WC bandensis eggs!

[Thales]

Lost one of the old men. Same deal as the one above with the gapping above the head. The one I have left still seems pretty robust.

 

[Nancy]

Sorry for your loss. They must be pretty old by now - can you estimate the age?

Nancy

 

[Thales]

About 15 months! The one is left, but I think he is going down. He hasn't been interested in food in about a week.

 

[Thales]

Lost the last one just now. I took some pics of the cuttle bone pulling away from the mantle (ecch) about 10 minutes ago. When I went in just now, the tank was very inked.

 

[monty]

RIP

 

[Opcn]

I wonder what would happen if you ran some mono filament through a young adult to hold it to its cuttle bone better, perhaps being held to its cuttle bone more firmly would help an aging cuttle to hunt more effectively and easily and allow it to live a longer time.

 

[cuttlegirl]

I wonder what would happen if you ran some mono filament through a young adult to hold it to its cuttle bone better, perhaps being held to its cuttle bone more firmly would help an aging cuttle to hunt more effectively and easily and allow it to live a longer time.

To what part of its body would the monofilament be attached?

I think the reason the cuttlebone is "pulling" away from the mantle is that the cuttlefish is losing its ability to regulate its buoyancy. If the cuttlebone became positively buoyant, especially near the anterior part of the cuttlebone (which is the newest part of the cuttlebone), the cuttlebone would pull upwards, creating a gap in the mantle.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Lost the last one just now. I took some pics of the cuttle bone pulling away from the mantle (ecch) about 10 minutes ago. When I went in just now, the tank was very inked.

RIP little guy, you had a good long life.

 

[DWhatley]

Thales,
How are the new guys from seacrop doing? Winkin is not very interactive and has been recluse enough this last week to concern me until tonight. For whatever reason, he/she is back to watching me from the mouth of its usual den. I attempted to hand feed a live shrimp (well, several little guys are hard to hold onto) and Blinkin drew back into the den but would come back to the edge shortly and didn't ink.

I will be curious to see if Blinkin starts to become more interactive since there seems to be a parallel of timing with my baby mercs. Position of the moon? Age? effects of hot weather and air conditioning? None of the above?

 

[Thales]

Hey D

The 8 are still going strong. I will be moving them from the nursery soon.

I did lose the last of the old men this week. Amazing long life. 16 or 17 months!

Here is a pic of him hours before he died. Note the tissue degradation above the cuttlebone.

 

[gravesly]

Hey D

The 8 are still going strong. I will be moving them from the nursery soon.

I did lose the last of the old men this week. Amazing long life. 16 or 17 months!

Here is a pic of him hours before he died. Note the tissue degradation above the cuttlebone.

I have a rather cold sort of question.
And PLEASE do not think it offensive towards you or the wonderfull creatures you got to reside with.

But it seems to me a horrid way to die.
Litteraly degenerated skin, cuttlebones seperateing from the mantle. ACK!
Would it not be more humane to freeze the poor man?

I am not so knowledgeable when it comes to cuttles, but wow. I feel so bad for the little guy.

Sory if this sounds ignorant or cold.

Just a question to ponder.

 

[Thales]

Not offensive at all, nor an odd question.

Tough question. If I had euthanasia in mind, I would have killed all three of the old men about 4 months ago when they stopped eating for 2 or 3 weeks (they later started eating again). I didn't have euthanasia in mind because we really don't know how long these guys can live in captivity.
Freezing as euthanasia is up in the air as to its cruelty. Its also questionable how much the cephs are actually 'feeling' as they senesce.
This was the first time I actually saw any degeneration of skin under the mantle, although I have seen the separation in the past, and you only see the separation within a day or two of death.
Might it be better to euthanize them when they get old? Maybe.

 

[DWhatley]

Euthanasia is a difficult topic. Personally, have found that I won't (by found I mean when the situation is there I can't make myself) but I don't disagree with those that do. What I do have problems with is the accepted use of freezing. Unlike a land creature, a marine animal is likely to die of suffication before it just goes to sleep and that gives me nightmares.

 

[gravesly]

Thanks for the info and seeing that I was not trying to be offensive Thales.
I had a HUGE moral stumbeling block when my first Octo Creepers
had spawned, died, and then to watch hopelessly while all the many hundreds of young
perished as well.
I sound like a hippy, I know.. but I value quality of life over quantity. If that
makes sence. I am also one of those people who euthanise my wonderfull
companion animals rather than see them suffer.
Which, for me, is a horrid conundrum!
Oh, and where on earth did you get the song on the video of the angler eating?
I ahve been looking for that for AGES!
Though I rather enjoy the Warner Brothers version.

Dwhatley,
the dificulty in euthanasia is in no way lost on me.
In fact, I have struggled with it in the past with some of my dearest companion cats.
I willnever, for a moment, forget those moments. But I believe that no matter how much I may hurt for it,
my dearest friends were relieved of their pain and suffering.
Though the suffocation/freezeing debate is a new one to me.
Is it a question of water volume?
It is a rather disturbing idea...

 

[Thales]

That music is by Raymond Scott, its called powerhouse.