How old should my s. bandensis be before i offer food?

[SquidArcher]

After lots of research for multiple years, I finally bi the bullet and got 14 s. bandensis eggs through the lfs that I work at. I am not sure when they will hatch, and I can't find any specific articles or pages that say how old they should be when offered food. I have found a source for live mysids, but it is expensive to ship and since i know many will die if they stay in my "mysis tank" for an extended period of time, I want to only order them once I know my cuttles are ready. The site ships them overnight, so they will get to my house the night after I order. I just want to know, how old should my cuttles be before I order food? And how old should I be before I feed them the shrimp?

 

[pkilian]

I would offer them food the same day or the day after they hatch out. The will be hungry and ready to eat. A good rule of thumb is to offer them food that is the length of the distance between their eyeballs. They should do just fine with mysid shrimp. I would try and feed 1 shrimp per individual and see how quickly they go after them. If they finish off the mysids very quickly or some individuals ate more than one and some didn't eat at all, you can add a few more shrimp depending on how many animals are hatched out. Don't add too many or the mysids might bother your unhatched eggs.

Also, make sure to equip your tank with plenty of spaces for them to hide and be comfortable. fake plants or corals that extend the height of the tank will give them space to disperse themselves through the water column.

You will probably have to feed your babies 2-3 times per day, depending on how quickly they eat the mysids you feed them. I would also remove uneaten mysids at the end of the day because they can bother your hatchlings.

 

[pkilian]

And how old should I be before I feed them the shrimp?

If you are old enough to feed them mysids you should be old enough to feed them shrimp once they are large enough

 

[tonmo]

Hi @SquidArcher -- how is this going?

 

[SquidArcher]

Hi @SquidArcher -- how is this going?

It’s going relatively well! Not to jinx it, but it’s been about 1.5-2 weeks and out of 9 hatched, I’ve lost 2. There seems to be a shortage of mysids, as i was only able to get around 25 live ones. Feeding them baby brine until my next shipment comes.

 

[tonmo]

Awesome, great to hear