I'd like to keep one (or a few) dwarf cuttles. Has anyone on here kept them, might have some tips or pointers... i was wondering how seasonal these guys? any time of year its easiest to get them?
Dwarf Cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis) : Anyone got care info, tips, etc.
- Thread starter BlackShark11k
- Start date
there was a member on reefcentral.com setting up a cuttle tank, heres the link you can talk to him he had a lot of ups and downs he should be alot of help http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1705750
Might help:
Cuttlefish Husbandry
Part I; What is a cuttlefish anyway?
by James B. Wood
About the author: James's first aquariums were jars with tadpoles, and it is rumored that he single handily doubled the frog population of South Florida by the age of 6. James went on to collect his own local minnows and eventually kept marine fish. While in high school, he caught and kept his first octopus. James is currently a doctoral candidate at Dalhousie University, studying the life history of the deep sea octopus, Bathypolypus arcticus. James is working on a book for hobbyists on keeping octopuses and cuttlefish.
Cephalopoda is the class containing cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and the chambered nautilus. They are a fascinating class of marine invertebrates. Public interest in them is growing and many advanced marine hobbyists have toyed with the idea of keeping them. Unfortunately, there are few articles about keeping cephalopods as pets and many of those that do exist either do not provide useful information, are contradictory, or are incorrect. Cephalopods are invertebrates and as such are very different from us and from other vertebrates; therefore hobbyists can't rely on their past experience and intuition. However, like most creatures, they are not especially hard to keep once you understand their biology and requirements. Octopuses and cuttlefish are the best candidates for advanced hobbyists looking to keep a marine creature that can truly be called a pet. Octopus care has been previously addressed in this publication (see Wood 1994).
Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, is well known to scientists who study cephalopods as it is capable of many advanced color changes, body patterns and other unique and interesting behaviors. Their intelligence and charisma often make it hard for scientists to think of them objectively as research animals instead of as pets. Those that I've been keeping were left over from a research experiment of Dr. Shelly Adamo. Interestingly, when I give tours of the university, the seals are always on the top of everyone's 'must see' list but people stay the longest, ask the most questions, and seem most impressed when I show them the cuttlefish. Luckily, Sepia officinalis is also one of the easiest cephalopods to keep in captivity and is one of the most common species of cuttlefish available to aquarists.
This is the first part of a four part article on the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis . This article will cover what a cuttlefish is and what it is related to. Part two explains how to go about purchasing one. Part three will cover tank size, filtration, lighting, tankmates, feeding and other aspects of setting up a tank to keep cuttlefish. The final part of this article, part four, will describe the reproductive biology of cuttlefish and tips for rearing hatchlings.
Hobbyists invariably regard cephalopods as extremely difficult to keep. Most of the problems that aquarists have or think they have when keeping cephalopods are ultimately caused by bad information or a lack of information. Although cephalopods are active and intelligent, they are very different from mammals and fish in their biology and especially their life history. However, with knowledge and preparation, many species of octopuses and cuttlefish can be successfully kept and bred in captivity. In fact, some of the more common species have been reared for 5 or more generations in the lab.
Cephalopods are a class in the phylum Mollusca which also contains bivalves (scallops, oysters, clams), gastropods (snails, slugs, nudibranchs), scaphopods (tusk shells) and polyplacophorans (chitons). Most relatives of cephalopods, are, well, a bit slow. It doesn't take a head, or even a brain, for a clam to sit around and filter water. So how did cephalopods get to be the fast moving, intelligent animals that they are?
Cephalopods arrived on the scene in the Cambrian period. These early cephalopods had external shells. Scientists believe that the ancestor to modern cephalopods was a mollusk that developed an air space within its shell and a method to regulate the amount of air in it. This allowed early cephalopods to get into the water column and sail around like a hot air balloon. This offered many advantages and the view was great. Predators could be avoided by simply leaving the bottom, and animals could transport themselves over large distances without much energy expenditure. This allowed them to radiate into new areas as well as move to areas with more food and/or less predators. Competition increased and jet propelled locomotion, better nervous systems, improved sense organs, and adaptations for crypsis evolved in a sort of 'evolutionary arms race'. Some species, the ancestors of modern squid, cuttlefish and octopuses abandoned the armor of their heavy shell in favour of a faster, more streamlined form. Cephalopods became one of the dominant groups in the world's oceans. However, jet power is not as energetically efficient as undulation power, and perhaps for this reason, teleosts (bony fish) usurped cephalopods dominant place in the world's seas.
So, why the fascination with cephalopods anyway? Well, after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, cephalopods have developed some pretty neat adaptations. First off, cephalopods are thought to be the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet. Invertebrates make up 95% of all animals. Experiments have shown that cephalopods have fast learning curves and scientists are currently debating whether or not they can learn by observation. Cephalopods can change their color and texture in the blink of an eye and most scientists agree that at least some species use body patterns to communicate. Everyone who has ever seen me feed my cuttlefish has noticed that they beg for food; particularly snarky individuals will occasionally jet water at me. Speaking of which, there is even a scientific paper by Dr. Mather about personality of cephalopods! Other cephalopod abilities include jet power, ink decoys, regeneration, and exponential growth of the young.
So, by now you are saying 'I'm sold! Where can I get one?' How do I keep one in an aquarium? What do I feed them? Hang in there, the answers to these questions are forthcoming in the months to come.
Part II; Where can I get a cuttlefish?
by James B. Wood
I never said getting a cuttlefish would be easy. . .
Part one of this four part article described the relationship between cuttlefish and life, the universe, and everything. Briefly, cuttlefish are related to octopuses and squid and distantly related to clams, snails, oysters, nudibranchs and other mollusks. Cuttlefish are intelligent and make fascinating pets for advanced aquarists. This instalment covers methods of cuttlefish acquisition.
There are several ways to acquire a pet cephalopod; pick one out at your local pet store, order one from a marine supplier, order one from a scientific cephalopod breeding program, trade a six pack for one with friendly local fishermen or go out and catch your own.
If there is a good marine store near you that has cuttlefish for sale or is willing to order them, that is by far the easiest way to acquire a pet cephalopod. Picking one up at a local pet store is almost always the least expensive of the first three options as you don't have to directly pay for shipping (pet stores get things shipped in bulk and pay less), may not have to buy the animal if it arrives in bad condition, or worry about your cuttlefish slowly cooking/freezing on a tarmac at some airport. The only drawback, and one that is minimal to most people, is that you may not be able to find out where your new pet is from or what species he/she is supposed to be. Some pet stores will not be willing to order a cuttlefish because of the risk of inking in transit.
