I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

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Arny
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I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

Hey Guy's

I just picked up a Flamboyant Cuttlefish. I didn't take these pix but they are from the LFS where I bought him from :D
Flamboyant Cuttlefish1.JPG
Flamboyant Cuttlefish2.JPG
Flamboyant Cuttlefish3.JPG
Flamboyant Cuttlefish4.JPG
Flamboyant Cuttlefish5.JPG
He cost me £150 which is a lot but it's something I've wanted for ages. They grow to 3 inches and only live for about 18 months. He's got a 55g all to himself as he eats fish, shrimp and crabs

What do you think? :)
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by jus85411 »

hes just awesome! i would like to see some brighter pictures though so you can see his colors and detail more though. other than that congrats and im jealous :) 4th picture looks like their is two of them there lol
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by J-P »

boo!!

you should not have it....
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

J-P wrote:boo!!

you should not have it....
?
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by bertie 83 »

£150 for a fish that lives 18 months. Crikey. Nice fish tho
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by J-P »

no way, no how, should that critter be in your possession.

a) they are very rare. Having one in your possession = 100+ less in the wild, which goes to b)
b) They can not breed in captivity. They only live a few years at the most... short lived and lots of offspring. That will not happen in possession.

The trade is killing the species. More so than any other captive fish (including puffers). Difficult to keep, deadly, and short lived without a chance to breed.

Sorry, as beautiful as they are... they should not be in the trade.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

J-P wrote:no way, no how, should that critter be in your possession.

a) they are very rare. Having one in your possession = 100+ less in the wild, which goes to b)
b) They can not breed in captivity. They only live a few years at the most... short lived and lots of offspring. That will not happen in possession.

The trade is killing the species. More so than any other captive fish (including puffers). Difficult to keep, deadly, and short lived without a chance to breed.

Sorry, as beautiful as they are... they should not be in the trade.
Are you just talking about the Flamboyant Cuttlefish or cuttlefish in general?

People have been breeding cuttlefish at home for ages, check out http://www.tonmo.com.

There's loads of cuttlefish living around the coasts of england.

If this spieces/type of cuttlefish is rare then I understand your concern. This guy is gona get a good life with me, eating as much as he wants and in good water conditions.
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by J-P »

this is the Flamboyant,

and yes, I am familiar with the site and am a member. you don't know the age of your cuttlefish. You don't know if it will live a year or 6 months or a week or 2 years. No, it can not reproduce in an aquarium setting. Not as we know it.

If you don't take my word for it.. there are many others who can back this up.

I also wanted one for my tank. After contacting the various specialists I was taught how detrimental it was.

No way, no how. Best to go on a dive.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by LongGrain »

Arny wrote:
J-P wrote:no way, no how, should that critter be in your possession.

a) they are very rare. Having one in your possession = 100+ less in the wild, which goes to b)
b) They can not breed in captivity. They only live a few years at the most... short lived and lots of offspring. That will not happen in possession.

The trade is killing the species. More so than any other captive fish (including puffers). Difficult to keep, deadly, and short lived without a chance to breed.

Sorry, as beautiful as they are... they should not be in the trade.
Are you just talking about the Flamboyant Cuttlefish or cuttlefish in general?

People have been breeding cuttlefish at home for ages, check out http://www.tonmo.com.

There's loads of cuttlefish living around the coasts of england.

If this spieces/type of cuttlefish is rare then I understand your concern. This guy is gona get a good life with me, eating as much as he wants and in good water conditions.
yes, those are rare. even if you read articles on them, many of them say "IF this species weren't so rare and their population were more stable, they WOULD be a great candidate for home aquariums"

and I don't think j-p is saying in any way shape or form that you can't take care of that animal, nor that you won't give it a good life, he's saying that so long as it is in your aquarium its not out repopulating its species, which becomes a big deal when a species is threatened.

Its like if there were one mating pair of dodo birds left on the planet, but you kept one in a cage and justified it by saying you will give it a great life. In the big picture you're still hurting the species as a whole.

Granted you can't do much about it now as those animals are native to southeast asia, and i highly doubt theres any way to return it to its natural habitat and give it a chance to breed.
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

J-P wrote:you don't know the age of your cuttlefish. You don't know if it will live a year or 6 months or a week or 2 years.
I'm aware of the risk I've taken that he may die of old age soon but I'm ok with that.
I've researched keeping Cuttlefish and the ones I researched were sepia bandensis and sepia officinalis (the Common Cuttlefish that lives in the English channel) which both can and have bred in captivity. I'll admit though I never knew how rare Flamboyant cuttlefish were. If I had come across that info before I wouldn't have bought a Flamboyant cuttlefish. I would've bought some sepia bandensis/sepia officinalis eggs from someone on http://www.tonmo.com. Lesson learn't
Last edited by Arny on Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by J-P »

