Flamboyant Cuttlefish / big reef tank

[herbertmt]

Wow! I've never seen anyone with flamboyant eggs! Definitely my dream ceph. I have experience with sepia bandensis as well as octopus briareus. I haven't been on the forums in a long time but are you posting on tonmo? I'm sure they'd love to see this. This is the first hobbiest level breeding of flamboyants I've heard about although since I stopped keeping cephalopods I haven't kept up on the news.}

What temp do you keep the water?
What are you currently feeding the babies?

Congrats you should certainly share your great experience with as many people as possible. I'd love to see more photos and videos of your system. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks man, I haven’t seen anyone with eggs that isn’t Monterey bay before either and very little info around albeit Monterey did a write up a guy on UR found for me yesterday.

Water temp currently 25.0-25.3 just to reduce metabolism - may have to up this slightly for the babies as growth fast is important.

First hatchling was yesterday - tank is full of small amphioods and feeding small brine and mysis, trying to identify what’s best to feed but very early days. Think the main challenge is finding what they’ll eat - feeding the right quantity and then finding a supplier at the moment.

Tank setup is just a rsm 175 with breeding chambers - I suppose after the outlay for the 8ft I couldn’t justify bigger for the three adults I have!

 

[andrewkw]

Is it easy for you to obtain things like mysis? The biggest reason why I stopped keeping Sepia Bandensis was in Canada it's so expensive to get live foods. I had to get them shipped from the US overnight. There were often issues with them clearing customs ect. I know you are basically in the middle of the UK, but it may be worth it for you to take a weekend trip to the ocean and see what microfauna you can net out?

 

[herbertmt]

Is it easy for you to obtain things like mysis? The biggest reason why I stopped keeping Sepia Bandensis was in Canada it's so expensive to get live foods. I had to get them shipped from the US overnight. There were often issues with them clearing customs ect. I know you are basically in the middle of the UK, but it may be worth it for you to take a weekend trip to the ocean and see what microfauna you can net out?

Getting mysis and river shrimp is no issue here - I'd be more worried about taking something out of UK water, it's a tad disgusting haha

 

[Rispa]

How big are the babies. Could you use the fry of some type of fish to feed them?

 

[herbertmt]

1/4 the size of a fingernail - To be fair Monterey bay state 'Use only live mysis shrimp on hatchlings' Very interesting article (page 60 ish)

http://drumandcroaker.org/pdf/2014.pdf

 

[Armani Garcia]

Hi All,

Wondered if anyone has any advice on rearing baby cuttlefish?

I have around 50 eggs, so far 1 hatchling.

If anyone wants some - please let me know as i can't realistically keep 50!

Oxford UK based

Thanks

HOW MUCH?

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome to R2R, what an awesome thread! Thanks for joining and sharing this with us

 

[herbertmt]

HOW MUCH?

to be fair no idea at this point - would you want eggs / babies / adults?

 

[Armani Garcia]

to be fair no idea at this point - would you want eggs / babies / adults?

Would prefer anything between baby and adult, and do they only eat live food, I have mysis shrimp but frozen

 

[herbertmt]

Photo 28-07-2018, 10 57 44

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 14 26 16

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 18 20 26

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 18 20 19

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Some more photos - Adult on the rockwork
Baby when first hatched
First breeder with sand has the two hatchlings in, note how absolutely tiny they are at the moment!
Second breeder has the first batch of eggs in the coconut to ensure they don't go down filters.

They will only eat live food - baby mysis to 6 weeks, adult mysis 6-10 weeks, river shrimp 10 weeks onwards
You maybe able to wein onto frozen as adults but that wouldn't be an easy task! I''d suggest getting some when they're on small river shrimp unless you're prepared to invest the time to learn about them properly first!

To put that in perspective - i can actually tell when the adults are hungry - they have a docile state which is the picture of the adult (brown with a small amount of colour), threatened and threatening behaviour is completely different and they will start walking round and pulsing certain colours when hunrgry.

Amazing creatures really.

 

[Armani Garcia]

Photo 28-07-2018, 10 57 44

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 14 26 16

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 18 20 26

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Photo 28-07-2018, 18 20 19

• herbertmt
• Jul 28, 2018

Some more photos - Adult on the rockwork
Baby when first hatched
First breeder with sand has the two hatchlings in, note how absolutely tiny they are at the moment!
Second breeder has the first batch of eggs in the coconut to ensure they don't go down filters.

They will only eat live food - baby mysis to 6 weeks, adult mysis 6-10 weeks, river shrimp 10 weeks onwards
You maybe able to wein onto frozen as adults but that wouldn't be an easy task! I''d suggest getting some when they're on small river shrimp unless you're prepared to invest the time to learn about them properly first!

To put that in perspective - i can actually tell when the adults are hungry - they have a docile state which is the picture of the adult (brown with a small amount of colour), threatened and threatening behaviour is completely different and they will start walking round and pulsing certain colours when hunrgry.

Amazing creatures really.

I can’t see the pictures
just a link

 

[herbertmt]

I can’t see the pictures
just a link

Really? Links / pictures showing for me? If not i'll ask a mod..

 

[Rispa]

Really? Links / pictures showing for me? If not i'll ask a mod..

I can see them. So cool! My tank room just got tiled. If raising live food turns out well I'll look into this more

 

[Thomashtom]

I will get in touch - food i think is the only real issue!

Hi Herbert , I would do the research into shipping if you be willing to ship eggs to the states. I saw your post on Tonmo also. I had them and they were the most amazing creatures that I have ever had. Let me know . Thanks Tom

 

[herbertmt]

Hi Herbert , I would do the research into shipping if you be willing to ship eggs to the states. I saw your post on Tonmo also. I had them and they were the most amazing creatures that I have ever had. Let me know . Thanks Tom

Hi Tom,

Sure - I mean it’s risky (delicate eggs, delicate removal and need to be shipped quickly)

Happy to try. The hatch rate is literally one per day at the moment but 28 days is max incubation and 19 days is average according to Monterey..

Let me know

 

[herbertmt]

In other news..

3rd baby today, other two seem more ‘normal’ this morning too!

 

[BluTang85]

Hello, and welcome to Reef2reef! Very cool thanks for sharing.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R !!!

 

[cracker]

My hat is off to You sir ! That is amazing work . It's People like You who are learning how to breed & raise the beautiful creatures in our seas.

 

[Cyked1]

Welcome to R2R.