The next two possible sources involve (shudder) shipping, something that I recommend avoiding if possible. Cephalopods don't ship well, especially if those who send them don't know what they are doing. If they get startled, say when their box is thrown onto a truck, drop kicked off the airline's loading cart, punted across the tarmac, etc. they may ink. The ink will coat their gills and make it hard for them to breath. Cephalopods need a lot of oxygen and this also puts a limit on how long they can stay alive in transit. I would strongly advise that you get the way bill number when your animals are on their way and harass the shipping company incessantly until your animals have arrived. Also, don't cut corners and go with unreliable shipping companies. I prefer Fed-X because they haven't failed me yet and since they have a web page (http://www.fedex.com/track_it.html) that can easily be used to track their packages. Much better than some companies that put you on hold for 45 minutes or longer while forcing you to listen to them tell you how wonderful they are over and over again as your cuttlefish spend their 7th day in a small box somewhere in North America. It would also be a good idea to tell the supplier that you wouldn't mind paying a little more for a larger size shipping box so that your cephalopod will get a bit more room and oxygen. Finally, smaller species or juveniles are easier to ship then larger specimens for the simple reason that it is easier to provide a higher ratio or water and oxygen per weight of animal. Surprisingly, eggs are remarkably tough and ship very well. Cuttlefish eggs don't need to be artificially brooded upon arrival like octopus eggs. However, if you have eggs shipped to you, make sure that they are not due to hatch soon as the stress will likely make them hatch prematurely in transit. A draw back to this method is that when the eggs hatch, the hatchlings are not as easy to care for as older specimens - see the section on rearing hatchling cephalopods.
There are a growing number of mail order companies that will ship live animals including cephalopods. If you are unable to buy a cephalopod locally and are unable to collect your own, this is the way to go. I have a list of companies that I know about at (http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/sources.html) (UPDATE: SINCE THIS ARTICLE CAME OUT IT HAS BECOME EVEN HARDER TO OBTAIN A CUTTLEFISH ). Like most marine creatures, these animals are wild caught. However, the National Resource Center for Cephalopods (NRCC) (addresses at the end of this article) offer their excess laboratory reared cephalopods for sale to the public (UPDATE: NOT CURRENTLY!). There are several advantages from ordering from such places. First of all, you can be sure of the species that you are getting. Secondly, they will likely be able to give you an approximate age of your new pet(s) - this can be very useful down the road if you are trying to figure out if your cuttlefish isn't well due to something in its environment or is simply at the end of its natural life span. Also, the folks at NRCC have been shipping cephalopods for years so you can be sure that they will do it right. Finally, these animals come from lab reared populations and were not taken from the wild. The folks at NRCC may or may not have excess animals at any given moment so you may have to wait or look elsewhere if their stocks are low. Another possible drawback if you want to breed your cephalopods is that eggs from laboratory raised cephalopods seem to have a fertility rate of 10% of so. Scientists are not sure what causes this though it doesn't seem to be diet or environment as young animals taken from the wild and reared in the same system lay eggs that are 100% fertile. John Forsythe, a scientist at NRCC, hypothesized that the loss of fertility could be due to something like the animals not getting a symbiotic bacteria in the lab. An interesting hypothesis; wild Euprymna scolopes is known to get an infection with its symbiont, a bioluminescent Vibrio bacteria, when young.
Another way to get a cephalopod, and my favorite option, is to collect your own. Collecting a cephalopod can be both fun, educational and challenging. Before you head to the great outdoors, be sure to check the local fishing regulations for your area. A fishing licence is almost always needed and in some areas cephalopods can not be collected. Divers (especially those that dive at night), fishermen, and professors of invertebrate biology are likely to know if cephalopods are in your area. Some species are nocturnal and/or are active at dawn and dusk so you may have to be up in the wee hours to find them. Some species, like E. scolopes, can be collected in very shallow water while other species are easier to collect while snorkeling or diving. I typically use a dive net, the kind that has clear plastic sides around an aluminum frame and screening at the bottom. I also use a tickle stick. My partner's job is to keep a light on the critter and try not to drown herself by inhaling water while laughing at my efforts... Unfortunately, there aren't any 'true' cuttlefish (those with a cuttlebone) like Sepia spp. off of North America. There are some close relatives like E. scolopes and Rossia spp. though.
Once you have captured your critter, place him in a cooler. If you are going to be near the ocean for a while, do some water changes, especially if your cephalopod inks. If your trip home is going to be more than a few hours long and you have room, take some extra containers full of sea water in case your ceph inks on the way. Running a portable air pump will help keep the oxygen levels up. Also, try to keep your cephalopod out of the sun - cooler water holds more oxygen plus your ceph will need less oxygen at lower temperatures. Products that scavenge ammonia and balance pH, such as Stress Coat, can be used to help keep the water quality stable. If you have to keep your cephalopod in a sealed container for more than 6 or so hours use oxygen.
Sometimes live cephalopods can be bought from fishermen, shrimpers or (sniff) fish mongers for very reasonable prices. While the price may be very good the animals condition may range from excellent to very poor.
Now you know what cuttlefish are, why every serious marine aquarist should have at least one, and how to purchase them. What? You want to know what size tank to use, what to feed a cuttlefish, which tankmates are safe, what type of filtration and lighting is needed, etc. Well, you will just have to wait till next month's issue.
Part III; How do I keep a cuttlefish?
by James B. Wood
Parts one and two of this article on keeping cuttlefish described what cuttlefish are and how to purchase one. Our intrepid readers (that is you) were left hanging with this question in their minds: How do I keep one? This section will bring our intrepid readers up to speed on the filtration, foods, tank sizes, tank mates and lighting needed to successfully keep one of the most interesting creatures on the planet, the common cuttlefish.
Filtration
There is a plethora of books on the market that cover the science and art of setting up a marine aquarium. As this information is already readily available I will concentrate on specifics that apply to cephalopods. Hobbyists that are interested in keeping a cuttlefish and aren't yet familiar with the nitrogen cycle, the use of protein skimmers, pH, salinity, and the importance of regularly testing water quality are strongly encouraged to read several books on the subject first. Cephalopods aren't as hard to keep as many think; however, I'd advise against keeping them in your first marine aquarium.
Cuttlefish should be provided with well oxygenated, clean water. They are very sensitive to heavy metals, especially copper. Copper probes or chiller coils can not be used and metals should be kept out of the aquarium. 'Aquarium safe metals like stainless steel and titanium may be OK but should be kept to a minimum.
