Just released 4 cuttlefish into their reef. video inside

[corpusse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqGKcQsFtX4

The first 4 are in the tank. They are 2-3" I didn't bother measuring them first. They were moved from their nursery to a larger breeder net in the tank for a few days first to help with acclimation. This way if any do die I know it's not a result of acclimation.

I'm going to add 4 more to the net tomorrow and in a few more days release those as well. They all inked like crazy. Mostly because I moved them by hand. Cuttlefish don't like being picked up So the water is cloudy and 3 ran for cover leaving only one to explore it's new home.

I'll get some more video in the coming days but the HD quality of my little camcorder is pretty good.

[fiorano]

Buddy...that's nuts! Where do you get cuttlefish?

[George]

I think he breeds them.

[TJSlayer]

Pretty cool, I have lways been intrigued by those, wonder if theyare hard to keep, or how long they live....

[Leah]

Very cool. Can't wait to see more.

[corpusse]

Originally Posted by TJSlayer

Pretty cool, I have lways been intrigued by those, wonder if theyare hard to keep, or how long they live....

I hatch them from eggs.

The hatchlings have to be fed live mysids. It's expensive but keeping the mysids from eating each other is probably harder then keeping the cuttlefish alive.

Once they get bigger they can eat pods, then shore / ghost shrimp. Then finally frozen shrimp. I also did mix in some pe mysis at times as long as it was in motion they would strike.

Now they primarily eat a mix of live ghost shrimp and grocery store shrimp off a stick. It takes some coaxing but they will eat off a stick.

They live approximately 12-14 months which is a big reason why they are thought of as hard to keep. They simply don't live very long.