DEATH SHRIMP (a.k.a. Mantis Shrimp) or maybe Cuttlefish breeding

sharkfinsean

Feeder Fish
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Dec 14, 2012
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Baltimore, MD
Hello,
I am currently in high school and next year, I'm going into a science research class where I get to research a topic about biology, in my case:Breeding Mantis Shrimp/ Cuttlefish. My first question, Is it possible to breed Mantis Shrimp? If so, which mantis is easiest to breed? I've read up on the breeding habits of a few mantises and I've found that either the lunar cycle or the summer temperatures provoke breeding. Last question for the mantises, How would you go about rearing the baby mantises?
I haven't seen much in the way of rearing Mantis shrimp so I thought that trying to breed a Cuttle might be easier than the mantis since people have actually bred Cuttlefish with success. The type of Cuttle I would like to try breeding would be the Sepia bandensis, the Dwarf cuttlefish. I understand that the cuttlefish requires excellent water conditions which I could easily provide. What kind of tank do they prefer, planted, reef, species only? How do I get them to breed? How do I go about rearing the babies? Are there any special things I need to know for keeping them?
I understand that you may think that my project might be a bit expensive or complex for a high school project but I have ample experience with keeping fish tanks, over 10 yrs with fresh and about a year and a half with salt but I have done very well and have a thriving reef tank as well as I am an intern at the Baltimore National Aquarium.
Any information or insight would be well appreciated. Thanks for taking your time to read and hopefully help me out.
~Sean
 

Oddball

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With a deadline involved for a project, I'd forget the mantis shrimp since chances are high that your pairs will kill each other often before you find a pair that will breed. There are a couple of smaller cuttlefish species that can be raised and spawned in captivity without special or additional equipment than is used on a normal marine setup. I suggest checking out:

http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/

for info on maintaining/spawning these animals. Too bad this wasn't a couple of years ago. There was a company called octopets that sold cuttlefish eggs, juvies, and breeding pairs.
 

sharkfinsean

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 14, 2012
69
0
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25
Baltimore, MD
Hello,
Thanks for the reply. Do you know any other companies that might sell a breeding pair of cuttles? Also, I have hears stories that cuttlefish get really stressed during shipping, is there a company that can ship cuttles well?
Thanks
~Sean

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