Since cuttlefish grow fast, eat a lot, and are active, it would be a good idea to slightly over-filter the tank. Canister filters, turf scrubbers, hang on the backs, wet/drys, fluidized bed filters or whatever the latest flavor of filter is, can all be used on a cuttlefish tank. Undergravel filters are not advised as cuttlefish often dig in gravel which could create dead spots. Also, the cuttlefish may get stressed when the gravel is cleaned. If you have small cuttlefish, place a sponge over the filter intake so that the cuttlefish does not get pinned to it.
No matter what you use as a filter, I would advise adding a protein skimmer, even if it is just a small one. Protein skimmers remove some waste products even before they decay into ammonia, and they also create a lot of water/air surface area which keeps the water well oxygenated. Carbon and/or resins like polyfilter can also be added in the filter. They remove unwanted organics as well as ink and heavy metals. Water changes of about 20% should be done monthly, and pH, salinity, ammonia, and nitrite should be monitored. Cuttlefish will ink if stressed. The ink should be siphoned out of the aquarium, and the cause of the stress should be located and removed if possible.
Cuttlefish should be housed in well established tanks - preferably ones that have been up and running successfully, with a biological load in them, for at least 3-4 months.
Lighting
Cuttlefish don't need any special kind of lighting. Keeping the lights to a minimum also reduces the growth of algae and one or two standard flourescent bulbs will suffice. Those keeping reef tanks and using much brighter lighting need not worry as the intense lighting will not bother cuttlefish; rapid increases in light level will though. New cuttlefish are especially prone to inking if their environment rapidly changes. For example, if someone bumps the tank or the lights come on suddenly they may ink. In addition to inking, nervous cuttlefish may react by jetting and hitting the side of the aquarium. This can cause the delicate skin to rip, exposing the muscle below, and is termed 'butt burn' by Dr. Jean Boul. This lesion can get worse if the animal continues to jet into the side of the tank and it can become infected. If you see this happening turn on the lights slowly and try not to startle your cuttlefish.
Temperature
Cephalopods live from the poles to the tropics and from the intertidal to the abyss. Sepia officinalis isn't a tropical species and it should be kept between 15-25° C (59-77° F). If your live in a warm climate, a fan blowing over the top of the water and moderate lighting is often all that is needed to cool a tank down enough for Sepia officinalis. If you buy a cuttlefish from a pet store try to find out where it was collected so you can make an educated guess regarding the temperature at which to keep it.
Tankmates
Cuttlefish such as Sepia officinals , are more social than octopuses and are generally found in loose groups in nature. A group of cuttlefish can be raised together in a large aquarium. However, if an adult male that has been raised by himself is introduced to another adult male they are likely to fight and may damage each other. Keep in mind that if food is limited, cephalopods can be cannibalistic.
Fish one intends to keep should not be kept with cuttlefish, they will either become dinner for them or vice versa. Like myself, cuttlefish will devour any crustacean in sight, so please keep them out of their tank unless they are intended as food. Cuttlefish might not be able to get hermit crabs out of their shells but they will certainly try. They generally leave echinoderms alone (sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers) though there are a few exceptions. Some cephalopods will eat bivalves, snails and worms while others do not. They won't try to eat the anthazoans (coral, sea anemones, zooanthids, etc), sponges and tunicates (sea squirts) found in reef tanks. However, some of the more aggressive hard corals can sting them. This is more likely to occur to octopuses as they usually are in contact with the bottom. Both cuttlefish and octopuses may move things like gravel and small rocks around.
Tank size
Tank size, of course, depends on the size, and the potential size of the animals that you are planning to keep. Some species like Euprymna scolopes, are small and can easily be kept in a ten gallon aquarium. Other species like Sepia officinalis get much larger - one of ours is approximately 15 inches long. I'd recommend at least a 40 gallon aquarium for a single Sepia officinalis . A larger tank certainly wouldn't hurt. (UPDATE/CORECTION: ACTAULLY I WOULD RECOMMEND 100 GALLONS PER ADULT CUTTELFISH. GROUPS OF SMALLER CUTTLEFISH CAN EASILY BE HELD IN MUCH SMALLER TANKS BUT AN ADULT COMMON CUTTLEFISH NEEDS MORE ROOM THAN I PREVIOUSLY INDICATED. ADULT MALES MAY NEED TO BE SEPERATED EVEN IN SYSTEM THAT IS 15 M DIAMETER.)
Feeding
Cuttlefish primarily eat live marine fish and crustaceans in nature and these are ideal foods for them in captivity as well. If you are lucky enough to live near a beach, estuary, or marine bait shop and can give your cephalopod live food it will love you forever. Healthy cephalopods eagerly go after live food and seem to be always hungry. A cuttlefish that hasn't eaten in a few days and does not go after live food is very ill. Unlike most octopuses, cuttlefish will still eagerly take food after they start laying eggs.
Luckily for inland aquarists, adult cuttlefish will often take frozen food such as frozen shrimp and fish and such foods can make up their staple diet. Variety is the spice of life for cephalopods as well as humans. Most large grocery stores have a good selection of frozen marine shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, squid, and fish to chose from. It may be necessary, especially at first, to skewer frozen food and swim it around the tank to get a feeding reaction. If you have been feeding frozen food for a while and are having problems feeding try temporarily switching to live food. Live freshwater crustaceans such as freshwater shrimp, crayfish and fish can also be used. Although live freshwater foods are not quite as nutritious as their marine cousins, cephalopods will grow and thrive on them, and they do elicit a healthy feeding response.
Cuttlefish do eat a lot, but like most marine creatures they can be overfed. A healthy cuttlefish that feels secure in its surroundings is very likely to 'beg' for food and train its owner to give it more than it needs - especially if it is being fed live food. Excess, uneaten food should be removed, as it will rot and may cause an ammonia spike. Proportions should also be reduced past the point where the little beast is able to eat everything. If your cuttlefish isn't eating very much of the frozen food that you are offering, switch back to live food for a while.
Underfeeding can also be a problem. Cephalopods can be cannibalistic especially when they are underfed. Boletzky and Hanlon (1983) report that one of the first signs of under feeding is the appearance of a dark longitudinal stripe on the dorsal (top or upper) side of the mantle.
