Nautilus in LFS [re-titled]

Ok, here is my memory of the Waikiki Aquarium's Nautilus breeding program (I was a student aquarist from 1989-1991). The adult Nautilus are not pressurized, just kept cold and dark. Some of the adult Nautilus are kept behind-the-scenes in aquaculture containers with a lid (in other words, a big dark box). The Waikiki aquarium has an open sea water system, they have a pipe out in the ocean that draws their water into the facility. When the adult Nautilus laid eggs, the eggs were "tagged" with date when they were laid. All the eggs were then put in an aquarium behind-the-scenes and left alone. The tank was not cleaned or touched in anyway. The temperature happened to be the ambient temperature of the incoming sea water. Sometimes, Dr. John Arnold would examine one of the Nautilus embryos to watch the development (he was my advisor for a short while, long story...).
One day, an aquarist happened to notice that you could see a Nautilus shell through the egg, and soon after the Nautilus hatched.
I contacted a friend who still works at the Waikiki Aquarium and I am waiting for him to get back to me with more specific parameters on their current Nautilus exhibits. Hope this helps!
 
My aquarist friend from the Waikiki Aquarium finally got back to me. His advice - see if you can convince the LFS to donate the Nautilus to a local aquarium (in Utah, is that the Living Planet Aquarium?). That way the animal goes to a good home.
His other advice was that the water temp. should be 60-65 F and that they need lots of crab and shrimp (with shells) to get the calcium that they require. He also said that they have a tendency to chew anything that is in the aquarium, like plastic airline tubing and plastic plants...
Any word on whether the Nautilus is still for sale?
 
the nautilis that I've seen at the monteray bay aquarium seem to be living in a fairly small tank (rough est. 30-40 gallons), and doing fine
 
Keeping one of these would be really cool, I recently to give it a go but I thibought a 120G(Tall) tank about last week, i'd like nk im going to read a lot before I try, I'll contact the local stores that have them and see what kind of conditions theyre in and whats the most comfortable kind of condition for them. I really cant decide between an octo or a nautilus, but Ive always bveen fascinated with a Nautilus just never thought they were sold or at the least capable of being alive in a tank. Do you guys think I should give it a go? If I do suceed in keeping one for a year or more I will provide you guys with weekly logs of what Ive been doing to manage one this long and such.
 
WOW CTTLEFISH ARE YOU SERIOUS THATS SOUNDS CRAZY FOR MONTERAY BAY YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD HAVE A SUITIBLE TANK FOR IT! SO ANYWAYS I GOT HOLD OF THA LIVING PLANET AQUARIUM TODAY AND TALKED EM INTO SETTING UP THERE JELLYFISH EXZIBIT FOR THA NAUTI AT THA LFS SINCE THERE JELLYS GOT SHIPPED TO A CASINO IN NEVADA , AND THEY WHERE WILLING TO SETUP IT AND POSSIBLY GET A COUPLE MORE, THA LFS IS WILLING TO DONATE THERES TO THA LPA SO IT WILL BE REALLY COOL IF ALL GOES WELL THEN WE WILL HAVE A NATI, CUTTLE AND OCTO EXZIBIT GOING! WOW I HOPE THIS IS MAKING SENCE TO YALL HA HA ITS KINDA HARD TO EXPLAIN BUT I THINK I GOT IT!
 
I contatced the LFS that sold them in my area he said he gets a lot of them. They are very inactive and active in dark ares he reccomend 65-70 degrees F and suggests 55G but said my 120G was more than enough.
 

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