Breeding Journal, Species: Sepioteuthis sepioidea

DWhatley

Kraken
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Location
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Breeding Journal DataSheet
General
Species: Sepioteuthis sepioidea
Social Structure: Equal sized individuals in schools 4-50
Size of Individuals:
Age of Individuals:
Date added to Tank: 2012-02-02
Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank: 37 gallons with 15 gallon sump (~10 gallons water)
Substrate Details: Live Rock and Argonite bottom
Filtration Details: Live Rock, overflow to sump with filter sock filled with carbon bag and skimmer
Water Changes:
Water Temperature: 75 F (~24 C)
Lighting: Power Compact 50/50 65 watt elevated 12" from the top of the tank
Lighting Cycle: 12:12
Other Tank Inhabitants: Red and Green mushrooms and unknown polyps
Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: Kent Coral-Vite added to water
Feeding Schedule: weekly while eggs mature
Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn: unknown collected 2012-01-27 acclimated to tank 2012-02-02
Spawn Time of Day:
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:
Courtship Details:
Egg Size: sacks ~ 2" (5 mm), individual eggs ~ .25" (.5 mm)
Egg Color: semi-opaque whitish oblong sacks with clear round eggs
Egg Count: 8 sacks, 23 eggs
Hatch Details
Hatch Date:2012-02-16
Hatch Time of Day: 8:00 PM
# Days after Spawn: Unknown 14 days after being placed in tank
Larvae Description: Premature hatching, yolk sack not fully absorbed
Hatch Date:2012-02-16
Hatch Time of Day: 8:00 PM
# Days after Spawn:
Larvae Description: Premature hatching, yolk sack not fully absorbed

Larval Tank Details
Temperature:
Size of Larval Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:
Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:
Days after Hatch:
Date of Settlement End:
Description of Fry:
Grow-Out Tank Details Temperature: Size of Grow-Out Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Size at Transfer:
Age at Transfer:
Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:
 
Aquisition: 2012-01-27

I do some web work for SeaLiveInc (soon to be K&P Aquatics) and when they collected a small squid the contacted me for an ID and wanted to know if I was interested in trying to raise it. I explained that squid will not ship but if they found eggs I would very much like to try hatching them to see if this species could be kept in a home aquarium if raised from eggs.

On 2012-01-27 they collected a small cluster of eggs fitting my description, photographed them, packed them in a plastic bag with water and oxygen and shipped them FedEx over night on 2012-02-01

2012-01-27 collection 2012-02-01 Arrival


The casings had changed color and deflated some even before shipping and were a little worse for wear with a couple of sacks partially torn and one egg completely white. Philipp mentioned that if we try this again that he would prefer to ship the day of or day after collection and I recommended wrapping them in bubble wrap inside (they were padded with bubble wrap outside) the bag with more water and less or no oxygen.
 

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Acclimation: 2012-02-02

I searched the internet for suggestions on how to handle the eggs. I found a little information in the FAO Cephaloposd Vol2 document and in Marine Invertebrates of Bermuda . The primary handling notes mentioned that temperature swings were lethal and to hang the egg mass upside down rather than trying to attach them to the bottom substrate.

To accomplish this I left the bag in the tank for an hour before adding tank water. I rigged a plastic line from the over flow and through the return pipe and then used the bubble wrap to protect the casings from the plastic line and a syringe needle pushed through an egg casing that looked very deflated to hold the rest of the strand in place.

The strands had separated from the cluster and the one egg that was freed when the strand broke were placed in a hard plastic floating breeder and secured at the back of the tank hoping for a gentle flow between the overflow and return.

Main Cluster Loose cluster in floating breeder
 

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Day 4: 2012-02-06

By Day 4 the clusters were quite obviously inflated and appeared much less yellow than on arrival. The eggs inside were clear and round with no detectable living cells. A couple of the eggs (one having arrived this way) were opaque white. I was pretty sure the opaque eggs were gone but began to think the clear eggs were not fertile because they were totally clear. I had decided not to start this journal until I could at least see some indication of growth and made comments on the observed in situ hatching observation thread to this effect. The photos Kara and Philipp took should give me a good idea what to expect to see.