Cuttlefish generally eat the meat out from crustaceans and discard the shells, but they ingest entire fish. Cuttlefish have a large cuttlebone, and they may get some of the calcium for it from their diet. It might be a good idea to occasionally fed them whole fish, either live or frozen.
Now you not only know where to purchase a cuttlefish, but what to feed one, how to filter the tank and what tank mates are likely to remain alive. There is only one question left. The question that all serious marine aquarists in this modern age want to know. The question that proves beyond a doubt to our spouses that our 'curiosity' with marine life goes well into the realm of obsession. The question that separates the amateurs from the truly addicted aquarists. The question: Can I breed them? See ya next month for the final section of this article and the answer to that question.
Part IV; How do cuttlefish reproduce?
by James B. Wood
You have read parts I, II and III of this article and already know where to purchase a cuttlefish and how to keep one. Now you want to know the hard core details, you want to delve into the sex life and reproductive biology of a creature that has been described as the closest thing we have to a living alien.
Many cephalopods are short lived and only reproduce once. For example, most tropical and semi tropical species of octopus live for a year or so, and the females die after their single brood of eggs hatch. The males also have short life spans. This strategy seems odd to us; people tend to associate long life spans and iteroparity (producing offspring more than once) with intelligence. It seems a waste for something as intelligent as a cephalopod to have such a short life cycle. Mammals, however, are just one of many groups of animals and we should not expect other groups to have the same reproductive strategies that we do.
The cephalopod strategy can best be summed up by the phrase 'live fast and die young', though there are a few exceptions. Sepia officinalis is fairly long lived for a cephalopod, they live for 1.5 to 2 years, depending primarily on temperature. Because of their short life spans, it isn't uncommon for a cephalopod to reach maturity and reproduce in a home aquarium.
OK, let's assume your goal is to mate cuttlefish and produce a second generation. Perhaps you want to help fill in the colossal demand that will surely appear once this article goes to print. Or perhaps you have heard of cephalopods' amazing cognitive abilities and wanted to train a small army of them to do the dishes, walk the dog or buy and sell securities.
The first thing you need is... correct! a male and a female cuttlefish. Adult cuttlefish are hard to sex and the only 100% reliable way to sex a live one is to see it mating or laying eggs. However, a male cuttlefish might aggressively display to a reflection of itself in a mirror. The aggressive display of cuttlefish consists of a vivid zebra stripped pattern, bulging eyes, and often lining up parallel to its reflection. Unfortunately, females will also occasionally do this display. We tried this method and lets just say that the 'flip a quarter method' would likely have been more productive. Another and more effective test, is to put two cuttlefish in a tank that is divided by a clear pane of plexiglass. If one cuttlefish displays the aggressive pattern and rushes head first at the other cuttlefish which is not striped and is brownish in color, you probably have a male and a female. Cuttlefish mate head to head. If you have two males they should both do the aggressive pattern and line up parallel to each other to size each other up. Unfortunately, if you put two males together that haven't grown up together they may fight. They should go through their assessment display first which gives you time to separate them.
Since sexing techniques are far from reliable, the best way to get mated cuttlefish is to raise a group together in a large aquarium. They can tell each others sex by sight and will mate readily when they are old enough to do so. By keeping several cuttlefish you are increasing the chances that you will have at least one male and one female. You will need a very large tank to raise a group of Sepia officinalis to maturity.
Unlike octopuses, female cuttlefish will lay eggs and continue to eat for several months. The large eggs are laid one at a time. My cuttlefish attached her eggs to the airline and incoming water tubing. The female incorporates ink into the egg case when she lays the eggs causing them to look a bit like a cluster of dark grapes. The eggs take approximately 50 days to develop depending on temperature.
Hatchling Sepia officinalis are one of the easiest species of cephalopods to rear. Currently, the National Research Center for Cephalopods has a 14th generation of consecutively lab raised Sepia officinalis . The hatchlings are fully formed versions of their parents at birth and do not go though a difficult to rear planktonic phase like many marine creatures do.
Hatchling cephalopods require live food. While Sepia officinalis is the only cephalopod species that has been reared through their youth on Artemia, I do not recommend using Artemia unless there are no other options as many of the cuttlefish will die and the growth rates of the survivors will be retarded. Mysid shrimp, small marine fish, amphipods, isopods, and other small live marine crustaceans and fish are ideal first foods. Bill Mebane, a scientist at the Marine Biological Lab at Wood's Hole, has had great success using newly hatched killifish (Fundulis grandis, sorry killifish lovers!) to feed hatchling cuttlefish. Killifish eggs can be ordered from Gulf Coast Minnows; their address is at the end of this article. The eggs can be shipped damp, are inexpensive, and are an especially great option for land locked aquarists. Essentially they are the Artemia of the fish world. I've heard that some aquarium stores are starting to regularly offer live amphipods (also known as scuds, hoppers, or beach fleas) for sale; these are the main food I have using to fed my hatchling cuttlefish.
Foods should be 0.5 to 1.5 times the mantle length of cuttlefish. Freshwater fish, fresh water amphipods and fresh water shrimp could be tried if live marine foods are not available. Artemia should only be tried as a last resort.
Hatchlings grow very quickly and will eat a lot of food. Most hatchling cephalopods double their weight every week or so for the first few months. To put that kind of growth rate into perspective, imagine how big you would be if your weight doubled every week! Food quality and quantity are very important at this point. If you have too many hatchlings it would be a good idea to farm some out to friends instead of starving all of them. If you need some friends, I'm sure there are plenty of people on ceph-list (see below) willing to adopt your excess cuttlefish.
Hatchlings can be reared as a group in a small tank, or in a floating container in your main tank. They will associate you with food and take food from tweezers, a skewer or your hand at a very young age. If all goes well, your cephalopods will quickly out grow their rearing containers and you can train them in international espionage and unleash them on the world.
Conclusion
In the last 20 years scientists have learned a lot about the husbandry requirements of cephalopods but unfortunately little of this information has filtered down to aquarists. Because of this, much incorrect or outdated information and advice on keeping cephalopods exits in the hobby; there still are no books for aquarists on keeping cephalopods. Hopefully articles such as this will convince aquarists to consider keeping a pet cephalopod. The common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, is an excellent choice for a new pet.
More information
I have a web page devoted to cephalopods at http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/index.html. On the page is a link to the 1994 FAMA article on keeping octopuses as well as information about ceph-list, a mailing list for cephalopod enthusiasts. Cephalopod life cycles and The UFAW handbook on the care & management of cephalopods in the laboratory are good books on cephalopods though they are not written for hobbyists. Hanlon and Messenger have recently published an excellent book on cephalopod behavior. All of these books are listed in the references.
