Refugiam prep, tank make over, and a new chapter!

[DWhatley]

LOL, now you know why I mentioned that size of the food seems important and why it is so hard to tell if they are eating. One thing that seems to help is to add some floating seaweed/algae to the breeder. I am not sure if this helps because the cuttles like to hang out in it or if the food congregates there and are easier to find (or both). I found that frozen daphnia and very, very gentle water movement helped keep the mysid alive MUCH longer.

 

[KD5054]

Haha-yeah no kidding. Yeah- I actually did add some Kato (spelling?) for that reason as well as a small rock I figure pods might be in. Wasn't sure how much to add. I also have just a small amount of sand in there for them as well. (will post photos when my phone to computer is working)
I also ordered some Grass Shrimp as recommended by the video to use for feeding this breed of cuttlefish. I figure I can add them to my refugium and get them going for when they are older or if luck maybe catch the larvae if they breed in the tank. I saw the video this was recommended as the most nutritious.
I am supposed to get the Mysid shrimp hopefully Tuesday which I will add and try the frozen daphnia. For now I have to cross my fingers the itty bitty pod critters in the tank will be suitable. Which they look about the right size. But hard to tell like you said.
My goal here-is to one day get all this down to a charm. So is the hope.

 

[KD5054]

Here are some photos of what I have set up. I have the eggs separated from the one hatchling for the time being for fear of a size difference. The little guy that hatched has been mild to moderate in activity. Moving from on top of a shell to the side of it and has displayed some very nice colors. I still am not sure what it is eating. I have some very small pods in there as well as a few larger ones. I have myisis shrimp coming but alas they will not get here for at least another day or two with it being the weekend. Always scared I'm going to find him floating...hope I don't as he is pretty cute.
Should I add more seaweed/algae? Wasn't sure how much to add.

Also I was finally able to get my auto-top off going. Once I finally found directions for it. Turns out to be worth the hefty price I paid for it as its super quiet and working great!

 

[DWhatley]

I am not sure that it matters but you might let some of the Cheato float along the top. If you try floating some of it, journal any differences you see behavior (including none)

 

[KD5054]

I have shrimp that is supposed to be shipped and arrive by Thursday. I hope this is fast enough as with the weekend it was the only option I could find for them. Hence the rush.
I am working on trying to figure out a weekly order set up for Mysid shrimp for the small stage and while working on that I am going to see if I cant start getting some of the glass shrimp that was recommended as the best source for feeding the larger size going in my refugium and perhaps a few in my main tank as there is nothing in there.
The eggs have not yet hatched-is there a reference of how long they take to hatch?
But I have the one little guy who came as a surprise that I hope I can get food for him in time. He seems fairly active moving around a bit. I have different size copepods in there for him and some small things. Not a ton as I don't want to make him feel scared but hopefully enough for him to hold out until Thursday.

 

[DWhatley]

Typically, the eggs tend to get a little more transparent as hatching nears. However, it is likely these are all from the same clutch so anything goes.

It is not unusual for hatchlings to not appear to eat for a couple of days so I suspect you are good. A big concern would have been if the hatchling still had a yolk sack attached but your first little guy seems to have fully incubated.

 

[KD5054]

So far I've hatched 3 out of 4 cuttlefish and they are all appearing to be doing well. I've been adding a few mysid shrimp every day for them. Though I've never seen them eat the shrimp seem to be dissapearing. So hopeful there.
What are thoughts/recommendation on doing a water change?- should I do a normal one on my large tank that the nursery pulls water from or should I do less of a water change?

 

[DWhatley]

How big is the main tank and how heavily populated/fed? Anecdotal evidence suggests that octopus hatchlings are extremely sensitive to slight water parameter changes but I don't know if the same holds true (I am thinking not) with cuttles. Maybe do a half change or even 2 half changes, splitting the full change over a week?

 

[KD5054]

It's a 30 gallon main tank with a refugium that is probably just another 1 or 2 gallons.

 

[DWhatley]

With the main display being that small, I would make any water changes VERY small at any given time. As I mentioned, this may not be a major concern with cuttles and you don't want to let the quality slide but minimizing changes to salt and PH would be my concern with octos.