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Having trouble keeping new born cuttlefish alive!

Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
290
I have a tank and 1 baby cuttlefish left out of 7.

Tanks specs as of today:

55 gal tank
salt level: 1.022
PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0


test kit: Saltwater master, aquarium Pharmaceuticals.

was feeding enriched brine shrimp and tiger pods.
Switching to mysin shrimp.

The general feeling is that I lost the babies is because of a feeding issue.
Eggs hatched in a breeder net on the side of the main cuttlefish tank.

I have found a place that can send me small order of mysid shrimp once a week for 2 months. so the food issue should be resolved! They will arrive Wed of this week. Still floating frozen mysis in the tank to see if the 3 week old baby will eat it, no luck for now. Still giving brine and pods till live mysid arrives.



Thanks for any help or suggestions.
Mike Bauer
 
Yes, I did read it and that is what I was trying as well. Add a few with a little current to keep them moving a little so they look alive.
I didn't seem to work the last cuttlefish stopped eating a few days ago and died today. Now I have food order and arriving. So, it look like I will give this one more go with a overnight order of 3 cuttlefish babies (1/4 " in size) and see what happens. Though if this doesn't work out I will call it quits on this type of cuttlefish and see if anyone can get me the larger type that I am use to keeping.

Question? Breeder cage ( floating plastic) or breeder net that hangs on the side?
Is it ok to put sand in the bottom so they have something to play in?
 
Not sure who that is. I order the mysids from SACHS SYSTEMS AQUACULTURE.
They are willing to ship me 100 a week for 20.00 a week including shipping; extra for the foam boxing if used.
They are wild caught in Florida. They also have sea horses and other stuff. He currently have other cuttlefish people using him and is willing to work with anyone to help keep you pets alive. :wink:
 
When I spoke with SACHS SYSTEMS AQUACULTURE, they told me the salt level they keep them at is 1.014 and the temp is best around 70 degrees. I took my 10 gal brine tank and put a sand bottom in it and filled it with the rest of the brine shrimp that I have left and other stuff like pod and rotifers so that the mysid will have lot to eat besides themselves. I have a large air stone in the tank and a filter with a sponge cover over the water intake. For now the filter is off but I will run it from time to time to keep the water clean.
 
Mike Bauer;174884 said:
Question? Breeder cage ( floating plastic) or breeder net that hangs on the side?
Is it ok to put sand in the bottom so they have something to play in?

I started my octopus hatchlings in the floating plastic breeder traps but found they were able to squeeze through the circulation slits and escape so I had to change them all to the net type. I prefer the plastic, though, because not only is it easier to clean, it's better for viewing and taking picture, too. Once my hatchlings get bigger (fingers crossed) I will put them back in the clear plastic floaters.
Sue
 
Thanks, I now have one of each but everyone else seem to be using the net vs plastic. I was just interested as to why, worried about lack of water flow in the plastic one.
 
Starting over today

Well all. I am starting over today for one last attempt at keeping the smaller cuttlefish alive. I have live mysid shrimp and 4 new baby cuttlefish (1/4 inch) arriving later today. I have redone everything in the tank and tested all my levels. My last cuttlefish quit eating 2 days ago and died yesterday. Here is what I have found so far on keeping dwarf cuttlefish alive from a number of different people. Pleas feel free to change my notes if you see something wrong.

How to keep a newly hatched cuttlefish alive for more than 2 weeks.

Steps are:

1. Most important! Locate a live source of food for your babies; they only eat live mysid shrimp. You will need a source that can supply you for a first 2 months .
2. Note! You can not use copepod or brine shrimp as a food source, they will eat them but they will die of malnutrition within 2 weeks!!!!!!!
3. Start the saltwater tank that they are going to be in well in advance so it is properly cycled and has:
• 0 nitrate
• 0 nitrite
• 0 ammonia
• 8.2 PH level
• Salt level of 1.023
• 0 copper
• Warning! Do not put a cuttlefish in with any coins to photograph them like photos you have seen; use a clear container.
• Water temp 75 to 80 degrees for Sepia bandensis
• Water temp 60 to 70 degrees for Sepia officinalis ( larger type)
4. Use no less than a 29 gal tank
5. Use a fish breeding net that hangs on the inside of the main tank.
6. Place the cuttlefish eggs in the breeding net until they hatch.
7. After a few days start placing 2 or 3 mysid shrimp in with them until the start eating.
8. After they start eating, feed them 3 to 4 mysid shrimp 3 times a day each cuttlefish
9. Increase food for cuttlefish as they grow in size and eat more.
10. After they are a month old you can start mixing in a few frozen mysid to try to convert they to dead food
11. Once they start eating the frozen staff, convert them to frozen food.
12. In the main tank for that first month, maintain your water levels.
13. Start a second batch of food for them that they can eat when you release them into the main tank
• Small crabs (Cannot connect to MySQL server)
• Saltwater shrimp and baby saltwater feeder fish (Brine & Ghost Shrimp, Feeder Fish, Aquarium Supply - Live Brine Shrimp)

This should help get you on your way.

Mike Bauer
PS Thanks Thales for your help.
 
Thales;174961 said:
Mike, that is a decent list, but the absolutes and some of the generalities are not really accurate and make me nervous.

There are several articles on raising S. bandensis in the articles section of TONMO (mainly Cephalopod Care ), as well as a the 2010 Drum and Croaker available here:
http://www.columbuszoo.org/drumcroaker/


Thanks for the concerns, Please feel free to copy and change my list and correct anything you think is incorrect. I like to keep instructions in a short but informative step by step format. I have read most of the articles on this site and others and that is how I put this list together and how I understand them to read. I am open to any corrections from anyone who has managed to keep drawf cuttlefish alive for over 3 weeks and can get them to eat mysid shrimp; live or frozen.

Thanks
Mike :notworth:
 
Starting over:

This time I am using a clear, floating fish breeder with a little live sand in the bottom so the cuttlefish babies can hide and play. 5 arrived today but one was DOA. They all look healthy and are 1/4" in size. I will post photos of them later. Still waiting on the live food to arrive today.

Mike
 
Mike Bauer;174967 said:
Thanks for the concerns, Please feel free to copy and change my list and correct anything you think is incorrect. I like to keep instructions in a short but informative step by step format. I have read most of the articles on this site and others and that is how I put this list together and how I understand them to read. I am open to any corrections from anyone who has managed to keep drawf cuttlefish alive for over 3 weeks and can get them to eat mysid shrimp; live or frozen.

Hi Mike,

Step by step recipies for animal keeping are generally something I stay away from - espicially for saltwater animals. Since keeping these kinds of animals alive is as much as an art as it it a science, I think its very important that people develop a saltwater thumb and get a real feel for the ups, downs, ins and outs of keeping such a system. In my experience, short lists and recipies allow people to think that all they have to do is follow the list to have success - this is sadly not the case. For instance, from the list above, some would think that pH of 8.2 is necessary and will take steps to alter pH to hit that number even though the numbers they are getting are perfectly acceptible, and they don't understand that pH fluctuates through out the day. The same can be said for any of the numbers on the list.
 
Thank God! They mysid shrimp arrived. Put them in a 1 gallon tank with lots of brine shrimp to help keep them eating each outer until they become cuttlefish food. Also added small amounts of crusted flake food.
 
New Cuttlefish babies have a strange look to them! They keep their butts upward instead of down level like the others did. Can they get an air bubble trapped in the cuttlebone that would cause them to loose buoyancy? Will it cause them to die?
 

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