Cuttlefish Husbandry
Part I; What is a cuttlefish anyway?
by James B. Wood
About the author: James's first aquariums were jars with tadpoles, and it is rumored that he single handily doubled the frog population of South Florida by the age of 6. James went on to collect his own local minnows and eventually kept marine fish. While in high school, he caught and kept his first octopus. James is currently a doctoral candidate at Dalhousie University, studying the life history of the deep sea octopus, Bathypolypus arcticus. James is working on a book for hobbyists on keeping octopuses and cuttlefish.
Cephalopoda is the class containing cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and the chambered nautilus. They are a fascinating class of marine invertebrates. Public interest in them is growing and many advanced marine hobbyists have toyed with the idea of keeping them. Unfortunately, there are few articles about keeping cephalopods as pets and many of those that do exist either do not provide useful information, are contradictory, or are incorrect. Cephalopods are invertebrates and as such are very different from us and from other vertebrates; therefore hobbyists can't rely on their past experience and intuition. However, like most creatures, they are not especially hard to keep once you understand their biology and requirements. Octopuses and cuttlefish are the best candidates for advanced hobbyists looking to keep a marine creature that can truly be called a pet. Octopus care has been previously addressed in this publication (see Wood 1994).
Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, is well known to scientists who study cephalopods as it is capable of many advanced color changes, body patterns and other unique and interesting behaviors. Their intelligence and charisma often make it hard for scientists to think of them objectively as research animals instead of as pets. Those that I've been keeping were left over from a research experiment of Dr. Shelly Adamo. Interestingly, when I give tours of the university, the seals are always on the top of everyone's 'must see' list but people stay the longest, ask the most questions, and seem most impressed when I show them the cuttlefish. Luckily, Sepia officinalis is also one of the easiest cephalopods to keep in captivity and is one of the most common species of cuttlefish available to aquarists.
This is the first part of a four part article on the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis . This article will cover what a cuttlefish is and what it is related to. Part two explains how to go about purchasing one. Part three will cover tank size, filtration, lighting, tankmates, feeding and other aspects of setting up a tank to keep cuttlefish. The final part of this article, part four, will describe the reproductive biology of cuttlefish and tips for rearing hatchlings.
Hobbyists invariably regard cephalopods as extremely difficult to keep. Most of the problems that aquarists have or think they have when keeping cephalopods are ultimately caused by bad information or a lack of information. Although cephalopods are active and intelligent, they are very different from mammals and fish in their biology and especially their life history. However, with knowledge and preparation, many species of octopuses and cuttlefish can be successfully kept and bred in captivity. In fact, some of the more common species have been reared for 5 or more generations in the lab.
Cephalopods are a class in the phylum Mollusca which also contains bivalves (scallops, oysters, clams), gastropods (snails, slugs, nudibranchs), scaphopods (tusk shells) and polyplacophorans (chitons). Most relatives of cephalopods, are, well, a bit slow. It doesn't take a head, or even a brain, for a clam to sit around and filter water. So how did cephalopods get to be the fast moving, intelligent animals that they are?
Cephalopods arrived on the scene in the Cambrian period. These early cephalopods had external shells. Scientists believe that the ancestor to modern cephalopods was a mollusk that developed an air space within its shell and a method to regulate the amount of air in it. This allowed early cephalopods to get into the water column and sail around like a hot air balloon. This offered many advantages and the view was great. Predators could be avoided by simply leaving the bottom, and animals could transport themselves over large distances without much energy expenditure. This allowed them to radiate into new areas as well as move to areas with more food and/or less predators. Competition increased and jet propelled locomotion, better nervous systems, improved sense organs, and adaptations for crypsis evolved in a sort of 'evolutionary arms race'. Some species, the ancestors of modern squid, cuttlefish and octopuses abandoned the armor of their heavy shell in favour of a faster, more streamlined form. Cephalopods became one of the dominant groups in the world's oceans. However, jet power is not as energetically efficient as undulation power, and perhaps for this reason, teleosts (bony fish) usurped cephalopods dominant place in the world's seas.
So, why the fascination with cephalopods anyway? Well, after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, cephalopods have developed some pretty neat adaptations. First off, cephalopods are thought to be the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet. Invertebrates make up 95% of all animals. Experiments have shown that cephalopods have fast learning curves and scientists are currently debating whether or not they can learn by observation. Cephalopods can change their color and texture in the blink of an eye and most scientists agree that at least some species use body patterns to communicate. Everyone who has ever seen me feed my cuttlefish has noticed that they beg for food; particularly snarky individuals will occasionally jet water at me. Speaking of which, there is even a scientific paper by Dr. Mather about personality of cephalopods! Other cephalopod abilities include jet power, ink decoys, regeneration, and exponential growth of the young.
So, by now you are saying 'I'm sold! Where can I get one?' How do I keep one in an aquarium? What do I feed them? Hang in there, the answers to these questions are forthcoming in the months to come.
Part II; Where can I get a cuttlefish?
by James B. Wood
I never said getting a cuttlefish would be easy. . .
Part one of this four part article described the relationship between cuttlefish and life, the universe, and everything. Briefly, cuttlefish are related to octopuses and squid and distantly related to clams, snails, oysters, nudibranchs and other mollusks. Cuttlefish are intelligent and make fascinating pets for advanced aquarists. This instalment covers methods of cuttlefish acquisition.
There are several ways to acquire a pet cephalopod; pick one out at your local pet store, order one from a marine supplier, order one from a scientific cephalopod breeding program, trade a six pack for one with friendly local fishermen or go out and catch your own.
If there is a good marine store near you that has cuttlefish for sale or is willing to order them, that is by far the easiest way to acquire a pet cephalopod. Picking one up at a local pet store is almost always the least expensive of the first three options as you don't have to directly pay for shipping (pet stores get things shipped in bulk and pay less), may not have to buy the animal if it arrives in bad condition, or worry about your cuttlefish slowly cooking/freezing on a tarmac at some airport. The only drawback, and one that is minimal to most people, is that you may not be able to find out where your new pet is from or what species he/she is supposed to be. Some pet stores will not be willing to order a cuttlefish because of the risk of inking in transit.
