• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

want some opinions

jamest0o0

O. vulgaris
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Jan 22, 2008
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so lately I have really been researching cephs and specifically cuttles..... I am very interested them, but not sure if I am in over my head.....

I'm only 16 and I have a reef tank that is doing great and I stay on top with water changes, feeding, and everything else... I have a job and really atm all I spend on is my tank... I have school-work most days, but I just feed afterwards and do water changes, test, etc on days I don't work....I can afford the equipment and I'll need to look into some food sources, but that shouldn't be a huge problem, I will have all the works sump, refugium, ATO, etc.... I can feed them most of the days, but I just figured any day I may not be home I have family that would be willing to feed, I can do water changes and all of that, but of course being 16 I have friends I hang out with a lot and can sometimes have a busy schedule....

basically I just want some opinions.... is this too much for a 16 year old? I'm confident I can take care of them once my tank is set up and cycled, but really you don't know until you have the actual experience...just want some opinions thanks!
 
Well, it definately sounds like your on top of things. Really read up on it, and most definately take advantage of the experts on this board, there are several on here that know a hell of alot more than I do about cuttles, but I'd say get all your equipment first (only if you feel comfortable doing so) befor getting the cuttles.
 
first off, :welcome:

most people think u cant do cephs if ur young.

i was 12 when i had my first octo.

its eggs were fertile. they hatched and did well for a while, but being a planktonic species (and being unexpected) none reached maturity.

of course, u have to have ultimate dedication. a ceph is more work than a dog or cat, so at least know what ur undertaking.

good luck :smile:
 
If you already have the understanding of how to maintain a reef tank and have the neccessary equipment and automation, it wont be that much harder for you.

Your biggest challenge would probably be food supply. Cuttlefish will require different types of food as they progress through their life cycle. Live foods will also be necessary at some stages. Be sure you research what you have available for you in your local area or if purchasing online, be sure that you can afford it for that is very expensive regardless of what age you are.
 
food is my #1 concern of course so I need to start looking into that.....

and I was told that cuttles and octos are almost exactly the same to take care of, a lot of people actually said cuttles are easier and they are a lot cooler IMO, correct me if I'm wrong about this :smile:

thanks!
 
:welcome: I'm partial to cuttlefish, but that's just me :biggrin2:. If you can take care of a reef tank, you can take care of a cephalopod tank. As Paradox said, it can be expensive to feed them. Check out aquaculturestore.com for some live food prices. I sometimes spent up to $50 per week for my three cuttles. Sometimes it was only about $20 per week, sometimes as much as $70 when they were babies.
 
I would suggest you get 3 month old cuttles from Thales or Paradox that are eating frozen foods already rather than trying to raise young, you need to have more time on your hands with the younger ones as well because I believe they require multiple feedings each day, and it will have to be live. It's also way easier and cheaper to get one eating frozen food and worth the extra money up front.
 
cuttlegirl;114697 said:
: I sometimes spent up to $50 per week for my three cuttles. Sometimes it was only about $20 per week, sometimes as much as $70 when they were babies.

holy sh!t... that was alot more than i had expected. Thanks for the figures. so are octo's cheaper? i see alot of people feeding them krill and other frozen shrimp..
 
L8 2 RISE;114742 said:
I would suggest you get 3 month old cuttles from Thales or Paradox
Sorry i'm sporadically posting but i'm in the same tank as james. Can cuttles live through a trip of overnight shipping like that? and i guess while i'm at it, if i put 2 remora c pro's on a 75-120 gal tank would that overskim enough?
 
cuttlechris;115139 said:
holy sh!t... that was alot more than i had expected. Thanks for the figures. so are octo's cheaper? i see alot of people feeding them krill and other frozen shrimp..

Some octopus eat frozen shrimp and older cuttles will eat frozen shrimp too, I just fed mine live food because I could afford live food. I felt that my animals were healthier when fed live food. One of my cuttlefish lived to 14 months and the female laid eggs.
 
While I've only had my cuttles for a week, I've discovered that you don't have to actively feed them every day if you're using live food - simply put more shore shrimp in then they can eat in a day and you can go off with friends or to work without worrying. (I have a separate 5.5 gallon tank to hold/raise up to 300 common shore shrimp at a time to use for feeding).

My two cuttles seem to eat about 3-6 shrimp each per day. I put 20 live shrimp in the other day, and it took them 3 days to go through them all. The best part is that the shrimp do some clean-up work while they're in the main tank, picking at hair algae and scavenging bits of leftover food. And as the shrimp get used to the tank, they start hiding out in the live rock, giving the cuttles the chance to actively hunt their prey (when the shrimp first go in the tank, they swim like crazy for the first hour or two - usually right into the cuttles who catch them with ease).

So I'd suggest using live foods on the days you can't be around. You're not too young to care for cuttles in my opinion - maturity is what matters and it sounds like you have plenty! Definitely read ALL you can on cuttles first though. Then read it all again. Nothing feels better than knowing what signs indicate a potential problem and then knowing how to deal with with it when it first starts to happen (and before it gets bad).

As far as who to get eggs or live cuttles from, check out this forum where folks post cuttles they have for sale: TONMO Cephalopod Community

= Bender =
 

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