Breeding Journal, Species: Sepia bandensis (Dwarf Cuttlefish)

General
Species:  Sepia bandensis
Social Structure:  Unknown (started with eggs)
Size of Individuals:  Unknown
Age of Individuals:  Unknown
Date added to Tank:  N/A

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  Unknown
Substrate Details:  Unknown
Filtration Details:  Unknown
Water Changes:  Unknown
Water Temperature:  Unknown
Lighting:  Unknown
Lighting Cycle:  Unknown
Other Tank Inhabitants:  Unknown

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Unknown
Feeding Schedule:  Unknown

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  Unknown  (started with eggs)
Spawn Time of Day:  Unknown (started with eggs)
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  3-6-2014 (this is an estimate since eggs were purchased and the actual spawn date is UNKNOWN)
Courtship Details:  Unknown (started with eggs)
Egg Size:  Eggs start smaller (perhaps 1cm across or so?  I don't exactly know yet since I got the eggs after they were laid and time between spawn and arrival to my tank is unknown) and inflate closer to hatch, eventually becoming nearly 2cm across
Egg Color:  Start black and then become more transparent as they inflate near hatch
Egg Count:  Eggs were not spawned in my care and I don't know how many were from a particular female.  I will edit this to reflect a spawn in my care if that ever happens.

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  3-20-2014, 3-23-2014, 3-24-2014, 3-29-2014 
Hatch Time of Day:  After lights out usually
# Days after Spawn:  Unknown (started with eggs) 
Larvae Description:  Hatch out as miniature adults


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  N/A See grow-out tank section
Size of Larval Tank:  N/A 
Substrate Details:  N/A
Other Tank Decor:  N/A
Filtration Details:  N/A
Lighting:  N/A
Lighting Cycle:  N/A
Water Changes:  N/A

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  Live amphipods, live enriched adult artemia if I wasn't able to collect enough amphipods that day, live mysis  
Feeding Schedule:  I add the food in the evening since right now they don't seem to do much during the day

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  3-20-2014, 3-23-2014, 3-24-2014, 3-29-2014, etc (same as hatch) 
Days after Hatch:  0
Date of Settlement End:  3-20-2014, 3-23-2014, 3-24-2014 , 3-29-2014, etc (same as hatch)
Description of Fry:  They hatch out as miniature adults

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  ~80F
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  5.5g tank 
Substrate Details:  None 
Other Tank Decor:  Live macroalgae (Ulva and Enteromorpha)
Filtration Details:  Sponge filter 
Lighting:  CFL 
Lighting Cycle:  6AM to 9PM
Water Changes:  As needed
Size at Transfer:  <1cm (shortly after hatch)
Age at Transfer:  Several days old

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  Live amphipods mainly, live enriched adult artemia in a pinch, live mysis, then got them onto frozen Hikari mysis and frozen PE mysis      
Feeding Schedule:  Evenings usually     

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 
My LFS got some of these in and asked if I wanted them.  I thought I was getting like 10 eggs but when I got there there were already 35 that had hatched out and many more eggs.  So I brought them home and got the babies set up in some breeder baskets and put the eggs in another.  I keep finding more baby cuttlefish that have hatched in the egg basket and move them to different breeder basket away from the eggs.  


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The eggs and babies acclimating:

The baby cuttles that came home from the store:

 
One of the egg clusters:

More eggs:

 
Some in a breeder basket (I still need to divide them out into more baskets):

 
Some baby pics:







 
And here are some pics from ones that hatched in my care (3-23-2014):


 
At a few days old, they are starting to do slightly more complex color changes (or perhaps they have done them before, I just didn't notice)

They got their first feeding of live mysis today.  I wasn't able to watch for long to see if they ate any, though.  I have found three dead over the last few days.

Here's a pic of a hatchling from last night:

 

Wow, the larvae look so large.  

Yep, they are pretty large.  The eggs get bigger and bigger as they get closer to hatch and you can nearly see through them by the time they hatch.

Had another one hatch last night

This evening I added a few live mysis and also collected amphipods for them. I peeked in the basket after adding them and saw one baby cuttlefish with an amphipod sticking halfway out of its mouth. So now I know they are eating (well, at least one of them!)

A slightly better pic:

 
And a daily amphipod harvest for feeding:

 
 
 
 

Some pics of them trying to blend into things--
Heater:

Detritus:

 
Anyone want to cuttle? (Har Har)


 
Chowing on a mysid:

 
I have a video of one eating and some videos of them changing colors, but I'm having a hard time getting videos to upload.
 

I had a large die-off about 10 days back when I wasn't devoting enough time to feeding them.  I have about 7 or so, which I feel is a nice manageable number.  They still get mysis and amphipods daily.  Some are significantly larger than others and they still seem to spend most of the day resting.

This one was eating an amphipod so large it took it awhile to finish eating it.

Just fed one of them a frozen mysis

So tonight I got five of the five remaining to eat frozen Hikari mysis! They each took one, and it seems to take awhile for them to finish eating. This is fantastic news! I got them to take it by using a 10" tongs and grabbing the tail of a mysis. Then I wave it in front of the cuttle's face (and sometimes sort of smack them with it if they seem like they are sleeping) and then once I got their attention I drop the mysis from an inch or two above the cuttle so it drifts to the bottom. This makes them think they are moving and after 10-30 seconds they will shoot out the feeder tentacle and snatch it. One of them I had to do that twice, and two of them actually took the mysis right from the tongs! I think tomorrow I will also try to feed them in the morning

Feeding them the frozen is already getting easier. Four of the five took from the tongs in just a few seconds. I'll try to feed each one again tonight before I give them amphipods again. The largest one may even be ready for PE mysis.

Last night I was able to get a video of one of them taking mysis. (Click on the pic)

 
It is tricky when they are under the sponge filter.  The problem is, when I try to get the food close to them I tend to accidentally move the sponge filter which scares them.  Then they are more hesitant to try to go after the food.  This one eventually did.  I can say that it is easier to encourage them to take the frozen when there are two near one another.  It's like they don't want the other one to possibly get the food before them, so usually one will be brave and just go for it.

Oh, and they have been getting amphipods every day along with frozen mysis at night.  The live mysis cultures are very low in numbers so no live mysis for awhile.  In fact, I should probably check to see if there are still some in there...  I've contemplated trying live gut-loaded feeder shrimp (very small ones) but I don't think the cuttles are quite big enough.  Maybe I will try to get them eating PE mysis first for a week or so, then try the live feeder shrimp.

I didn't have a chance to feed yesterday and I found two dead today :/ Only three (two?) left. Fed them frozen mysis tonight and some amphipods. This weekend I will try to feed morning and night to boost up their reserves a bit more.

Last night two of them took down small feeder shrimp, and the smallest one (which tried and failed to wrangle in a live feeder shrimp) took a large PE mysis (frozen/thawed, not live) so that is a move in the right direction regardless

Well, only two left...There was a night that I didn't get to feed them and one of them disappeared.  Luckily the two left are taking dead mysis with no problem now.  I can usually just drop one in from of them and they will snatch it right up.  Last night the larger one ate like 6, and the smaller one ate four.  I was also, for the first time, able to get them to eat in the afternoon.  I had only tried before today sporadically, but they never seemed interested.  Today they were

60DPS
Here is one of them working on a PE mysid



Here is a video I took a few days ago of one doing some fancy color changing