The next two possible sources involve (shudder) shipping, something that I recommend avoiding if possible. Cephalopods don't ship well, especially if those who send them don't know what they are doing. If they get startled, say when their box is thrown onto a truck, drop kicked off the airline's loading cart, punted across the tarmac, etc. they may ink. The ink will coat their gills and make it hard for them to breath. Cephalopods need a lot of oxygen and this also puts a limit on how long they can stay alive in transit. I would strongly advise that you get the way bill number when your animals are on their way and harass the shipping company incessantly until your animals have arrived. Also, don't cut corners and go with unreliable shipping companies. I prefer Fed-X because they haven't failed me yet and since they have a web page (http://www.fedex.com/track_it.html) that can easily be used to track their packages. Much better than some companies that put you on hold for 45 minutes or longer while forcing you to listen to them tell you how wonderful they are over and over again as your cuttlefish spend their 7th day in a small box somewhere in North America. It would also be a good idea to tell the supplier that you wouldn't mind paying a little more for a larger size shipping box so that your cephalopod will get a bit more room and oxygen. Finally, smaller species or juveniles are easier to ship then larger specimens for the simple reason that it is easier to provide a higher ratio or water and oxygen per weight of animal. Surprisingly, eggs are remarkably tough and ship very well. Cuttlefish eggs don't need to be artificially brooded upon arrival like octopus eggs. However, if you have eggs shipped to you, make sure that they are not due to hatch soon as the stress will likely make them hatch prematurely in transit. A draw back to this method is that when the eggs hatch, the hatchlings are not as easy to care for as older specimens - see the section on rearing hatchling cephalopods.
There are a growing number of mail order companies that will ship live animals including cephalopods. If you are unable to buy a cephalopod locally and are unable to collect your own, this is the way to go. I have a list of companies that I know about at (http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/sources.html) (UPDATE: SINCE THIS ARTICLE CAME OUT IT HAS BECOME EVEN HARDER TO OBTAIN A CUTTLEFISH ). Like most marine creatures, these animals are wild caught. However, the National Resource Center for Cephalopods (NRCC) (addresses at the end of this article) offer their excess laboratory reared cephalopods for sale to the public (UPDATE: NOT CURRENTLY!). There are several advantages from ordering from such places. First of all, you can be sure of the species that you are getting. Secondly, they will likely be able to give you an approximate age of your new pet(s) - this can be very useful down the road if you are trying to figure out if your cuttlefish isn't well due to something in its environment or is simply at the end of its natural life span. Also, the folks at NRCC have been shipping cephalopods for years so you can be sure that they will do it right. Finally, these animals come from lab reared populations and were not taken from the wild. The folks at NRCC may or may not have excess animals at any given moment so you may have to wait or look elsewhere if their stocks are low. Another possible drawback if you want to breed your cephalopods is that eggs from laboratory raised cephalopods seem to have a fertility rate of 10% of so. Scientists are not sure what causes this though it doesn't seem to be diet or environment as young animals taken from the wild and reared in the same system lay eggs that are 100% fertile. John Forsythe, a scientist at NRCC, hypothesized that the loss of fertility could be due to something like the animals not getting a symbiotic bacteria in the lab. An interesting hypothesis; wild Euprymna scolopes is known to get an infection with its symbiont, a bioluminescent Vibrio bacteria, when young.
Another way to get a cephalopod, and my favorite option, is to collect your own. Collecting a cephalopod can be both fun, educational and challenging. Before you head to the great outdoors, be sure to check the local fishing regulations for your area. A fishing licence is almost always needed and in some areas cephalopods can not be collected. Divers (especially those that dive at night), fishermen, and professors of invertebrate biology are likely to know if cephalopods are in your area. Some species are nocturnal and/or are active at dawn and dusk so you may have to be up in the wee hours to find them. Some species, like E. scolopes, can be collected in very shallow water while other species are easier to collect while snorkeling or diving. I typically use a dive net, the kind that has clear plastic sides around an aluminum frame and screening at the bottom. I also use a tickle stick. My partner's job is to keep a light on the critter and try not to drown herself by inhaling water while laughing at my efforts... Unfortunately, there aren't any 'true' cuttlefish (those with a cuttlebone) like Sepia spp. off of North America. There are some close relatives like E. scolopes and Rossia spp. though.
Once you have captured your critter, place him in a cooler. If you are going to be near the ocean for a while, do some water changes, especially if your cephalopod inks. If your trip home is going to be more than a few hours long and you have room, take some extra containers full of sea water in case your ceph inks on the way. Running a portable air pump will help keep the oxygen levels up. Also, try to keep your cephalopod out of the sun - cooler water holds more oxygen plus your ceph will need less oxygen at lower temperatures. Products that scavenge ammonia and balance pH, such as Stress Coat, can be used to help keep the water quality stable. If you have to keep your cephalopod in a sealed container for more than 6 or so hours use oxygen.
Sometimes live cephalopods can be bought from fishermen, shrimpers or (sniff) fish mongers for very reasonable prices. While the price may be very good the animals condition may range from excellent to very poor.
Now you know what cuttlefish are, why every serious marine aquarist should have at least one, and how to purchase them. What? You want to know what size tank to use, what to feed a cuttlefish, which tankmates are safe, what type of filtration and lighting is needed, etc. Well, you will just have to wait till next month's issue.
Part III; How do I keep a cuttlefish?
by James B. Wood
Parts one and two of this article on keeping cuttlefish described what cuttlefish are and how to purchase one. Our intrepid readers (that is you) were left hanging with this question in their minds: How do I keep one? This section will bring our intrepid readers up to speed on the filtration, foods, tank sizes, tank mates and lighting needed to successfully keep one of the most interesting creatures on the planet, the common cuttlefish.
Filtration
There is a plethora of books on the market that cover the science and art of setting up a marine aquarium. As this information is already readily available I will concentrate on specifics that apply to cephalopods. Hobbyists that are interested in keeping a cuttlefish and aren't yet familiar with the nitrogen cycle, the use of protein skimmers, pH, salinity, and the importance of regularly testing water quality are strongly encouraged to read several books on the subject first. Cephalopods aren't as hard to keep as many think; however, I'd advise against keeping them in your first marine aquarium.
Cuttlefish should be provided with well oxygenated, clean water. They are very sensitive to heavy metals, especially copper. Copper probes or chiller coils can not be used and metals should be kept out of the aquarium. 'Aquarium safe metals like stainless steel and titanium may be OK but should be kept to a minimum.
Since cuttlefish grow fast, eat a lot, and are active, it would be a good idea to slightly over-filter the tank. Canister filters, turf scrubbers, hang on the backs, wet/drys, fluidized bed filters or whatever the latest flavor of filter is, can all be used on a cuttlefish tank. Undergravel filters are not advised as cuttlefish often dig in gravel which could create dead spots. Also, the cuttlefish may get stressed when the gravel is cleaned. If you have small cuttlefish, place a sponge over the filter intake so that the cuttlefish does not get pinned to it.
No matter what you use as a filter, I would advise adding a protein skimmer, even if it is just a small one. Protein skimmers remove some waste products even before they decay into ammonia, and they also create a lot of water/air surface area which keeps the water well oxygenated. Carbon and/or resins like polyfilter can also be added in the filter. They remove unwanted organics as well as ink and heavy metals. Water changes of about 20% should be done monthly, and pH, salinity, ammonia, and nitrite should be monitored. Cuttlefish will ink if stressed. The ink should be siphoned out of the aquarium, and the cause of the stress should be located and removed if possible.
Cuttlefish should be housed in well established tanks - preferably ones that have been up and running successfully, with a biological load in them, for at least 3-4 months.
Lighting
Cuttlefish don't need any special kind of lighting. Keeping the lights to a minimum also reduces the growth of algae and one or two standard flourescent bulbs will suffice. Those keeping reef tanks and using much brighter lighting need not worry as the intense lighting will not bother cuttlefish; rapid increases in light level will though. New cuttlefish are especially prone to inking if their environment rapidly changes. For example, if someone bumps the tank or the lights come on suddenly they may ink. In addition to inking, nervous cuttlefish may react by jetting and hitting the side of the aquarium. This can cause the delicate skin to rip, exposing the muscle below, and is termed 'butt burn' by Dr. Jean Boul. This lesion can get worse if the animal continues to jet into the side of the tank and it can become infected. If you see this happening turn on the lights slowly and try not to startle your cuttlefish.
Temperature
Cephalopods live from the poles to the tropics and from the intertidal to the abyss. Sepia officinalis isn't a tropical species and it should be kept between 15-25° C (59-77° F). If your live in a warm climate, a fan blowing over the top of the water and moderate lighting is often all that is needed to cool a tank down enough for Sepia officinalis. If you buy a cuttlefish from a pet store try to find out where it was collected so you can make an educated guess regarding the temperature at which to keep it.
Tankmates
Cuttlefish such as Sepia officinals , are more social than octopuses and are generally found in loose groups in nature. A group of cuttlefish can be raised together in a large aquarium. However, if an adult male that has been raised by himself is introduced to another adult male they are likely to fight and may damage each other. Keep in mind that if food is limited, cephalopods can be cannibalistic.
Fish one intends to keep should not be kept with cuttlefish, they will either become dinner for them or vice versa. Like myself, cuttlefish will devour any crustacean in sight, so please keep them out of their tank unless they are intended as food. Cuttlefish might not be able to get hermit crabs out of their shells but they will certainly try. They generally leave echinoderms alone (sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers) though there are a few exceptions. Some cephalopods will eat bivalves, snails and worms while others do not. They won't try to eat the anthazoans (coral, sea anemones, zooanthids, etc), sponges and tunicates (sea squirts) found in reef tanks. However, some of the more aggressive hard corals can sting them. This is more likely to occur to octopuses as they usually are in contact with the bottom. Both cuttlefish and octopuses may move things like gravel and small rocks around.
Tank size
Tank size, of course, depends on the size, and the potential size of the animals that you are planning to keep. Some species like Euprymna scolopes, are small and can easily be kept in a ten gallon aquarium. Other species like Sepia officinalis get much larger - one of ours is approximately 15 inches long. I'd recommend at least a 40 gallon aquarium for a single Sepia officinalis . A larger tank certainly wouldn't hurt. (UPDATE/CORECTION: ACTAULLY I WOULD RECOMMEND 100 GALLONS PER ADULT CUTTELFISH. GROUPS OF SMALLER CUTTLEFISH CAN EASILY BE HELD IN MUCH SMALLER TANKS BUT AN ADULT COMMON CUTTLEFISH NEEDS MORE ROOM THAN I PREVIOUSLY INDICATED. ADULT MALES MAY NEED TO BE SEPERATED EVEN IN SYSTEM THAT IS 15 M DIAMETER.)
Feeding
Cuttlefish primarily eat live marine fish and crustaceans in nature and these are ideal foods for them in captivity as well. If you are lucky enough to live near a beach, estuary, or marine bait shop and can give your cephalopod live food it will love you forever. Healthy cephalopods eagerly go after live food and seem to be always hungry. A cuttlefish that hasn't eaten in a few days and does not go after live food is very ill. Unlike most octopuses, cuttlefish will still eagerly take food after they start laying eggs.
Luckily for inland aquarists, adult cuttlefish will often take frozen food such as frozen shrimp and fish and such foods can make up their staple diet. Variety is the spice of life for cephalopods as well as humans. Most large grocery stores have a good selection of frozen marine shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, squid, and fish to chose from. It may be necessary, especially at first, to skewer frozen food and swim it around the tank to get a feeding reaction. If you have been feeding frozen food for a while and are having problems feeding try temporarily switching to live food. Live freshwater crustaceans such as freshwater shrimp, crayfish and fish can also be used. Although live freshwater foods are not quite as nutritious as their marine cousins, cephalopods will grow and thrive on them, and they do elicit a healthy feeding response.
Cuttlefish do eat a lot, but like most marine creatures they can be overfed. A healthy cuttlefish that feels secure in its surroundings is very likely to 'beg' for food and train its owner to give it more than it needs - especially if it is being fed live food. Excess, uneaten food should be removed, as it will rot and may cause an ammonia spike. Proportions should also be reduced past the point where the little beast is able to eat everything. If your cuttlefish isn't eating very much of the frozen food that you are offering, switch back to live food for a while.
Underfeeding can also be a problem. Cephalopods can be cannibalistic especially when they are underfed. Boletzky and Hanlon (1983) report that one of the first signs of under feeding is the appearance of a dark longitudinal stripe on the dorsal (top or upper) side of the mantle.
Cuttlefish generally eat the meat out from crustaceans and discard the shells, but they ingest entire fish. Cuttlefish have a large cuttlebone, and they may get some of the calcium for it from their diet. It might be a good idea to occasionally fed them whole fish, either live or frozen.