 

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Day 6: 2012-02-08

Still no firm indication of life but the eggs seem to be dividing and many have a second bump like a snowman. I don't know if they are rotting or growing. I would expect to see the beginning of organs or something opaque but they are totally clear

 

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Day 9: 2012-02-11

The snowman bubble is beginning to look more triangular on some of the eggs. The egg sack that was initially pinning the cluster seems to have one egg that is viable and with a lot of imagination and a magnifying glass, I think I see two eyes and a few arms. This may be my imagination.

 

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Day 10: 2012-02-12

I still don't see movement or anything in the eggs suggesting organs but the eggs are changing. There are a few opaque spots on the casings that make it hard to tell egg from casing but half an hour with a magnifying glass (the photos are shot using the magnifying glass) makes me think something is growing and not just rotting.



Addendum: 2012-02-13

I spotted 2 tiny (human hair width tiny) red dots on the lowest hanging egg today without a magnifying glass. Excited!
 

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Days 11 & 12: Eyes 2012-02-13 & 14

The two tiny red dots I spotted last night appear to be twice as large today (still very tiny) and three other eggs now show the same red specs the size of the original. I think they are too small to show in a photo but I will attempt one.

First observed eyes 2012-02-13 ------------------- Second day 2012-02-14 Eyes of bottom squid larger


Close as I can get 2012-02-14
 

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The squid can detect me when I am in front of the tank. If I stand there a few minutes, the eyes get red or darker red and several have "jetted" within their casement. I do not see chromataphores yet and they are really tiny, far smaller than the octopuses I have raised.
 
That certainly sounds fascinating. Squid are their own, rather alien sorts of intelligences; they don't think like octopuses. Best wishes! It looks promising so far — are you ready when one hatches?
 
I have infertile octo eggs and Cyclopeeze that I can blow around them. I am getting crabs with eggs shipped Monday and will order Mysis when they hatch or the following Monday (depending on if they hatch before then or not). I did not expect hatching until next week but seeing them move around and how thin the casing is getting, it may be sooner but I hope not as I don't think they are ready. I am assuming that if they hatch before the yolk sack is completely absorbed, they will not survive (based upon cuttle eggs and the pictures of the hatchlings Philipp and Kara sent).

I am thinking about putting a breeder net around the eggs in the next day or so, just in case but I am worried that the eggs won't get enough flow. I may put a Koralia in the far corner of the tank when I add the net. I don't want a lot of current but am sure I need a gentle flow over the eggs (gauging from the loose sitting at the bottom of the plastic breeder that did not develop and turned opaque).

If they survive at all, I expect it will be more like keeping interesting fish and not at all like octopuses. They will go in my largest tank if they survive and I can get them catching and eating shore shrimp but just getting them to hatch and live a couple of weeks is my concentration at the moment. They are a lot smaller than I expected!
 
Just too excited for the squid

>0<

What material are you going to use for the tank, usually supplying enough food and the material used to make the container become the primary sources of problems when keeping captive squid.
 
Day 14: First Hatchling 2012-02-16

I was afraid one of the squid might hatch very soon. The egg casing had a dead egg, had split, was very thing and the section with the live animal did not inflate well. I could see the little hatchling acvitely moving around and was not surprised when it popped out as I moved the eggs to be sure there was no algae growth (something I do daily). Fortunately, I caught it with my hand and Neal was there to put the breeder net (on standby just out of reach) into the water. It was not active for about the first hour and just rested on the bottom of the net breathing. There is still a good amount of yolk sack that has not been absorbed so, assuming this part is like cuttlefish, the chances of survival are nil. Once it attempted to swim, it was clear that the yolk sack was a hindrance but it is still alive after 6.5 hours so we will see if it makes it through the night.



 

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