The Puffer Forum

J-P wrote:boo!!

you should not have it....

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!

suvattii2012 wrote:Are the common ones brown?