S.Bandensis Cuttlefish - Just released the kids into main tank

[MAKOOKAM]

..and i agree on the 6th shot being my favorite as well. I was giggling like a little kid when I saw it in the camera review window.

 

[DWhatley]

You should look for some photo contests and enter but you may be hard pressed to get them to believe you didn't photo shop it . I am going to make myself a note to reference this next time someone says octopus tentacles. The difference is so very nicely displayed. Not only in the tentacle ends but that the entire structure look different.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Some more feeding insanity pics - decided to shoot from the top of the tank. They are now starting to follow the food outside of the tank and above the water. I had one of my females fire her tentacles out of the water like an archer fish to hit their food. Completely nuts. Of course I missed that shot...

You can see here how robust my male is...

 

[DWhatley]

Now you are going to have to write an article to try to get some of these great shots published The water effects of the last one really make a striking photo.

 

[snowmaker]

Great shots! I am wanting to go clean out the change$ bucket and see if there is enough for a macro lens.

 

[DWhatley]

MAKOOKAM is definitely a bad $ influence.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

MAKOOKAM is definitely a bad $ influence.

hahaha...yes i am. yes indeed.

I really doubt I have enough mental material to write and article, but anyone that would like to use my photos, please feel free.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Since I havent gotten any viable eggs from the resident female and since my isolated female is putting out tons of unfertilized eggs I decided to drop in my resident male. Mating started within about an hour, but the female seemes to be fairly unwilling to comply. I think that being isolated for a few months and never having been approached to mate might be a fairly stressful situation for her. I'll keep an eye on them and remove the male after a day or so if all goes well. The male is being relentless in his mating attempts. I wish i could tell what serious signs of stress would be.

Mating -

Immediately after mating -

Female

Male

 

[DWhatley]

Do you see the original female excreting something after mating still? Are you seeing it with the new female? I don't recall anyone mentioning fluid release and since her eggs have not been fertile, I wonder if she jettisons the spermataphores.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

I think that may be what was happening with the original female. Almost every time I saw her mate she would excrete. The new female made similar motions but nothing has been released. An interesting thing is that she (the new one) will float around with her arms open for a good 30 seconds after mating. Something I never saw the other female do.

They are both snuggled up now. Male stopped with the mating behavior a few hours ago. Thank god...thought he was gonna sex her into oblivion.

 

[DWhatley]

I wonder if he is/was not quite sexually mature and just a randy preteen. From what I have seen in pictures the spermataphores should look like little strings and not a milky fluid.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Quite possible, although he sure tries very hard. I havent seen anything really string like. More like a gelatinous blob.

 

[DWhatley]

I didn't come up with a good Google search for pictures but this link has some squid spermatophores and an interesting young gentlemen examining them in the 5th photo

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Wel that certainly doesnt look familiar.

I hope I dont have a male that is shooting blanks.

 

[Thales]

Nice stuff!
Cuttle spematophores are more like little clusters of short hair than jelly or liquid. Here is a pic of a Metasepia spermatophore: