OR….
Why not have a look back at some of the cuttlefish posts here on TONMO.com? There is a lot of personal adventures and a lot of good info about people who have tried to keep them.
Cuttlefish are not going to be easily kept in the USA until they are being captive bred… in 2 years I know of only one that survived longer than a few days after being imported and as they generally cost upwards of $50, its no fun for either party… I’d say to not waste money and lives on cuttlefish, especially Sepia bandensis that is frequently imported as a full grown adult at the end of its lifespan.
If you live in Europe getting a cuttle is much easier but to answer your questions…
1) Yes, from time to time they get offered, but even this week we have an example of one being bought that looked in perfect condition and died. I personally think that they are too much of a risk to buy from a LFS. Try keeping a captive bred octopus… in the suture cuttles will be more reliably sold.
2) That depends on the size of your tank. I had seven baby sepia officinalis in a 200 gal tank and it was too small for them at ~5”. They set up territories and fight amongst themselves. At 10” it was too small for 2 and again too small for one large adult male in the end. Also, depends on species as not all get as big as S. officinalis do but getting them alive is the issue.
3) Yes but maybe not… see above. Depends on species and their size. Remember that most importers can’t ID the species they supply! What would happen if you got a species that gets to 3 foot long?
4) ~18 months at most. (3 days after importation it seems)
5) yes, all sessile inverts that don’t have bad stings.
6) Subdued, not bright reef lights… simple fluro tube would suffice.
7) Octopets is apparently working on breeding species for sale to the public.. I’m sure that it will be posted here when they are available.
Eight) To date there are only a couple of us that have had a cuttlefish for any length of time on this site… it’s only a matter of time until they are more easily available and I, and others find, that once they settle in they are quite easy to keep healthy. I do however, predict many problems with people keeping them in tanks that are far too small for the species… think minimum 200gal for a single adult officinalis.
Feel free to ask more questions!!!
Colin