Now you not only know where to purchase a cuttlefish, but what to feed one, how to filter the tank and what tank mates are likely to remain alive. There is only one question left. The question that all serious marine aquarists in this modern age want to know. The question that proves beyond a doubt to our spouses that our 'curiosity' with marine life goes well into the realm of obsession. The question that separates the amateurs from the truly addicted aquarists. The question: Can I breed them? See ya next month for the final section of this article and the answer to that question.
Part IV; How do cuttlefish reproduce?
by James B. Wood
You have read parts I, II and III of this article and already know where to purchase a cuttlefish and how to keep one. Now you want to know the hard core details, you want to delve into the sex life and reproductive biology of a creature that has been described as the closest thing we have to a living alien.
Many cephalopods are short lived and only reproduce once. For example, most tropical and semi tropical species of octopus live for a year or so, and the females die after their single brood of eggs hatch. The males also have short life spans. This strategy seems odd to us; people tend to associate long life spans and iteroparity (producing offspring more than once) with intelligence. It seems a waste for something as intelligent as a cephalopod to have such a short life cycle. Mammals, however, are just one of many groups of animals and we should not expect other groups to have the same reproductive strategies that we do.
The cephalopod strategy can best be summed up by the phrase 'live fast and die young', though there are a few exceptions. Sepia officinalis is fairly long lived for a cephalopod, they live for 1.5 to 2 years, depending primarily on temperature. Because of their short life spans, it isn't uncommon for a cephalopod to reach maturity and reproduce in a home aquarium.
OK, let's assume your goal is to mate cuttlefish and produce a second generation. Perhaps you want to help fill in the colossal demand that will surely appear once this article goes to print. Or perhaps you have heard of cephalopods' amazing cognitive abilities and wanted to train a small army of them to do the dishes, walk the dog or buy and sell securities.
The first thing you need is... correct! a male and a female cuttlefish. Adult cuttlefish are hard to sex and the only 100% reliable way to sex a live one is to see it mating or laying eggs. However, a male cuttlefish might aggressively display to a reflection of itself in a mirror. The aggressive display of cuttlefish consists of a vivid zebra stripped pattern, bulging eyes, and often lining up parallel to its reflection. Unfortunately, females will also occasionally do this display. We tried this method and lets just say that the 'flip a quarter method' would likely have been more productive. Another and more effective test, is to put two cuttlefish in a tank that is divided by a clear pane of plexiglass. If one cuttlefish displays the aggressive pattern and rushes head first at the other cuttlefish which is not striped and is brownish in color, you probably have a male and a female. Cuttlefish mate head to head. If you have two males they should both do the aggressive pattern and line up parallel to each other to size each other up. Unfortunately, if you put two males together that haven't grown up together they may fight. They should go through their assessment display first which gives you time to separate them.
Since sexing techniques are far from reliable, the best way to get mated cuttlefish is to raise a group together in a large aquarium. They can tell each others sex by sight and will mate readily when they are old enough to do so. By keeping several cuttlefish you are increasing the chances that you will have at least one male and one female. You will need a very large tank to raise a group of Sepia officinalis to maturity.
Unlike octopuses, female cuttlefish will lay eggs and continue to eat for several months. The large eggs are laid one at a time. My cuttlefish attached her eggs to the airline and incoming water tubing. The female incorporates ink into the egg case when she lays the eggs causing them to look a bit like a cluster of dark grapes. The eggs take approximately 50 days to develop depending on temperature.
Hatchling Sepia officinalis are one of the easiest species of cephalopods to rear. Currently, the National Research Center for Cephalopods has a 14th generation of consecutively lab raised Sepia officinalis . The hatchlings are fully formed versions of their parents at birth and do not go though a difficult to rear planktonic phase like many marine creatures do.
Hatchling cephalopods require live food. While Sepia officinalis is the only cephalopod species that has been reared through their youth on Artemia, I do not recommend using Artemia unless there are no other options as many of the cuttlefish will die and the growth rates of the survivors will be retarded. Mysid shrimp, small marine fish, amphipods, isopods, and other small live marine crustaceans and fish are ideal first foods. Bill Mebane, a scientist at the Marine Biological Lab at Wood's Hole, has had great success using newly hatched killifish (Fundulis grandis, sorry killifish lovers!) to feed hatchling cuttlefish. Killifish eggs can be ordered from Gulf Coast Minnows; their address is at the end of this article. The eggs can be shipped damp, are inexpensive, and are an especially great option for land locked aquarists. Essentially they are the Artemia of the fish world. I've heard that some aquarium stores are starting to regularly offer live amphipods (also known as scuds, hoppers, or beach fleas) for sale; these are the main food I have using to fed my hatchling cuttlefish.
Foods should be 0.5 to 1.5 times the mantle length of cuttlefish. Freshwater fish, fresh water amphipods and fresh water shrimp could be tried if live marine foods are not available. Artemia should only be tried as a last resort.
Hatchlings grow very quickly and will eat a lot of food. Most hatchling cephalopods double their weight every week or so for the first few months. To put that kind of growth rate into perspective, imagine how big you would be if your weight doubled every week! Food quality and quantity are very important at this point. If you have too many hatchlings it would be a good idea to farm some out to friends instead of starving all of them. If you need some friends, I'm sure there are plenty of people on ceph-list (see below) willing to adopt your excess cuttlefish.
Hatchlings can be reared as a group in a small tank, or in a floating container in your main tank. They will associate you with food and take food from tweezers, a skewer or your hand at a very young age. If all goes well, your cephalopods will quickly out grow their rearing containers and you can train them in international espionage and unleash them on the world.
Conclusion
In the last 20 years scientists have learned a lot about the husbandry requirements of cephalopods but unfortunately little of this information has filtered down to aquarists. Because of this, much incorrect or outdated information and advice on keeping cephalopods exits in the hobby; there still are no books for aquarists on keeping cephalopods. Hopefully articles such as this will convince aquarists to consider keeping a pet cephalopod. The common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, is an excellent choice for a new pet.
More information
I have a web page devoted to cephalopods at http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/index.html. On the page is a link to the 1994 FAMA article on keeping octopuses as well as information about ceph-list, a mailing list for cephalopod enthusiasts. Cephalopod life cycles and The UFAW handbook on the care & management of cephalopods in the laboratory are good books on cephalopods though they are not written for hobbyists. Hanlon and Messenger have recently published an excellent book on cephalopod behavior. All of these books are listed in the references.
Thanks for all the replies 
I will read that article right now Oddball.. 
I will read that article right now Oddball.. Thanks for the linkfishy12;4235789; said:
I actually recall reading some of that thread.. thanks for postingperfect_prefect;4235962; said:
