cuttle fish

[clownfish]

hello all I have been over in the octopus section for a few months and have a 30 gallon with an octopus. I was wondering if I could keep an s bandensis in my 30 gallon wonce I get a 55 for my octopus would that be ok or should I shoot higher? also I can feed him crabs and shrimp wright? finaly is it ok to feed him goldfish I have herd they art good for octopus but what about cuttles

thanks

 

[Colin]

Hi Clownfish

I think you should really work on the experience of owning an octopus first. You need to concentrate on one cephalopod at a time until you become a more experienced aquarist.

That's a 'no' on the goldfish issue too

 

[Mikey]

Echo Colin firstly, but then... (for others to read too)

The Bandensis should be ok in a 30, but only singularly. I would alway say get as big a tank as you can so if you can "shoot higher" then do so.

This tank needs to be fully cycled and appropriate for the cuttle (ie, no sucking powerheads etc) but if you have set it up properly for an octo, it should be ok for a cuttle.

Food wise, crabs, and shrimps are fine - variety is the key. They will take frozen food too with some persistence.

Dont feed goldfish however - they aren't natural to cuttles, therefore nutritionally are a bit off. In addition to this, and more worryingly, they can contain levels of (lead or copper - cant remember which??) which obviously isn't good for the cuttles.

Read as much as you can on this forum about keeping cuttles (not just Bandensis), take your time, read again - ask anything that you do not know!

Good luck!

 

[interways]

Stop!

clownfish, you just got your octo, which, IMHO, was extremely unwise, given your obvious lack of experience in and dedication to reefkeeping.

Be aware that keeping an octo should in no way be easier or cheaper for you than keeping a reef aquarium. The octopus will only be as happy as he can be if you provide him the water quality a coral reef needs. If you can not provide that (and that takes some experience and lots of filtration etc.), then leave him where he is from. Same goes for cuttles. I keep an octopus in a separate 100G tank which is directly connected to and cycles the same water as my 300G reef tank. That way I can give him perfect water and filtration (using an aquamedic turbofloator 5000 twin skimmer designed for a 1200G tank). The reef is running for 7 years now, corals are growing at an incredible rate (especially the 'hard ' corals as some here call them). You see, that is an environment an octopus will be happy in. Anything less is just not enough for me. An octo is a living creature you have taken out of it's environment. It is your responsibility to give him the best you can! (That naturally goes for all animals you may keep...)

Anyways, stay away from cuttles, concentrate on the octo!!!

Sorry for the harsh words, but it seems to me that you do not really care to follow the advice given to you in this forum...

 

[ben@tonmo]

thats a bit harsh saying clownfish doesnt care when they havnt replyed back yet probably because they was busy researching, ive always found octopuses easier than other marine fish, they seem to suit the life of being looked after with no predators and having their food brought to them, surely keeping fish that swim in mass shoals like tangs etc is more cruel?

 

[DocFrye]

I don't think interways was suggesting that Clownfish doesn't care, just that he doesn't care to follow any of the advice offered on this forum... or that he doesn't care to take 5 minutes and read care sheets... or that he doesn't care to take the time to properly cycle his tank... or that he doesn't care to spellcheck his posts.

Am I "Wright" about that, interways?

 

[interways]

DocFrye, you definitely are "wright"!

clownfish ignores any suggestions anybody makes, strangely enough.

And, ben@tonmo, I think you (or, for that matter, anybody else) are doing no good to an octopus if you keep it in conditions that are far worse than where it came from. So, if you can keep a reef with all those corals, fish, etc. in it, then you should be able to keep an octo. If you are NOT able to keep a reef, then, in my opinion, you should NOT keep an octopus! Just having it barely survive the dirty water in a tank does not mean you are doing it any good...

 

[Thales]

I have successfully kept a single bandensis in an 18 gallon high for its entire life. No problem.

