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Sepia Bandensis info: cages, cash, and coral

Bandensis

Hatchling
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Dec 30, 2009
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Hi. I was just wondering about how much it would cost to purchase all of the items needed to house 2 male and 2 female sepia bandensis cuttles.I would assume somewhere in the $500s. I am planning on using a 55-75gal cage. I would also like to know what species of coral, polyps, and other marine plants I should use. Many Thanks!!!!!!:biggrin2:
 
Expect to spend 2-3 times that, and I would say go with the 75. What kind of experience do you have with reefs? I really would suggest starting with a reef tank to learn the ropes. As for coral, anything that doesn't sting, however you can get away with more with a cuttle than you can with an octo.
 
65 gallon with overflow - $150-200 I picked 65 since its the middle of your tank sizes and a much nicer size then a 55 which is only 12" wide
Stand 2x4's you don't have to be super handy to build just make sure its level and you can cover it with whatever - $50 maybe
Sump - you can just buy a smaller aquarium and get glass cut at a glass shop and do it yourself, again not that hard - $100
live rock - say 80 lbs at 4-5$ a lb = $360 approximately
sand 2 bags maybe 30$ each = 60
powerheads even korilas which i would not recommend would be at least $50x 2
skimmer = $300 for something decent to 2000 for high end

then you need heater, powerbars, grounding probe, lighting depending on what kind of corals you want price would vary, test kits, food and probably other stuff I'm not thinking of. That's close to $1000 not counting lighting.

For my 90 gallon cuttlefish tank I probably spent around $2000 setting it up. A little bit more because my tank is a custom build but I think even 1000$ would be stretching it.

That being said if you buy some stuff used the cost goes down drastically.
 
I started a group of three in a 29 gallon and then had to move them at about 5 months old to a 55 gallon. You do realize that it is expensive to feed cuttlefish? They only take live food at the beginning. Some people have been successful at weaning their cuttlefish on to frozen shrimp but it is probably healthier to keep offering them live food along with the frozen (or even an all live food diet).
 
If you haven't yet, I would read the articles about these guys that are available in print or online.

If you haven't kept SW before I suggest cutting your teeth on some easier, captive raised animals. Cuttles are expensive to keep and tricky for at least the first 3 months.

The smallest tank you could keep one in is about a 30 gallon, and even that will be small by the end of its life. More animals absolutely need more space.

:biggrin2:
 

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