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Random bits of info on S. bandensis....

Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
709
With the increase in popularity of Sepia Bandensis, I thought i would share some information that Ive aquired from my own experiences. This information is a little less available online, so I thought it may be helpful. Much of this was discovered the hard way. That is from losing a cuttle. Hopefully I can aid in preventing this frustration and heart ache with future Bandensis keepers.


-They can jump out of no-lipped/uncovered tanks and holding spaces. This happened to me once and may be a freak occurance.

-They are compatible and can live with other inhabitants. So far I have introduced a yellow tang and a seahorse. To be sure, I introduced these creatures in a clear breeder divider suspended in the tank and observed the cuttles for any signs of aggression. When none were seen I released them. They have lived without any problems with each other for 3 months now.

-With captive bred sepia bandensis, you can mix groups that have never had previous contact and are different ages. I introduced 3 four month year old juveniles to a tank of 4 eight month year old bandensis. Thats a size difference of 3/4 inch to 2 1.2 inches. There was no problems with this. Again, I used a clear breeder to introduce them. (Wild caught specimens may fight and kill each other)

-Powerheads and other sources of suction/water intake can harm or kill bandensis.Even with the suplied strainer shield, the suction can be too much. My experiences are with maxijet 1200s. I added a plastic strainer to cover the existing strainer and Ive had no problems since. (This might not have been the initial cause of the problem. The cuttles may have been weak from something else and then got stuck)

-Ive kept many kinds of coral species with bandensis including stinging aggressive lps like a hammer coral. The bandensis do not seemed bothered by them at all. But too many still may not be a good idea.

-Ive had 2 mysterious deaths on seperate occassions the day after feeding live guppies.

-Levels of canabolism differed drastically with new borns from different batches of eggs. One batch, canobolism was 0 while another batch showed extreme amounts where each baby needed to be seperated individually.

-The longest I was able to keep a Bandensis from an egg was 11 months. My first generation of cuttles started randomely dying at around 9+ months. Im still trying to determine the cause. I suspect local shore crabs or perhaps water temp. Signs of weakness and white coloring began the day before death.

-Any eggs Ive had so far have been infertile.

-Higher amounts of lighting seem to make them less active. I use a cycle with 96 watts of 50/50 powercompact is on 8 hours a day. A 175 watt mh 20k bulb goes on for 3 hours a day. If I turn on a 2nd 175 watt hallide, it seems it becomes too bright for them. This is over a 50 gallon display tank.


My tank and setup can be seen in the link in my sig, but to summarise, it is...

50 gallon display tank
20 gallon sump
~20 gallon for refugium and juvenile cuttle sections
Water parameters are all 0
Temp 74-76 in winter
76-80 in summer
Food - mostly shore caught crabs or pods for new borns



Feel free to add your own experiences so we can all learn from each other!
 
I was reading that bandensis come from waters 78-80 degrees as in the Phillipines? Wouldn't 74 be on the low side? Just curious.

Thanks for that information!
 
Yes, my temp fluctuations are caused by neglecting to have a heater! I didnt think it would matter to much, but since I was only able to get them to live for 9-11 months, I added that as a possible cause...


For all your technical and basic information on these guys, dont forget to goto Righty's article here Cephalopod Care
 
hmm... temp could be it. I know that animals like catalina gobies can be kept in reef temperatures, but usually die pretty quickly compared to if they were kept in cooler waters.

I have a pretty good setup which will keep temperature to 1 degree (if I wanted to spend such money on electricity costs), but I"m only letting it fluctuate by 2 degrees (+-1) just to cut down on heater / chiller electricity consumption costs.

what would be optimal heat? I'm planning to keep my temps at 79 degrees F at all times.

And why are they more active in dimmer lighting? Are they more nocturnal animals?
 
Im unsure of the optimal temp. Richards artical says 59-77 degrees. I was actually thinking that my higher temps might have been the cause of shorter lifespan. This is something seen in octopuses as well.

Im unsure why dimmer lights make them less active. Its just something I obeserved in mine...
 
ah, i'll probably setup my aquacontroller down to 76 degrees. I have about 100 gallons of system water in the basement anyway, which is usually about 10 degrees cooler than outside temp.

thanks!! I think I missed that temperature part in rich's article.
 
I saw this
http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/cuttlefish.php said:
Heater – S. bandensis come from at least the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and seem to do just fine between 78 and 80 degrees.
 
"-Powerheads and other sources of suction/water intake can harm or kill bandensis.Even with the suplied strainer shield, the suction can be too much. My experiences are with maxijet 1200s. I added a plastic strainer to cover the existing strainer and Ive had no problems since. (This might not have been the initial cause of the problem. The cuttles may have been weak from something else and then got stuck)"

Paradox, I lost one S. bandensis this way too - a female tried to lay eggs ON the intake for the canister filter. Its arms got sucked it even through the narrow grill.

I didn't know about the jumping though! Had another species that actually jumped out and never recovered.

Regarding keeping them with other creatures, mine co-existed with a hermit crab and horseshow crabs no problem. I think different species of cuttle could potentially co-exist together as well.

- Michael
 
chalcosoma said:
Paradox, I lost one S. bandensis this way too - a female tried to lay eggs ON the intake for the canister filter. Its arms got sucked it even through the narrow grill.


Thats exactly what happened to mine...The arms were stuck inside. In one case, I actually saved the bandensis. After freeing it, it looked near death. Barely able to swim. I placed him in a seperate container and 2 days later he was fine.

Were you ever able to get fertile eggs? Also, how long did yours live untill?
 
I have a 3600+ gph closed loop, but I will be using two 2" intakes from the tank with strainers. Will that be enough? Or should I use really long spray bar intake pvc's instead to even out the intake concentration even more?
 
I would probably add another strainer that is further out from the existing strainer. That is, to add a strainer that is 2-3 inches (or more) or so away from the 1st one. The added distance will make the suction at that point less.

Not sure if I described that well...

Also, you will need to keep the babies out of the main tank or in a divider for a few months...I wouldnt release them into the main tank until at least 3-4 months because of their size.
 
I'm using these:

270554_rgb.jpg


Two of them 2" in diameter, 3" I believe in length.
 

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