Cuttlefish equipment opinions

[eleet]

Hey guys,
Starting to order stuff for the 150g and wanted some opinions on equipment. The plan is softies and cuttlefish. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Tank:
48x24x30
Stand:
I'll be making out of wood unless I can find a local welder.
Sump:
Modded 40 breeder, or the lifereef I have sitting in the garage.
Lights:
2 16" sb
Return:
Jebao dct 1200
Skimmer:
Undecided, probably deltec
Overflow:
Either custom ctc, synergy, or glass holes. I have a glass holes 1500gph, and a 16" synergy ghost, so I could use either.

I'll be sealing the old overflow while I reseal the tank. The plan is 4 return outlets and a manifold for the skimmer and reactors should I need them down the line. I do not want any powerheads or wave makers in the display to suck up the little creatures.

Thanks guys!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hey guys,
Starting to order stuff for the 150g and wanted some opinions on equipment. The plan is softies and cuttlefish. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Tank:
48x24x30
Stand:
I'll be making out of wood unless I can find a local welder.
Sump:
Modded 40 breeder, or the lifereef I have sitting in the garage.
Lights:
2 16" sb
Return:
Jebao dct 1200
Skimmer:
Undecided, probably deltec
Overflow:
Either custom ctc, synergy, or glass holes. I have a glass holes 1500gph, and a 16" synergy ghost, so I could use either.

I'll be sealing the old overflow while I reseal the tank. The plan is 4 return outlets and a manifold for the skimmer and reactors should I need them down the line. I do not want any powerheads or wave makers in the display to suck up the little creatures.

Thanks guys!

look at closed loop systems. uses the power of the return pump to create flow , it does use a higher turnover so you need to rate the overflow(S) and plumbing accordingly and get a bigger pump. imo
@mcarroll what kind of turnover would this be..

 

[spinycheek]

Have a good skimmer and cover up any intakes. All in all, I think they're pretty easy but they produce a lot of waste and aren't very smart around intakes.

 

[mcarroll]

Corals and cuttlefish sounds like an extra challenge – cephalopods are definitely outside my experience zone.

Have you kept a dedicated cuttlefish aquarium (successfully) in the past?

Aren't they sub-tropical so you have to keep the tank cooler too?

I do not want any powerheads or wave makers in the display to suck up the little creatures.

Powerheads are by far your best bet in this scenario vs a closed loop. Without an undue number of holes in the tank for closed-loop intakes, critters getting caught will be far worse than with any powerhead I'd care to suggest.

I'm not sure if a normal drain box would be OK, but it's hard to flow enough water through one (or two) to supply the flow for a reef.

You isolate the powerheads inside your live rock structure using these:

The powerhead mounts right into the hole. and the suction side is within your rocks.

 

[Lonny]

That's awesome! I love cuttlefish. Can't wait to see pics! Following along, good luck

 

[eleet]

Those are great! I am thinking cl would be too many holes. Yes to sub tropic, and they do fine with corals as long as there aren't a ton that sting.

Both the overflows I already have are rated for 1500 gph. I could also do bean animal with a custom ctc box and double it. I'm aiming for 10x turnover at the minimum. Refugium will be separate, so I can force a ton of flow through the sump. I'm honestly far more likely to get carried away and have too much flow, than not enough. Turnover in my cube is somewhere around 40x

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Turnover in my cube is somewhere around 40x

WHAAAA??

lol. then you get it. closed loop doesnt need to be more holes. just more inlets, larger return plumbing so the flow and turbulence comes from the single pump.
look into sea swirls too.

 

[stunreefer]

Looks like a solid plan to me :)

Here's an article I wrote on keeping them in January '15. Lots of links to articles therein by the O.G. master of cephs @Thales, among others.

Quick takeaways:

• "Stinging" corals aren't much of a concern, if at all. Not sure where this originated from.
• I used a Vortech at ~80% power with the foam cover on it without issues.
• Research annual food cost. It's incredibly expensive.
• Start with juveniles, I do not recommend babies.
• Senescence is devastating, be prepared.
• Enjoy! They're absolutely fascinating animals.

