Dwarf cuttlefish hatchlings reaching two months milestone!

[zzyz]

Try 1st thing when you start to feed, when hungry they will strike in reflex, it's like you fool them. Drop one or two feeders in, then try again. If you feed on somewhat of a schedule, it's like they have an internal clock, they'll be waiting for you. Next thing you know you can just drop chunks in for them to take. If it hits the bottom before one of them hits and they are stalking it, flick it up with feeding stick to make movement. I treated them like all my other preds, I'm a strong believer in feeding live foods. Really, what;s the fun in having cuttles, if not for the hunt. I just feed dead food to help with my food budget.

Thank you lion king. I summarize in bullet points below:
1. make them hungry
2. good timing based on feeding schedule
3. flick food, make movement

Although I'm a strong believer in feeding live food too, a thousand bucks per month for cuttlefish food alone is really financially demanding. I'll try frozen food for a few days and see if I can succeed in controlling my budget.

 

[lion king]

Thank you lion king. I summarize in bullet points below:
1. make them hungry
2. good timing based on feeding schedule
3. flick food, make movement

Although I'm a strong believer in feeding live food too, a thousand bucks per month for cuttlefish food alone is really financially demanding. I'll try frozen food for a few days and see if I can succeed in controlling my budget.

Also make sure what you are trying to feed them is not too large, same size as what they are eating live. Another trick: start with dead versions of what you are feeding live. Fresh dead shrimp, etc.

 

[zzyz]

Also make sure what you are trying to feed them is not too large, same size as what they are eating live. Another trick: start with dead versions of what you are feeding live. Fresh dead shrimp, etc.

Thank you lion king! Yes, they eat dead shore shrimps, but when I cut prawns into pieces about the same size as shore shrimps, they were not interested. I have to keep on trying.

 

[plankton]

Great thread as I love cuttlefish. Is the life expectancy of the dwarf different than other species? Eg longer than 6 mo to a year?

 

[zzyz]

Great thread as I love cuttlefish. Is the life expectancy of the dwarf different than other species? Eg longer than 6 mo to a year?

Thank you plankton. My dwarf cuttlefish are now two months old and have reached 1 inch in length. Studies say that they can reach 3 inches and a life expectancy of roughly 1 year. Larger species are said to have a longer life expectancy.

 

[lion king]

Thank you lion king! Yes, they eat dead shore shrimps, but when I cut prawns into pieces about the same size as shore shrimps, they were not interested. I have to keep on trying.

Attach the dead shore shrimp to a feeding stick as I described, or tongs if you prefer. After they recognize the dead shore shrimp as what they eat and also relate to the feeding stick, switch out the food. Try feeding all dead shrimp using the stick exclusively for a couple of feedings. If you have an asian market, they may carry what my market calls "tiny shrimp"(krill), in the frozen section. They are whole and opaque in color and very cheap. I usually dont reccommend feeding too much krill but these guys lifespan is so short it doesnt matter.

 

[zzyz]

Attach the dead shore shrimp to a feeding stick as I described, or tongs if you prefer. After they recognize the dead shore shrimp as what they eat and also relate to the feeding stick, switch out the food. Try feeding all dead shrimp using the stick exclusively for a couple of feedings. If you have an asian market, they may carry what my market calls "tiny shrimp"(krill), in the frozen section. They are whole and opaque in color and very cheap. I usually dont reccommend feeding too much krill but these guys lifespan is so short it doesnt matter.

Amazing idea! So the point is to associate feeding stick / schedule with FOOD, starting from real and then to fake. We have Hikari frozen krills available on the market but they don't look like shrimps. Maybe next time I try to slice prawns better to make them look more real. Thank you for all these great tips!

 

[lion king]

We have asian markets out here called Ranch Market. Here is the krill I get from them they call tiny shrimp, in the frozen section with other shrimp. A 6oz flat pack is $4. If you try the Hikari brand, pick out more full sections that you can simulate live,

 

[KingTideCorals]

Amazing really love korky livestock! How radical

 

[zzyz]

We have asian markets out here called Ranch Market. Here is the krill I get from them they call tiny shrimp, in the frozen section with other shrimp. A 6oz flat pack is $4. If you try the Hikari brand, pick out more full sections that you can simulate live,

Thank you again! This picture reminds me of similar stocks available in our wet markets. I believe they are salt water shrimps. But the Chinese label in the picture tells they are fresh water species.

 

[lion king]

Thank you again! This picture reminds me of similar stocks available in our wet markets. I believe they are salt water shrimps. But the Chinese label in the picture tells they are fresh water species.

The fresh water/ salt water thing is mostly misunderstood and perpetuated by people who don't know what they are talking about; and have never successfully kept any predatory fish.

These ghost/grass shrimp are mostly the same species that live in fresh, brackish, and saltwater; the same species. There is a marine only shrimp that is a cousin to these same shrimp. The ghost shrimp that is mostly available is kept in fresh water because they travel better, live longer, and are less expensive and less time consuming to keep that way. Especially if gut loaded the nutritional value of these shrimp is perfect. I have fed dozens of preds these as a major part of their diet. Have had many years success while the people that say "oh no fresh water"; cant keep a fuzzy alive for a year.

For a fish that has a lifespan of about a year, you will not need to be concerned over fresh vs salt. Mollies are a similar arguement that is also led from people that dont know what they are talking about. Mollies live and breed in water as high as 1.017 sg in the wild and have a similar fat and protein structure as salt water fish.

