Dozen eggs! On the way!!

[rryyddeerr]

seemed to me they were like bosom buddies. then i get home and the one is eyeballs and a bone kinda dangling together.. he was the cooler of the two, as well. the other has always been larger, but less interactive and more shy.

 

[snowmaker]

My larger one is also less active and more shy. Then he killed his female and now he is still inactive and shy.

 

[Markushka]

cuttle looked really cool when i saw him today! hope some more hatch for you!!

 

[rryyddeerr]

there are 8 with visable yolk-sacs and fluttery little cuttles. good thing i figured out where to harvest live foods at the hook, or i would be in trouble.
yesterday i found a spot where i could net hundreds of baby shore shrimp small enough for hatchlings. hope they are still around in a couple weeks.
Joe: the yolk sacs on these guys are about twice the size of the actual cuttles. that give you any indication of how far out they are?

 

[snowmaker]

I couldn't tell you.

Your willingness to capture and keep the local live foods will pay off immensely. Like you indicated - Hit it right and you can collect hundreds or 1000+ relative easy to keep live food items.
I think the key to successfully keeping these cuttlefish is "aquarist participation", willingness to purchase or catch and keep (feed etc..) plenty of the live first foods, and then getting them to take frozen asap. They seem very hardy and willing to eat plenty. We just need to keep enough food on hand.
I was glad to ship a lot out today. I had around 16 hatchlings. I put in with them about 40 - 50 mysids last night, then at least 40 more late morning. By the time I started catching them to ship, there were only a few shrimp left in with them. Just before replying to this, 2 more hatched (going as a gift to the guy at Aquatic Research Organisms - aka "The Mysid Shrimp Guy" ) and I'm down to 18 - 20 eggs.

 

[Markushka]

I'm gonna start culturing mysids for mine, unfortunately I don't have the ability to collect live foods like you rryyddeer but if you'd be interested on working with me on culturing let me know. Snowmaker save a few for me!!! i'll be ready next week!

Any updates on the eggs? any more hatchlings?

 

[rryyddeerr]

yikes man! from what ive read, thats a serious undertaking. surely interested in learning how to culture them and would be willing to trade assistance for knowledge. no hatchlings yet. they are developing and moving around a noticeable degree daily. im guessing that they have about another week. the longer they stay in the egg, the better. i would prefer that they come out swinging than tugging around a yolk ball.

 

[Markushka]

From all that I have been reading it seems just to be labor intensive and not difficult. I still have yet to speak with a friend of mine about it, but he's sure to have some pointers for me. I'll let you know how it goes when they come in. (should be weds) and i'll have the culture tank ready by then.

 

[astranotus]

I have been in reefs for like 3 yrs now and just started with cuttles...just have some hatch lings...up to 10 and like 5 eggs left..is a bit labor intensive with all the culturing of foods for them...but I love it..I tend them twice a day and always glad when i see them in the tank and for little guys are pretty active...especially when I throw in a turkey baster or 2 full of baby mysids...they move so kool...amazing...

 

[rryyddeerr]

The eggs I have are huge and one has quasi-ruptured. It has a transparent bubble that has grown out of it. The Cuttle has entered the clear part and os banging around, but has a pretty pronounced yolk remaining. Worry?

 

[snowmaker]

I have excised them out of egg when I saw the egg collapsed and hatchling still inside.

 

[rryyddeerr]

yes, i have also, but felt it was the wrong move. anyway, did it this morning as best i could. wound up damaging another egg and breaking that one free as well. both had big yolk sacs when the came out, but then when i returned them to their net, only one was still holding on to it.
for some reason, all the eggs looked forlorn this morning. really deflated and weak. no tight surfaces. updates to come...

 

[rryyddeerr]

another has hatched, making 3, that has a yolk ball as big as he is. is there any tricks to getting these guys to live, or are they a lost cause?

 

[snowmaker]

I've yet to see anything like that. Can you get a picture?

 

[rryyddeerr]

it appears that the two still attached to their yolks are dead. i fear the one suffocated in a semi-collapsed egg overnight. i dunno. my best guess. i beginning to think im really bad at this.