Breeding Journal, Species: [Sepia bandensis]

General
Species:  Sepia bandensis
Social Structure:  Pairs or groups. 2 males (one smaller) to 4 females. Trio MFF work well also
Size of Individuals:  2-4 inches
Age of Individuals:  Start mating at 5 months old
Date added to Tank:  This report is the conglomeration of many breedings and breeding attempts. The articles listed below chronicle the events. I started working with these guys in 2003/4 with little success, but have since closed the lifecycle. Currently I maintain a breeding population at the Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences.

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  120 gallons (48x24x24)
Substrate Details:  Fine and coarse coral gravel and sand
Filtration Details:  Filter socks, protein skimmers, RDSB, GFO and GAC in BRS reactor
Water Changes:  20% monthly
Water Temperature:  76/80 F
Lighting:  250 14000k ushio MH
Lighting Cycle:  7-9am, moonlights, 9am-4pm MH, 4-8pm moonlights
Other Tank Inhabitants:  LPS corals, leather corals, clean up crew

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Saltwater grass shirmp (Crangnon sp.), FW ghost shrimp, feeder fish on rare occasions.
Feeding Schedule:  Once or twice per day.

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  4/14/04 
Spawn Time of Day:  Morning
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  Once they begin mating they will do it regularly for several months
Courtship Details:  Male abruptly grabs female and mates with her, head to head. Mating lasts for only a few minutes. 
Egg Size:  1/4 to half inch
Egg Color:  Prupley black
Egg Count:  A clutch can range anywhere from a few eggs to over 100

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  First - 5/2/04
Hatch Time of Day:  Usually at night
# Days after Spawn:  3-5 weeks
Larvae Description:  Direct development. Eggs hatch as mini adults


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  76/80
Size of Larval Tank:  Small. Either a netbreeder or a 5 gallon 'nursery' tank plumbed into larger system. This is to keep track of hatchings and keep them in close proximity to food.
Substrate Details:  Fine sand
Other Tank Decor:  Macro algae
Filtration Details: Filter socks, protein skimmers, RDSB, GFO and GAC in BRS reactor 
Lighting:  Natural sunlight and random room lights
Lighting Cycle:  Natural sunlight and random room lights
Water Changes:  20% monthly 

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  Initally feeding with live mysis, then moving onto small amphipods. Hatchlings may not eat, or be seen to eat for days to a week after hatching.
Feeding Schedule:  2-3 times daily

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  5/2/2004
Days after Hatch:  0
Date of Settlement End:  5/2/2004
Description of Fry:  Miniature versions of adults

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  Same as broodstock
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  Small. Either a netbreeder or a 5 gallon 'nursery' tank plumbed into larger system. This is to keep track of hatchings and keep them in close proximity to food.
Substrate Details:  Fine sand
Other Tank Decor:  Macro algae
Filtration Details:  Filter socks, protein skimmers, RDSB, GFO and GAC in BRS reactor 
Lighting:  Natural sunlight and random room lights 
Lighting Cycle:  Natural sunlight and random room lights  
Water Changes:  20% monthly 
Size at Transfer:  n/a
Age at Transfer:  n/a

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: live mysis, wean onto frozen mysis, small ghost shrimp, small crabs, then onto Crangnon sp. (saltwater grass shrimp)
Feeding Schedule: Twice a day until on Crangnon sp. (saltwater grass shrimp)

Additional Information
Miscellaneous Information: 
I think I am going to go for a first award on these. The tough part is combining the historical information with current methodology. When I started we didn't know what we were doing, now its pretty well understood and straightforward. 
Current breeding thread on TONMO

http://www.tonmo.com/foru...ht=academy+of+sciences

Early log of events

http://www.stickycricket...cuttle/progressold.html

 

First Article:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/9/aafeature

 

2009 TFH article

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/sepia-bandensis.php

 

2010 Drum and Croaker article - most comprehensive and up to date article

http://www.columbuszoo.org/drumcroaker/


You will be required to provide photographic evidence in this thread of each event submitted for the MBI Program.
If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports.

Mating:



Egg laying:


Display tank


Hatchlings


Eggs


 
Interview for public television:
http://youtu.be/uc424QIdLtk
'Behind the scenes' vid that shows hatchling cuttles feeding and inking:
http://youtu.be/IE_n0X2O5Vk
 
 

Awesome Rich!  Any pictures of the older juveniles?

These guys are around 3 months old:
 

 
 
And a link to a newspaper story about breeding S. bandensis at work:
http://www.eurekalert.org...-11/caos-cao111209.php

Nice job, Rich! I'm enjoying the Croaker article, too.

--Andy, the bucket man.
"Not to know the mandolin is to argue oneself unknown...." --Clara Lanza, 1886

Thanks guys!
I really enjoyed doing the Drum and Croaker article - all info, no fluff.
 
 

Young S. bandensis hunting guppies

 

Juvie S. bandensis hunting

 



 

 

 

First video I made of S. bandensis mating . You can see the dividers (with doors) that I used when we had no idea if you could keep these animals together.

 

Super nice! Looks like you were busy this weekend.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Amazing, thanks for sharing.

I originally thought this was mating behavior, but its two males squaring off:



 

An attempt at sexing cuttles:



 

Some 3 weeks olds hunting and eating:

Suffice to say Rich,
Your my hero!

Pelagically yours,
~J      

Okay, Rich, how do I get some eggs to give these guys a try?
 

Rook

If you want eggs, the availability thread on TONMO.com is the way to go.
 
Here is a spermataphore I was able to capture this morning:
 

Rich, why do you wean them onto frozen foods, but then later off onto live SW grass shrimp?

I have been asked what Crangnon is. Crangnon sp are saltwater grass shrimp that I am able to get from a single bait shop in the SF Bay Area. These shrimp are harvested from the bay, and have been pivotal in my raising of cephalopods because they are inexpensive and live food seems to be important for breeding these animals. I think I pay 18 dollars a pound.

So it would seem that if you were feeding them nothing but dead foods, you wouldn't get mating activity out of them?

Live mysis are very expensive and are the first foods, so after they are eating well, getting them onto frozen saves tons of money. As they grow bigger their feed needs change - namely they need larger prey. I could not find an affordable, reliable source of variable sized frozen shrimp, and discovered that live SW grass shrimp were available near me for a very affordable price. It also seems to be the case that I get better spawns and fecundity when feeding live foods. 

Tricky question. They mate on any foods, but the viability of the eggs seems to go up with live foods. Seems is very important as it could be several other factors that impact that viability.

Rich, when you refer to live mysis, do you mean Mysidopsis bahia (Americamysis bahia)?

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

-Adam

 
Mostly. Depends on what the people who are culturing them are culturing. I have have also used a fw local mysid. 

Hatched 4/8/07
Acrylic is 1/4 inch in each photo
4/19/07

 
5/12/07

 
6/20/07

Awesome pics!!  Approx how many have you got to adulthood since you started with this species?

-Adam

Thanks. I would guess over 200, maybe more. 

where's the pix?

See the links in the first post!

Awesome! Congratulations Rich!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)