 

[zzyz]

The fresh water/ salt water thing is mostly misunderstood and perpetuated by people who don't know what they are talking about; and have never successfully kept any predatory fish.

These ghost/grass shrimp are mostly the same species that live in fresh, brackish, and saltwater; the same species. There is a marine only shrimp that is a cousin to these same shrimp. The ghost shrimp that is mostly available is kept in fresh water because they travel better, live longer, and are less expensive and less time consuming to keep that way. Especially if gut loaded the nutritional value of these shrimp is perfect. I have fed dozens of preds these as a major part of their diet. Have had many years success while the people that say "oh no fresh water"; cant keep a fuzzy alive for a year.

For a fish that has a lifespan of about a year, you will not need to be concerned over fresh vs salt. Mollies are a similar arguement that is also led from people that dont know what they are talking about. Mollies live and breed in water as high as 1.017 sg in the wild and have a similar fat and protein structure as salt water fish.

I once fed a cuttle with cherry shrimps that caused it to lose buoyancy. Cherry shrimps (usually fresh water) and shore shrimps (usually salt water) can both live in brackish water but the major observable difference is their larvae. Baby shore shrimps are in free float form while baby cherry shrimps are already in adult form upon their birth. I wonder if their genes are significantly different that lead to difference in synthesis of nutritional requisites.

 

[Mr_Knightley]

This is an amazing thread! Cuttlefish have always been a big dream for me, sadly I haven't the space for them right now or I would have tried them out years ago! I'll be following this thread.

 

[zzyz]

This is an amazing thread! Cuttlefish have always been a big dream for me, sadly I haven't the space for them right now or I would have tried them out years ago! I'll be following this thread.

Thank you Me_knightley. You can put the hatchlings in breeder box to save space and return them to ocean when they grow up.

 

[lion king]

I once fed a cuttle with cherry shrimps that caused it to lose buoyancy. Cherry shrimps (usually fresh water) and shore shrimps (usually salt water) can both live in brackish water but the major observable difference is their larvae. Baby shore shrimps are in free float form while baby cherry shrimps are already in adult form upon their birth. I wonder if their genes are significantly different that lead to difference in synthesis of nutritional requisites.

Interesting about the cherry shrimp, good to know, I get questions about these all the time,because they are so easy to breed.

I have used ghosties for more than 20 years. I just had a tank poisoning that killed 3 of my lions that I had fof more than 8 years. Their diet was mainly ghosties and mollies. I dissected them and found nice freshly colored livers and very little fat deposit. The fu manchu was so old her ovaries were conpletely shriveled. Their lifespan in the wild is 10 to 15 years. I have kept lions over 10 years on that diet.

 

[laverda]

Great info you guys are sharing. I see that reefgen lists two types of cuttlefish and grass shrimp on their site. Sadly they only sell wholesale to public aquariums and LFS. At least your LFS should be able to order for you.

 

[zzyz]

Interesting about the cherry shrimp, good to know, I get questions about these all the time,because they are so easy to breed.

I have used ghosties for more than 20 years. I just had a tank poisoning that killed 3 of my lions that I had fof more than 8 years. Their diet was mainly ghosties and mollies. I dissected them and found nice freshly colored livers and very little fat deposit. The fu manchu was so old her ovaries were conpletely shriveled. Their lifespan in the wild is 10 to 15 years. I have kept lions over 10 years on that diet.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. They have accompanied you for so long. Lions are fantastic fish I wish to own, but regrettably not suitable for my current setup full of small fishes and corals.

My hypothesis is that cuttlefish need certain nutritional requisites that cherry shrimps cannot offer. But I'm not sure if cherries are in a different genus than ghosts as their larvae are born in different forms.

 

[lion king]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. They have accompanied you for so long. Lions are fantastic fish I wish to own, but regrettably not suitable for my current setup full of small fishes and corals.

My hypothesis is that cuttlefish need certain nutritional requisites that cherry shrimps cannot offer. But I'm not sure if cherries are in a different genus than ghosts as their larvae are born in different forms.

This is the genus of shrimp that encompass the grass shrimp and the ghost shrimp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaemonetes
The ones I get is Palaemonetes paludosus from a source raised in slightly brackish pools in Fl.
The cherry shrimp is Neocaridina davidi, a completely different species. I always told people that asked about feeding their preds that it wasn't worth it because of their small size, they would never be able to keep up with the demand. Didn't know that much about the nutritional value, but as you stated, it probably isn't a good idea.

 

[zzyz]

This is the genus of shrimp that encompass the grass shrimp and the ghost shrimp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaemonetes
The ones I get is Palaemonetes paludosus from a source raised in slightly brackish pools in Fl.
The cherry shrimp is Neocaridina davidi, a completely different species. I always told people that asked about feeding their preds that it wasn't worth it because of their small size, they would never be able to keep up with the demand. Didn't know that much about the nutritional value, but as you stated, it probably isn't a good idea.

Thank you for providing the references and confirming that they are different. I haven't tried mollies, but cuttles like gobbies too. Mollies are cheaper alternatives as there are plenty of supply on the market. I caught gobbies near the coast at night while they were less active than in the day. If I run out gobby stocks, I shall try mollies too.

 

[lefkonj]

a few decades ago I tried to keep a small octopus, lasted about 2 months then it stopped eating. Would really like to try another one or a cuttlefish.