Nautilus care tips

[Nautiloid man]

I do not own nautilus, but I plan to own them in the future. Any tips for someone planning to own them?

things I know:

1. they need pressured tanks
2. they need large tanks
3. they need specific temperature tanks (50° and 70°F)
4. they need dark tanks

things I would like to know:

1. can they live with other species of nautiloids?
2. how many gallons?
3. are there any colors of light that they cant see?
4. could they live with other animals?

 

[tonmo]

Hi @Nautiloid man -- are you really from Iowa? That'd be quite the coincidence!

for Nautilus info, definitely use our Search feature, and check out @gjbarord's Nautilus Talk forum:

Nautilus Talk with Dr. Barord

The live journal of Dr. Greg Barord (@gjbarord); questions, ideas and feedback welcome!

tonmo.com

 

[Nautiloid man]

Hi @Nautiloid man -- are you really from Iowa? That'd be quite the coincidence!

for Nautilus info, definitely use our Search feature, and check out @gjbarord's Nautilus Talk forum:

Nautilus Talk with Dr. Barord

The live journal of Dr. Greg Barord (@gjbarord); questions, ideas and feedback welcome!

tonmo.com

Hello! Yes I am from Iowa. I had no idea there was a nautilus expert in Iowa before joining! Thank you for directing me to the one who knows a lot about nautilus!

 

[tonmo]

Dr. Barord is a pioneer in nautilus research; hopefully he can provide the guidance you seek -- enjoy all the resources we have to offer here in the meantime, and keep us posted on your journey! Do you have saltwater tank experience? Nautilus keeping is extraordinarily difficult, as I understand it.

Check this out from Monterey Bay Aquarium -- I'm not sure if they still have an exhibit, but it's remarkable:

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/exploring-a-chamber-of-nautilus-secrets

 

[Nautiloid man]

Dr. Barord is a pioneer in nautilus research; hopefully he can provide the guidance you seek -- enjoy all the resources we have to offer here in the meantime, and keep us posted on your journey! Do you have saltwater tank experience? Nautilus keeping is extraordinarily difficult, as I understand it.

Check this out from Monterey Bay Aquarium -- I'm not sure if they still have an exhibit, but it's remarkable:

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/exploring-a-chamber-of-nautilus-secrets

I don´t have any tank experience, I do want to start aquascaping and eventually work my way up to getting nautilus. I have experience in some reptiles and amphibians.

 

[Tomh]

I understand your interest but they are a very difficult animal to care for without experience. Some of the most experienced aquarist have difficulty with them!

 

[gjbarord]

I don´t have any tank experience, I do want to start aquascaping and eventually work my way up to getting nautilus. I have experience in some reptiles and amphibians.

Hello @Nautiloid man from Iowa!

Always love hearing when people are interested in nautiluses! Currently, the biggest impediment to keeping nautiluses in aquariums is that their trade is currently highly restricted because they are listed under Appendix I on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which requires a permit to export nautiluses - this was a result of years of population surveys that showed significant declines resulting from the shell trade. So, not really a possibility anymore.

Aside from that, they require advanced care and experience, like cephalopods but also a chilling unit and specific tank design to promote natural behaviors. We still aren't really sure what they eat in the wild, so their captive diet is still not fully understood. They require temps lower than 15 Celsius. They do not require pressurized tanks, however. They do not need total darkness - but if you think they do, then that is also not a great animal for aquariums, right?

Plenty of other cephalopod species out there that are perfect for aquariums, nautiluses are just not one of them.

Greg

 

[Nautiloid man]

its only a dream, may never happen! but here is the things ive compiled

Min is 90 Gal, 100 Gal ideally 130 Gal for one.
50° and 70°F (Chiller)
Dark, low light tanks. Too bright tanks could cause blindness
Live rock can be used, no plastic decor, nautiluses try to bite or eat anything in their tank
Carnivorous
Keeping more nautiluses together is also not a good idea as they might fight each other, causing injuries that will lead to their death.
Well-filtered tank

does this seem correct? anything else i should know?

 

[tonmo]

anything else i should know?

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Please Read First: TONMO.com Forum Guidelines and Cephalopod Care Ethics Statement

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tonmo.com

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I'm not sure if they still have an exhibit,

The page below mentions that nautiluses are currently "Not on view at the Aquarium," and when I heard from the aquarium in June of last year they mentioned that they were no longer working with nautiluses due to the difficulty of importing more with the CITES restrictions. So, it'll probably be a while before they have nautiluses again:

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/chambered-nautilus