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Science Research project

YES!!!! I have kept a saltwater tank before as stated in the intro. I will attach a picture of it. I cycled my tank with live rock and live sand so I am not familiar with any other cycling methods. I was not looking to breed the ghost shrimp as they are $0.15 per shrimp and I thought this would work better with my budget than mysis would. When I was talking to the people at That fish place, they said when they raise cuttles, they put them in the refugiums of one of their larger tanks and they would survive on the copepods and amphipods living in there should I start of buying some pods and feed them that first and then switch to the gut-loaded ghost shrimp?
Thanks
~Sean
 

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Ok, thanks. Sorry I haven't replied in a while as it is exam week and I have been studying quite a lot, this weekend, I should be able to get the tanks and start washing them with the vinegar and getting the filters and substrate, should I start the cuttles on copepods/ amphipods/ triggerpods when I first get them and after a while start giving them the gut loaded ghost shrimp? How did the cyclop-eeze work for you?
Thanks
~Sean
 
I used FROZEN (NOT dehydrated) Cyclop-eeze (the brand name) IN CONJUNCTION with mysis for the first month, then some tiny red Hawaiian shrimp and then shore shrimp (their current diet). I do think it is key to feed them at least 2 and possibly 3 times a day over the first month and then twice a day until they leave live food in their breeder container.

You may be able to find some very tiny shore shrimp from a new vendor I am trying but I don't know much about the life cycle of these shrimp (ie when the very small ones are common). His website is no active yet buy you can contact him through his eBay auctions to ask about availability of tiny shrimp. The small ones should be much cheaper than the Hawaiian. I also got some tiny crabs from him and am experimenting but so far they have not shown an interest in the one in the net. This is Kevin's current auction. Note the ask a question at the bottom. He is excellent with communications and can modify orders to suit needs.
 
Hello,
I got the tanks! I have cleaned them with vinegar to kill any of the bacteria left behind from the turtles and then I gave each tank to rinses with water to remove any excess vinegar to prevent it from killing anything that I would put in the tanks. You will have to let me know how the well the cuttles accept the crabs. I am trying to make my project as inexpensive as possible so I will be getting the shrimp from a LFS as I have seen the shrimp price range from $.15-$.39. On the big tank, there is a mirror instead of a clear backing, will this cause any issues for the cuttles? Will they try to attack the side of the tank or am I just thinking too much about the mirr
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Hello,
Its been a while. I have everything set up but of course there is yet another roadblock. Blue zoo aquatics has ran out of cuttlefish for me to purchase and I can't find any other place that will sell either cuttles or the eggs.
I have tried to contact them but for some reason I can't get anything but an answering machine so if anyone knows where I might be able to purchase a few speia bandensis?
Thanks!
~Sean
 
The two most common places are Nyaquatic and Blue Zoo (Blue Zoo being the newest and possibly the best) but both seem to be out so I would monitor them daily (high chance they use a common wholesaler since they seem to have them at the same time). With O. briareus, we see a major spawning period with young ones in the early spring even though they do produce offspring throughout the year. This may be true of bandensis as well and if so, the spring also seems to be the hight time.

I checked with Live Aquaria as well and was shocked, delighted and price terrified that they are showing aquacultured officinalis (out of stock though and a good thing, I can't afford them and I intend to put the bandensis in the only tank that might work for one :biggrin2:). LA is trying to develop a cuttlefish aquaculture program and the animals are pricey but if you can get them already eating frozen, the price is well worth it unless you catch your own mysis. Unfortunately, it does not appear they have any cuttle species ATM.

I've not used Paradise Pets but at least one member has successfully ordered from them in the past. They are showing eggs available but note in the reference thread that they are hard to communicate with.
 
Hello,
I got my cuttlefish eggs in today and I am wondering how to tell if they are dead or alive, I will post pics when I have a chance, I'm off to my job at the national aquarium.
Thanks for the help, by the way I got then from blue zoo aquatics
~Sean
 
Not really, they look the same as when they came in but blue zoo aquatics did send me another shipment of eggs due to FedEx's screw up. I will attach a couple photos.
~Sean
 

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