 

[a rabid squid]

Jeez interways you're brutal to clownfish. He just asked a simple question, hes not ignorant, just misinformed. if he didnt care why would he be on this website in the first place. also, im with righty that cuttle could easily live in a 30 gallon tank. and im pretty sure the octo could live in a 55 gallon tank, i've seen people put them in smaller tanks than that. just be sure to cycle your new tank for 3 months and youll be fine. and i dont think the goldfish are a good idea... i learned the hard way.

good luck,
kevin

 

[interways]

No, I'm not brutal to clownfish. Just have a look at his other posts and you will begin to understand why I have to choose harsh words. A normal discussion has no effect whatsoever. He has huge problems even cycling his tank, let alone keeping such trivial things as fiddler crabs. Now he got himself an octo and is immediately thinking about buying another one or even a cuttle.

What nice words do you have for that?

 

[clownfish]

I have been ignoring rude comments from you and that other guy for quit some time polluting my posts and over all I have posted 150 times you have only answered to 3 of my threads you really aren’t following close enough to make such a brutal posts I ask a question and all you have is negativity. If you read the posts closely you may see that I read my ammonia test wrong my ammonia was at 0 the whole time. I am on this forum almost everyday. I not only get info from here but I subscribe to 2 magazines, have read several books and looked at a lot of web pages, how can you say that I don’t care. All I asked was about the cuttlefish that doesn’t even mean I will get one, it is a maybe and it would be at least 4 months before that. If you followed along closely you may have seen that I am the type of person that likes to look ahead way ahead. Everything is not my fault the fiddler crabs could have came sick or something because I put them in the right environment they were feeder food, a lot of times feeder food isn’t kept in the best of environments. I come here to talk about octopus and cuttlefish not to battle with people about my past. I have tried my best to be respectful to you. Can you please just try to give some respect to me.

 

[DocFrye]

Wouldn't it be nice if respect was just given away like those few odd pennies you have left over after purchasing a Slurpie at the local 7-Eleven instead of having to be earned by some act that might inspire said emotion?

 

[reef-maharani]

I know that my opinion might not be welcome here, but I just wanted to say to clownfish that regardless of what may have happened in the past, if you genuinely are researching and looking ahead than you are doing the right thing. I come from a background with retail experience in the saltwater hobby and I think everyone should keep in mind that everybody starts somewhere. If you mean to tell me that you have never lost a fish due to human error you are lying. In the beginning we all have difficulties. If you are really concerned with the way someone is keeping their aquaria, or the livestock decisions they are making, perhaps the best way to get the idea across to that person is by helping with advice and answering questions with PATIENCE. While it may be the hardest virtue to master it is also one of the most valuable. It is also important to remember that not every saltwater aquarist is interested in running 700 gallon systems. Some of us never get bigger than 30 gallons, and it is possible and can be done responsibly. If we make someone feel unwanted and disrespected, where will they go for advice? Or perhaps that's a good way to completely defeat the purpose of this forum. I don't mean to come off as harsh either, but I'm a Marine Biologist and it kills me to see people squashing others excitement for the things on our oceans. However, it would definitely be wise to stick to the octo for now. Get to know him and bond with your little guy. He deserves your undivided attention and will surely reward you for it in his own little way. We are all bound to disagree sometimes, it is science after all. However, there is a certain amount of respect due to all of us whether you think we know what we are doing or not, simply because that's the only way communication works. Ok, off my stupid soapbox- however clownfish if you keep asking questions you'll figure all this out eventually. I am sure that at some point docfrye and interways will become a great resource of information for you as well.

 

[interways]

Absolutely, if clownfish really is prepared to do some research and folow advice, then why shouldn't this be a great hobby for him?

On the other hand, it seems as if he is not really taking any advice. Just have a look at his post, read the salinity level: ready for the octopus

This sounds, as far as salinity is concerned, not like red sea but rather like dead sea levels. And keep in mind, that was May! So much for completely cycling a tank. We advised him then to be patient and slowly change to normal levels, with the result that he now has an octopus sitting in it!

reef-maharani, look closely before jumping to conclusions...

clownfish, if you read a little and follow some advice, you MIGHT become a successfull octo keeper...

 

[clownfish]

like I just explained I was reading my test for ammonia wrong I now have 0 across the bord ph 8.2 and my alk is low you cant call this the worst tank in the world. I have taken lotts of advice just some I have not. my saltlevel can be changed veary quikly that was becasue I kept my saltlevel in the green (wich is the recomended spot) I didnt think salt level was so important but the more I read the more I understood that it was important and I took an act.


oh yes there is a level of respect that should be given to anyone