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Food Question: Mysis vs. Pods?

Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
13
As I've seen just about everyone highly suggest the best food for hatchling Cuttles is Live Mysis. I have been feeding mine Tigger/Copepods as I think I have tried every just about every lfs and none of them can get live mysis or they can but has to be a huge order and rediculously expensive plus they are cannibalistic and getting a culture goin is from what I hear not so easy to say the least. So my question is Can I just feed them Copepods and then move up to amphipods and so fourth from there or would it be wiser to order live from aquaculture or some place like that. Another question is I know it is reccommended to not keep stinging corals with them yet I have seen them housed with Anenomes, I hope to release them into my well matured 100 gallon reef eventually but i have two carpets in there I'd hate to get rid of but I am thinking I most probably am going to have to for the saftey of the cuddles. I appreciate any suggestions and info, thanks.
- Matt
 
I can't help you with the food question, but carpets are the WORST stingers around! I had one eat a mandarin fish, then turn purplish grey and die 2 days later. The only animal I've kept that I had to treat a sting for on myself. I have to imagine a hatchling that got close enough would be lunch! I even moved out my bubble tips for my octos, and they're not that bad in the sting dept.
 
I never had any luck getting them to eat amphipods for the most part. Order mysis from www.aquaculturestore.com They aren't cheap no matter what but that is cheaper than ordering from a LFS.

Yes the carpets will eat them. They like to rest on things. Carpets are notorious for eating reef dwelling fish.
 
I have a similar question. I just recently purchased a newborn S. bandensis and a clutch of eggs. The newborn appears to not be eating. Is this normal behavior for a cuttle a few days old? I have pods in with it and frozen is not working obviously, is it even possible for such a small newborn to takedown a live mysis? Should I start out on triggerpods and work my way up or do they take mysis right from birth?
 
I don't see how tigger pods can give really any kind of nutrition to a baby cuttle, unless they are constantly eating them. For that matter, I can't really imagine a newborn even being able to effectively capture a tigger pod at all. My last batch of cuttles were fed primarily mysids from birth, but I did supplement with a few pods. They will eat the pods, however pods are usually bigger and bulkier than mysids are, so it may be more than a newborn has the courage to take on. Order mysids online. Going through an LFS will be a lot more expensive and it a way bigger hassle. If you want to care for baby cuttles feed them properly, and if you don't want to feed them what they need please don't even try them. Buy 3 month olds that are already on frozen food or at least ghost shrimp.

It is normal for a cuttle to not eat for a few days after birth. If this is the case they are still being nourished by their yolk sac and will begin to eat once that is gone.
 
I order mysis from aqua culture but they have been eating the triggerpods but I just wanted to know the substantial differences for nutritional value, etc. Thanks for all the replies and I more or less knew I was going to have to remove the Carpets but I just wanted some insight otherwise as I have seen Anenemoes housed with Cuttles successfully. It will be some time before they are large enough for the main tank anyways. Well thanks all and if any one else has more comments I would be more than glad to hear your information. - Matt
 
I only suggest tigger pods for the first few days, and only if there aren't mysis around. After that, the seem simply too small to supply any kind of decent meal to a cuttle.
 

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