Hi J-P,
There are ethical and practical reasons for avoiding Flamboyant Cuttlefish and Blue Ring Octopus for your aquarium:
1. Neither are captive bred so purchasing one equates to the depletion of the wild population; keep in mind that for every one that makes it to the LFS a lot more die during capture and transit.
2. Both are quite short lived and generally are about half way through their lives by the time they are available for purchase.
3. Although both animals can be visually striking and capable of fascinating behavior you'll find that those traits are rarely on display. Natural behavior for a blue ring is to stay denned-up and hidden most of the time. 'Flashing' the blue rings is a threat display and should be very rare from a properly kept animal. Likewise, flamboyant cuttles flash their colors to advertise that they are not edible (they're toxic and want potential predators to know). Again, if they are comfortable and feel safe in your tank they aren't going to be all that colorful.
4. In home aquarium terms, both are top predators; with the possible exception of cnidarians and echinoderms everything else in the tank is potentially on the menu for either animal.
5. Finally, blue rings are biters and their bite can be very serious. There is some disagreement as to how common it is for a blue ring bite to be fatal but it has happened often enough and their toxin is well enough understood that fatalities should not be considered to be a fluke accident.
As an alternative, you might consider one of the captive bred species of octopus or cuttle. Pygmy cuttlefish and Two-spot octopus are each bred in captivity and can usually be found on the market. Each is also arguably more interesting in terms of behavior than their "prettier" counterparts.
If you haven't done so already, I suggest you check out http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/ and http://www.tonmo.com/ both sites are excellent resources on cephalopods and their husbandry.
Alternatively yours,
Alex
this advice was backed up by an actual scientist...

and that is the reason why we research before we buy.....

I don't want to bash you in any way.. but that purchase made my head spin. I haven't read about those in the trade for a while.... I thought they were out of it.

BUT... now that you do have it... take LOTS of pics... and love it!! This is probably the most rare find on TPF in ages!!
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR55G ... pqlgec1A2Q
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Arny
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

J-P wrote:
Hi J-P,
There are ethical and practical reasons for avoiding Flamboyant Cuttlefish and Blue Ring Octopus for your aquarium:
1. Neither are captive bred so purchasing one equates to the depletion of the wild population; keep in mind that for every one that makes it to the LFS a lot more die during capture and transit.
2. Both are quite short lived and generally are about half way through their lives by the time they are available for purchase.
3. Although both animals can be visually striking and capable of fascinating behavior you'll find that those traits are rarely on display. Natural behavior for a blue ring is to stay denned-up and hidden most of the time. 'Flashing' the blue rings is a threat display and should be very rare from a properly kept animal. Likewise, flamboyant cuttles flash their colors to advertise that they are not edible (they're toxic and want potential predators to know). Again, if they are comfortable and feel safe in your tank they aren't going to be all that colorful.
4. In home aquarium terms, both are top predators; with the possible exception of cnidarians and echinoderms everything else in the tank is potentially on the menu for either animal.
5. Finally, blue rings are biters and their bite can be very serious. There is some disagreement as to how common it is for a blue ring bite to be fatal but it has happened often enough and their toxin is well enough understood that fatalities should not be considered to be a fluke accident.
As an alternative, you might consider one of the captive bred species of octopus or cuttle. Pygmy cuttlefish and Two-spot octopus are each bred in captivity and can usually be found on the market. Each is also arguably more interesting in terms of behavior than their "prettier" counterparts.
If you haven't done so already, I suggest you check out http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/ and http://www.tonmo.com/ both sites are excellent resources on cephalopods and their husbandry.
Alternatively yours,
Alex
this advice was backed up by an actual scientist...

and that is the reason why we research before we buy.....

I don't want to bash you in any way.. but that purchase made my head spin. I haven't read about those in the trade for a while.... I thought they were out of it.

BUT... now that you do have it... take LOTS of pics... and love it!! This is probably the most rare find on TPF in ages!!
I know you're not bashing me mate, I totally understand what you are saying. I'm gutted now that I've done this, I was going to post a thread on here a couple of days ago saying that my LFS could get these and that I was going to get one. Wish I had now as I would've defenatly given it a miss :(
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by jus85411 »

honestly, if it was for sale somewhere, someone else would have purchased it if you did not. just be happy you came across him before someone who didnt know better but had the money to spend. get us more pictures :)
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by suvattii2012 »

Very nice looking isnt it. Are the common ones brown? Shame there so little around nomore i learn something. Does it crush live crabs up?
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Re: I've just got a Flamboyant Cuttlefish :D

Post by Arny »

suvattii2012 wrote:Are the common ones brown?
sepia officinalis
sepia officinalis.JPG
sepia bandensis
sepia bandensis.jpg
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