible, and the doors can either be transparent to see how they react to each other, or opaque so they leave each other alone. Right now the dividers are set at 15 inches apart, but can also be set at 20 inches apart. The tuff part was due to acrylic tanks bowing when filled - a square divider leaves about 1/2 and inch gap midway up the tank. I took some flimsy acrylic track and cut it to the height of the divder. Then I drilled several small holes midway up the divider close to the edge, but at different distances from the edge. This allowed me to use an acrylic rod for a pin to bow the acrylic track out against bowed sides of the tank - it gets pushed in the middle and curve naturally with the tank to the top and bottom. Hmmm. I think I should draw this, because I am not sure that words make it clear.
Oh, the cuttles can actually see each other through the acrylic track on the sided and they spend time and night looking at each other.

The tank at the bottom is a 20 gallon plummed into the sump that is on the left of the tank against the wall. I was going to plumb two of them under the stand, but decided I wanted the space for junk. The 20 can easily be taken out of the loop of the sump, so it can be used as a q tank, and it has its own skimmer and heater.

The plan is to plumb another tank, or rubbermaid container into the system when eggs show up for raising the babies.

 

[neptune]

Man what a sweet set-up!!! Great work!!

Hope you efforts are successful!!!!!

 

[Colin]

What's happening now? Any progress?

Nice idea for tank btw

 

[Thales]

Thanks!

I am leaving them alone for about a week, or until all of them are eating solidly - there is one new one that seems unhappy, but, judging by color, it is starting to come around. Once they settle, I will move them around and start introducing them.

Scary

RR

 

[joel_ang]

Do keep us updated. Personally, I would try to put all of them to gether in a larger space at first. It seems that once they settle down, others aren't too welcome in their territory. just my 2 cents

 

[Colin]

Interesting to see that James Woods gave a pretty similar answer to your question on Ceph List... lets hope you got at least one female out of the new ones... how are they for size comparisons?

 

[joel_ang]

Crap, why must there be more cuttles which look alike? Here's another one http://www.edge-of-reef.com/cefalopodi/CEFSepiamisakiensisen.htm

It grows to be 6cm, could the cuttles you got be mixed species?

 

[Colin]

That's exactly what I was trying to point out, there will be lots of species that look similar...

See how it has a 'cf' in the middle of its scientific name? that means 'similar to'

 

[Thales]

Just got up. All the experts, including you all, that I have talked too are now feeling like the ones in the video are both males.

I still think bandensis, based on a guy who has worked with them a little and this link: http://www.edge-of-reef.com/cefalopodi/CEFSepiabandensisen.htm
The ones I have look lots like the description.

I don't think I have Sepia misakiensisen based on colors, the lack of eye 'stalks' and the location of the species.

Thank you all so much!

 

[joel_ang]

Cephs of different species don't usually fight right? I've seen the LFS with eight cuttles including one bandensis, a few latimanus and possibly an esculenta all In the same tank. I was Just wondering how they know the difference between themselves and other species and sexes.

 

[Colin]

its maybe more to do with the numbers game... several in a smaller tank will not have a defined territory each and therefore nothing to defend... as long as they are well fed... should be okay for small periods of time

Bad idea in the home as lack of territory and such high stocking density will be very stressfull.