How to ship cuttlefish?

[bingus100]

I'm curious on how to ship cuttlefish in a tropical country. The small cuttlefish keep on dying in transport. Any ideas?

 

[wise_s]

Cuttlefish ( and cephalopods in general) don't ship well. I'm not sure which species you're referring to but I know that people have the best luck with dwarf (sepia bandensis) and Flamboyant (Metasepia pfefferi) cuttlefish by shipping the eggs and hatching them. If you have to ship adults, use a carrier that is used to shipping tropical fish, ship with as much water as you can and use heat/cold packs as necessary to stabilize the temperature. This may be a bit morbid, but you will want to ship more specimens than you need. Cuttlefish jet backwards when startled and in a small bag will most likely strike the side of the shipping box, injuring themselves, if not outright killing them. Good luck. I hope this helps.

 

[tonmo]

Also check out this article by @Thales:

Article 'Packing and Shipping Cephalopods'

Best practices in cephalopod transport By Richard Ross (Thales) Several people have recently asked how I ship cephs, so I thought I would write up what I do and stick it on the blog for posterity. I am hoping to ship some cephs in the next few weeks and if I do, I will try to update this...

• Thales
• Mar 8, 2019
• 5 min read
• Category: Cephalopod Care
• shipping

 

[bingus100]

I have really no idea what species it is. It's in my aquarium now though-managed to ship it. A fisherman contact offered it to me.

 

[bingus100]

 

[bingus100]

I have the feeling it is very stressed. It was in a very small 12-liter aquarium for two days, so it might not be in the best of health. It was kept with 3 spiny lobsters, no substrate, and a couple of "ikan malas". Surprised it has been alive this long. Will it die? How to keep it alive?

 

[tonmo]

Agree it does not appear to be in good health. It may be near end-of-life. A gentle environment and weak prey (even frozen mysids) might be recommended? Not an expert, but here are some resources -- hoping others will chime in.

[Cuttlefish Eggs]: Thread 'Lazarus, Nib, Blot and Rorschach - Sepia bandensis journal'

Aug 22, 2015

I wasn't sure what to title this yet, so sorry for the really generic name. My BlueZoo eggs arrived this morning and after drip acclimating them, it looks as though I have 3 good eggs out of 5. Two of them seemed to have hatched prematurely, while in transit and don't seem to be alive. They're white and appear to be motionless with yolk still attached. I left them in the breeder net in case I'm wrong, but I'm at least optimistic about the other three.

• ekocak
• Replies: 167
• Forum: Cephalopod Journals

Thread 'Sick cuttlefish'

Oct 11, 2006

I woke up this morning to find a very sick Chubbs. He's maintaining a pale white color, will not accept food and avoids swimming under his own power. He drifts through the tank on the current until he finds his way into a stable spot. I put in a big piece of algae and helped him grab onto it.

Tank parameters are all pretty much normal. No ammonia or nitrite, trace of nitrate. Temperature is currently 78 degrees, SG 1.026, pH slightly low at 8.1. His tank mate Checkers shows no sign of trouble.

Chubbs is the larger, stronger cuttlefish. He didn't eat his frozen food last night...

• DHyslop
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Cuttlefish Care

Article 'Cuttlefish Basics - Keeping a Cuttlefish as a Pet'

By Colin Dunlop - 2003 Discuss this article in our forums: Cuttlefish Care When is a fish not a fish? Em... okay, er... em... It's not a funny joke, actually it's just a fact... cuttlefish are not fish! Cuttlefish are much more closely related to garden slugs and snails than they are to fish...

• Colin
• Mar 8, 2019
• 3 min read
• Category: Cephalopod Care

Article 'Before you buy a cuttlefish....'

by Colin Dunlop Opening notes... Since this article was originally written it has been necessary to rewrite parts of it. There have been significant advances within the hobby and cephalopod husbandry techniques are still evolving. It is certain to require more updates in the future but that's...

• Colin
• Mar 8, 2019
• 8 min read
• Category: Cephalopod Care

 

[wise_s]

I have the feeling it is very stressed. It was in a very small 12-liter aquarium for two days, so it might not be in the best of health. It was kept with 3 spiny lobsters, no substrate, and a couple of "ikan malas". Surprised it has been alive this long. Will it die? How to keep it alive?

I would leave it alone to acclimate for a day and then attempt to feed it with small live shrimp (ghost or grass shrimp). You can even stick the shrimp on the end of a plastic skewer to keep it in reach of the cuttlefish. If you get a feeding response, that's a hopeful sign.

 

[bingus100]

Thank you! Will update when I get back home.

 

[bingus100]

Also, will Acetes shrimp feed cuttles?

 

[wise_s]

Also, will Acetes shrimp feed cuttles?

That will probably work. As long as they are alive.

 

[bingus100]

On only for a moment. Does it look less stressed?

 

[wise_s]

On only for a moment. Does it look less stressed?

A bit hard to tell but it certainly looks improved from the first pictures you sent. Patience is the key here. Resist the temptation to check on it frequently. It's going to be stressed while it gets accustomed to your tank. Have you tried to feed it?

 

[bingus100]

Tried to give it a Palaemonetes shrimp but the shrimp hid

 

[bingus100]

It unfortunately died :<