What types of Cuttlefish can be kept in warmer temps??

[Mr James]

I did a search, not a very lengthy one, on Cuttlefish. I think my 29 gallon (sitting empty at the moment) would be of the correct size. What I was wondering about is the temperatures at which to keep one or more Cuttlefish. I want to avoid a chiller at all possible. Could you also tell me what other species I can keep with them?? I will continue to search and read before I purchase anything!! Good idea about the research, huh Kirtis??

[OctoMonkey]

Hi James,

Well getting a cuttle in the first place is the real trick..... They can be real tricky to ship....

A 29 gallon may be too small for a cuttle unless you get a small species like Sepia bandensis and have excellant filtration, they are really messy critters.

I currently have Sepia officinalis in a 200 gallon system at 74 DEG F and he is fine.... there are some pics on this site and here http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/blank/blpcontestjune02critter.htm and on TONMO.com or alternatively at my web page, click the link next to my name and profile....

I currently have him in a reef tank with snails, hermits, stars, corals, anemones, sea apple and some other stuff too....

Colin

[Mr James]

So your cuttlefish must be a swimmer!! I guess I could still get one but put him in my 125g reef tank. I would have to do a lot of reading to make sure he is compatible with all of my existing creatures. My alternative for my 29g would be an SPS (Coral) tank if this doesn't work.

I wanted a unique species tank other than a seahorse tank. I saw that one of the guys on this board keeps an octo in a 30 gallon. Assuming the tank could be set up correctly, could some species of an octopus be kept in such a tank?? Thank you for responding OctoMonkey, I kind of hoped you would chime in!!

[OctoMonkey]

Hey, no prob :)

An octo would be far easier to get and would be more comfortable in a 30 gal tank. It just depends on the species you get and how you set up your tank.... As you may be planning a SPS tank I'll asume you know all the stuff I'm talking about.... but be aware that they produce more than 3 times the waste that a fish of the similar mass produces so filters and skimmers are usually best if over spec for a typical 30 gal tank.

I have found that as long as its not a fish, a shrimp or a crab the cuttle wont bother it, fast movements set off a feeding reaction, cool to watch but may be expensive when you stick one in beside your favourite fish LOL

hope that helps
C

[Mr James]

Hey Colin, what types of octopi should I be investigating for my 29g?? I originally looked into it, but I must have asked the wrong person, because I was told that octo's need at least a 75 gallon. Would tonmo.com be a good place to look or is that site about Cuttlefish and such??

[cephalopoder]

Colin is right James
Cuttles are very hard to get in the US. The only species availabe though wholesalers is Sepia.bandensis, a pygmy cuttle and they don't ship well at all. And to top it off they are very hard to get. Both Mike and I have had bad luck with getting and keeping them. Cuttles should not be your first ceph. I would strat with a O.bimaculoides for your first octopus. After your tank has cycled for 3 months tthat would be the octo of choice to get for any ceph keeper.And they are easy to get.
chris