Anyone with Cuddlefish experiences

[laversace]

I ran into the same problem with the large size of the ghost shrimps. I didn't want them to go to waste so I cut them in half which made them less intimidating. This worked quite well since one cuttle would strike at the tail section and another would strike at the head. In nature nothing is wasted, and so my cuttle world will be as well. :amen:

 

[laversace]

Update on my cuttles. The smallest and last to hatch was not able to compete at the feeding frenzies, died because lack of feeding. :sad:

 

[Jeremy S.]

Update on my cuttles. The smallest and last to hatch was not able to compete at the feeding frenzies, died because lack of feeding. :sad:

Sorry to hear that!

Was it due to overcrowding you think?

 

[laversace]

Yes, I believe so. The feeding frenzy is intense. Once the frozen mysis hit the bottom, the feeding strikes are happening very quickly. Even when I try to spot feed the small ones, the larger ones usually win out on that race to the food. I have since separated them by size into two holding tanks.

 

[Jeremy S.]

Yes, I believe so. The feeding frenzy is intense. Once the frozen mysis hit the bottom, the feeding strikes are happening very quickly. Even when I try to spot feed the small ones, the larger ones usually win out on that race to the food. I have since separated them by size into two holding tanks.

What are the dimensions of your holding tanks? I'm considering dividing up a 55gal into 3 seperate tanks, and dividing a 40 gal in half.

 

[laversace]

They are still housed in two 6" X 3" floating hatchery boxes. There are 9 cuttles in each. This way they have the best chances at spotting the frozen mysis and I can conduct individual feeding training when needed. Some cuttles are more discerning about their mysis then others so I separate them out and coax them to feed more aggressively. On my first brood I didn't release them into the main 50 gal display tank until they were about 6 months old when they no longer need the individual feeding attention.

 

[Jeremy S.]

They are still housed in two 6" X 3" floating hatchery boxes. There are 9 cuttles in each. This way they have the best chances at spotting the frozen mysis and I can conduct individual feeding training when needed. Some cuttles are more discerning about their mysis then others so I separate them out and coax them to feed more aggressively. On my first brood I didn't release them into the main 50 gal display tank until they were about 6 months old when they no longer need the individual feeding attention.

So do you think instead of dividing a 55gal into multiple holding areas, I would be better using a shallow tank divided into many more holding areas? Say use a couple of 20gal long and divide it into 4-6 holding areas for just a few, or a single, cuttle per holding area? If I used the 20gal long and divided it, then the cuttles would have more surface area to move around. As compared to a 55gal divided into a few areas which would create large vertical areas, but limit the surface area the cuttles would be able to move. If any of that makes sense....haha

 

[laversace]

In general the more confined the space is the better, for the first few weeks anyways. The amount of separation depends on the amount of cuttles you plan to raise. I have 18 cuttles in two small holding tanks and they appear to be doing well so far. I like the shallow tank idea the best since that would give me clear viewing access, since my eyesight is real poor in my old age. :squigglemouth:

Whatever the setup you decide on, my experience is that it should not be cluttered with any decorative items such as sand, live rock, etc. I started out having just a small clump of chaeto but even this was removed because the cuttles especially when they were younger would just nestle within the chaeto and did not feed well. I surmised that it was because they were not able to view the terrain well and missed many opportunities for feeding strikes. Remember, adequate feeding in the first several weeks is extremely crucial for the viability of the baby cuttles. I wouldn't want to add any other factors that would limit their food intake at each feeding session.

Also, I would not be concern about swimming space since they typically do not swim much at all; instead they prefer to gather on top of each other in a clump. Curiously, they move about by walking on the bottom with their two front tentacles. When they are off the bottom they tend to be floating in one location surveying the area below them for any potential prey target.

 

[Jeremy S.]

Alright I'm going to go with using a shallow tank then. I was considering using a thin layer of live sand and maybe a very small peice of LR in each holding area. Your input has been so helpful to me.

 

[laversace]

I am happy to share my experience. This part of the hobby is still very new and not many hobbyists are willing to put the time and/or the funds to go through the process of raising cuttlefishes. Hopefully, when you start your process, you will be able to add more to the knowledge base of these wonderful and fascinating creatures. I would be interested to hear about your observations on the process. Have fun.

 

[laversace]

Here is the link to a recent clip I made of the cuttles feeding on frozen mysis. They're all now trained on frozen mysis and I don't have to harvest or purchase live food anymore. Although I throw in a occasional ghost shrimp just to see them all jump on it. Enjoy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOpnKGllps

 

[Dowtish]

awesome!