Cuttle Fish

[bg7003]

Hey,
I'm throwing around some ideas for my 55 gallon tank. I've always wanted a cuddle fish but i can't find any websites with information on keeping them let alone where to purchase one. Anyone know a good site for information or where to buy one?

 

[Colin_T]

cuddle fish, how cute. All those arms wrapping around you, little suction cups sticking to you

I assume you mean cuttlefish, like an octopus but with a couple more arms and they cruise around in the water rather than lurking around on the bottom.
Some specialist marine shops will order them in for you, but you will have to pay up front. Then it could be a while before they get one in, depending on their suppliers. If you live near the beach in any country that has average to warm water, you can usually catch your own. However many temperate species grow big and the tropical ones are smaller and do better in tanks.

They are pretty easy to keep, especially if you get a young one. They quickly learn to take different foods but love chasing live shrimp. They will also eat fish.

Keep the water really clean because they are sensitive to chemicals and poor water quality. Keep the ammonia & nitrite at 0 and the nitrate as close to 0ppm as possible, (but less than 20ppm is normally fine). A protein skimmer should be used on their tank along with activated carbon in the filter, (just in case they ink).

As mentioned there are tropical and temperate varieties so you will need to warm or cool the water depending on the species being kept.

If tank size is a concern then you can get dumpling squid (from Australia) and these are tiny (golfball size) and do well in small tanks (100litres or so).

 

[seffieuk]

Saw the title and thought, wow, really, a cuddle fish - heck what is a cuddle fish? Then I read Colin's reply and all became apparent, too apparent, I wanted there to be a Cuddle fish

Seffie x

 

[Trod]

LOL spot the difference

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWvCrPru18

or


http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8BHYtZRr2I


Its a lovely thought though, a cuddle fish

 

[seffieuk]

Thanks for that Sis, amazing


Seffie x

 

[bg7003]

Ha ha cuddle fish. Sorry it was late when i wrote this post. I did mean CUTTLE fish ha ha. Ok thanks guys, i found this great research center in texas that also sells them to the public. I heard some really good reviews about this place. After talking to a guy at my LFS he ordered some from there. There supposedly really easy to keep. Thanks a bunch.

 

[seffieuk]

Looking forward to the photos

Seffie x

 

[bae1994]

sorry to hijack but would they be any good with my stocking

 

[Colin_T]

sorry to hijack but would they be any good with my stocking

nope, they will eat some of the fish, hermit crabs and shrimp.

 

[bae1994]

what fish and are they reefsafe

 

[Trod]

Found this, really interesting article, its in 4 parts (link is to part III, but if you scroll to bottom you can access part IV which then has link to part I and II )

[URL="http/www.thecephalopodpage.org/cuttle3.php"]http/www.thecephalopodpage.org/cuttle3.php[/URL]


There is loads of info on there just follow links

http/www.thecephalopodpage.org/

 

[Colin_T]

they are reef safe and will be fine with corals and anemones. But they will eat any fish small enough to catch. And any fish big enough to not get eaten, will often pick on the cuttlefish. If you want one then keep it in a tank on its own or in a coral tank, but no fish or shrimp unless they are for food.