 

[eleet]

WHAAAA??

lol. then you get it. closed loop doesnt need to be more holes. just more inlets, larger return plumbing so the flow and turbulence comes from the single pump.
look into sea swirls too.

Haha what can I say? I dig it when the waves crest.

 

[eleet]

Looks like a solid plan to me :)

Here's an article I wrote on keeping them in January '15. Lots of links to articles therein by the O.G. master of cephs @Thales, among others.

Quick takeaways:

• "Stinging" corals aren't much of a concern, if at all. Not sure where this originated from.
• I used a Vortech at ~80% power with the foam cover on it without issues.
• Research annual food cost. It's incredibly expensive.
• Start with juveniles, I do not recommend babies.
• Senescence is devastating, be prepared.
• Enjoy! They're absolutely fascinating animals.

Thank you! I've been researching cephalopods for years. Somewhere over 5. That's really.
Great to know about the corals and the vortex. My main tank is sps dominant, and I have a deep love of softies, so it seems like a good idea. I just want Xenia everywhere. I've already found a few live food sources, and once they get big enough, if I can't get them eating frozen, my local fish market will order me in live shore crabs, which will save me the cost of shipping. That was the very first thing I looked at. No sense in doing anything if I can't feed the little critters. When the tank is ready, I was planning for juveniles if I can find them. I've heard shipping is really rough on the, tho. If I can't find juveniles, I'll get a bunch of eggs. I've raised killifish for years, so I am quite good at frequent live feedings and oodles of water changes.
And is there any way to really prepare for senescence? I think it's going to e devastating reguardless.

 

[spinycheek]

I trained mine to eat frozen stuff, so although I initially started with live shrimp, the food cost dropped off substantially as soon as I switched to frozen. I would still throw in the occasional live shrimp or crab for enrichment.

 

[stunreefer]

I've heard shipping is really rough on the, tho. If I can't find juveniles, I'll get a bunch of eggs.

Unfortunately, many cephs are brought in by people who shouldn't be dealing with them. They're not terribly expensive, so many retailers treat them as such (read: rough). I highly suggest ReefGen captive bred cuttles. They adapt very well, ship great, and any retailer can get them. If you need assistance shoot me a message.

The issue with eggs is stepping up their live food source. Bringing in baby mysids is very expensive.

And is there any way to really prepare for senescence? I think it's going to e devastating reguardless.

Nope, not really. Just ease your mind into it. Be ready for symptoms around the nine-month mark. By then they'll have produced loads of eggs (if you have a pair) so you could in turn raise those too :)

 

[Lonny]

I don't know anything about these animals, but I'm really interested. What is senescence?

 

[Lonny]

Never mind. Thanks Google lol.

 

[stunreefer]

What is senescence?

From this article:

An Awful Truth

Dwarf cuttlefish only live about a year. What makes this short lifespan even worse is how many cephalopods die: They go into what is called senescence. During senescence, the cephalopod essentially wastes away. They become listless and their eyesight and coordination start to fail, causing them to have difficulty hunting or even accepting food placed directly into their arms. Sometimes their arms and body will begin to rot in place. I have seen hermit crabs feeding off still-living Sepia bandensiswhile the cuttlefish does nothing, showing no signs that it is even aware of what is happening.

In the wild, a cuttlefish going through senescence doesn’t last long, as it is quickly eaten by other animals. In captivity, however, with careful feeding by the aquarist, it is possible for such a cuttlefish to linger for months while slowly declining. I bring this up because it is important to be ready for this aspect of keeping a cuttlefish, and to drive home the point that captive breeding of these animals is important. If you captive breed them, it seems to somehow make the short life of the animal feel less tragic and more meaningful.

 

[Lonny]

Wow I had no idea. Thanks for the info!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Cool info!