HsiehLung Cuttle Fish Tank

[hsiehlung]

well i been flooding the breeder net with live foods once i get them its been a bit slow though since its raining in perth atm but tomorrow its pose to be sunny so i hopeful will have a nice calm ocean to harvest from. will have a look for small crabs on the rocks but i don't think they get as small as i would like but i have a guy who sending me some marine yabbies (fish bait used in the eastern states) so i don't need to worry about food once they get older.

on another note just wonder is possible to get late development in an egg as i just noticed one of the thought to be non viable eggs slowly inflating but i still cant see clearly inside i guess i wont be throwing out those other eggs for awhile.

 

[Paradox]

My experiences are all derived from S. Bandensis, but Im sure much of this carries over.

I have definetely had some eggs from the same batch develop much later then others. Eggs that I almost discarded because I was sure they were duds ended up inflating later and hatching a perfectly healthy cuttle.

Mysids have always been the best first food for Bandensis at least. You do not need to flood feed. Just place a few in the tank and see if there is interest. Often too many mysids at once may intimidate newborns.

It may be related to the size of crab vs the cuttlefish, but Bandensis will not eat crabs until after a couple months. A bandensis will attack a crab differently. Instead of using feeding tentacles, they will swim behind it and crab it with all tentacles. This is probably due to an instinctual knowledge of the crabs pincers being a possible threat.

 

[hsiehlung]

well i guess they be going in the food tank which i setting up to hold all the live foods.

thanks for all your info even though its a different sp i am sure most of the info will be the same or similar.

is there a website or can anyone help id my cuttle fish yet ?

 

[Paradox]

you can try http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/

Im sure theres other resources as well.

 

[Thales]

I just looked through Norman and a couple other sources and came up empty with the ID. I look forward to the video as the photo on the last page may be a 'resting' posture which makes ID even harder.

I would suggest not flood feeding. I have had much better success with newly hatch cuttles by feeding one or two food items than lots. I think lots may seem overwhelming to cuttles who have to learn how to hunt.

 

[Paradox]

I should make a video, but my current 2 week olds act as if they have a super short attention span when there are too many mysids in with them. They cant decide which one to chase!

 

[hsiehlung]

i cant seem to get enough of my cuttle fish even though i using my phone i seem to get some nice macros
the mysid are hiding at the top of the breeding net but i was able to catch alot of amphipods this collection trip so there a few them running around the bottom but not that many as advised.

one of the eggs like like they ready to hatch as the yolk is quite small now compare before maybe in a few days ...

 

[hsiehlung]

here a picture of the real mother

 

[Thales]

That was collected in Western Aus? Hmmm. Not much that I can find, so it could be anything or something we don't know too well. I want to say Sepia plangon, but thats Eastern...

 

[hsiehlung]

yeah it was collected in Western Australia

 

[Thales]

Could be Sepia papuensis. Really hard to tell. More pics might help.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Try this link for some photos of cuttlefish.

Cephalopods (sepias, squids, octopus) - Starfish Photos - Tintenfisch, Oktopus, Kraken, Sepias

Does she look like any of them? Do you know how big she is?

 

[hsiehlung]

from what my friend said she was 10cm

i cant say i good at iding

i looking at smithi, papuensis or latimanus but i never id a cuttle before

he said he try send me the video once he gets back up which will be a week or so

 

[cuttlegirl]

Any other distinguishing features, eyespots, coloration?

 

[hsiehlung]

i cant say i know them as i never saw the mother. the only i seen her as a picture :P but i think might easier with the video.
unless we wait until the baby grow

none of them still chasing the food slowly getting worried