Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

Hi guys/gals I'm new to the forum.

You might want to check out the following site for the National Resource Center for Cephalopods (NRCC) if your intersted in cuttlefish or octopi. It is quite informative and has many links to other sites.

http://www.nrcc.utmb.edu/

Years ago when I worked at an aquarium I had the pleasure of working with John Forsythe of the NRCC to aquire several specimens of the European Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) for display purposes. They have been breeding and rearing several species of cephalopods for many years now at the NRCC. They provide specimens to other reaserch/teaching facilities as well as public aquariums but they do not provide to private businesses or to induviduals. :cry:

European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) require large homes as the grow to about one foot in length. Their aquarium should be dedicated solely to them as they are incredibly aggressive predators with an almost insatiable appetite! They will tackle fish larger than themselves and are even prone to eating one another if insufficient food is provided!

I found them to posses an almost "alien intelligence" which I found truly fascinating when you concider the fact that these animals are actually invertebrates. They "communicate" with one another utilizing several different methods. Firstly the use thier chromatiphores (pigment cells) to display a wide variety of patterns and color tones. I have observed on many occasions, that while stalking prey they will use multiple alternating bands of dark and light moving down their bodies at high speed mimicking the glitter lines produced by the overhead lighting. They turn almost white when frightened and display a "zebra" pattern when angry or mating. They are able change the texture of their skin from smooth to something that looks like it was macrame'd by your grandmother, in the wink of an eye. In addition to all of this they contort their tentacles into a variety of shapes when displaying to one another.

Once while I was in the aquarium in London, England I came upon a tank containing several of these beauties. They were all showing signs of being distressed (white in color with very rough skin texture and hugging the bottom at the back of the tank) as several children were pounding the glass of their tank trying to get them to do something. :evil: I quickly shot an angry look at their parents and the offending brats were reeled in promptly. After they left, I observed them for several minutes, but they did not show any sign of activity. I then remembered that while I had kept them, that it was possible to interact with them by using your fingers to mimic a territorial display they make with their tentacles. All one has to
do is place your fingers and thumb all together in a bunch and point them at the cuttlefish. Move them slowly from side to side until they notice them ( they are acutely aware of everything around them) and pop your index finger and next finger over, straight up like a peace sign. I had only done this with the cuttlefish I had kept myself, and was overjoyed to see the reaction of these sorry looking individuals when I tried it on them.
Instantly the color returned to their skin and all three of them rushed the front glass and used their tentacles to make the territorial display!!! They then carried on as normal after that, displaying to one another, reestablishing their individual territories and swimming normally. I left wishing I could rescue these animals from those circumstances.

Alas these are some of the shortest lived animals around. From the time they hatch to the time they die is only one to two years maximum!

I will always consider myself very fortunate to have been able to work with these wonderful creatures. I would recommend them to anyone that can secure captive raised specimens as most wholesalers shipping them haven't a clue about how to ship them successfully. I would also recommend that you are prepared to provide them with an adequate habitat ( 72"L x 18"W or 48"L x 24"W MINIMUM!)

Cheers all!

Tsunami