Cuttlefish at LFS!!!

[PupChow]

Imagine my surprise when I actually saw a cuttlefish for sale at my LFS! It was in a 40 breeder tank, and its around 3 inches. Definitely one of the most unique/cutest thing I've seen. As soon as I bended down to take a closer look, it inked and jeted away, oops... I have to admit, I was so tempted... but the $199 price tag was a nice slap in the face. Now, do cuttlefish usually fetch that high a price?

 

[OctoMonkey]

Wow, what a price!!!!!!
Depending what species it is it may not be worth anywhere near that! When I got mine they cost around Ã"šÃ‚£15 each (including shipping I think that will be around $22???). But living in the UK means i have easier access to the common cuttlefish. At 3 inches a common cuttle would be around 3-4 months old with potentially another year to eighteen months to live. However, many tropical species are fully grown at 3 inches and may only have 1-6 months to live. A lot of money for such a short time!
The cuttlefish are far more likely to ink than an octopus! You should see the state of a protein skimmer when 7 cuttles decide to ink all at the same time


The reason why they are so expensive in North America is because there are no species of cuttlefish found in surrounding waters and they are quite difficult to transport from abroad. If they ink in the water they die from asphyxiation. The ink coats their gills.

Colin

 

[cephalopoder]

Yeah I would say it's a bit over priced. But seeing how hard cuttlefish are to get in the USA for the hobbyist, it doesn't surprise me. In what store exactly in MD did you see it. A friend of mine lives in MD, and he currently has a few cuttles. If he's close he might want to swing by and ID it. On the other hand if you really wanted it, you could give the store a number to reach you incase they decide to sell it at cost. That's something they might be willing to do if it sits there for a period rather than take the loss incase it dies. I wouldn't pay 200 though too many risks involved as Colin says with out a species ID. Cuttles can be more prone to infection too like butt burn and eye infections. They can also be threatened by microbubbles. They are best left to the experienced ceph owner, something the typical LFS customer is not. Or the LFS itself for that matter.
Chris

 

[PupChow]

The store I saw it in was Totally Fish at Layhill, Onley; if your friend needs direction please let me know. Yeah $200 is definitely too steep for me, maybe if its 40ish I'll pick him up =b But it was definitely a cool experience to see a cuttlefish in person!

They also have a cool angler, but got lots of air bubbles around one of its eye, doesn't look too good =(

 

[Jonniefish]

Retail pricing for most of the Cuttlefish i sell is usually 60-80 bucks.They really don't ship well and the LFS in question might be trying to recoup on some others he lost.That practice is frowned upon at my store.

 

[cephalopoder]

Thats good. 60-80 is a fair price. But 200 is down right wrong!!! How often do you carry cuttles?
chris

 

[Jonniefish]

If they were always available i'd always have em.Unfortunatly i'm only able to get 10 or so a year.If i could house them together it would be great because when available i could get a bunch when they are around.I only have 2 suitable places to keep em though.

 

[cephalopoder]

Cuttle fish can do ok with more than one in a tank depending on the tank size, cuttle size and age. How big are they when you get them and do you know the species? Sepia.o?

 

[cephalopoder]

cuttlefish ID

cuttlefish ID

Ok I had my resident cuttlefish expert (Jimbo) who lives in MD go to Totally Fish and ID the cuttlefish they had.
It is Sepia bandensis. It can be found on page 57 of Mark Normans ceph world guide. It is a small species of cuttlefish that uses its arms to walk, instead of swimming. At 3" it is a adult. A vey unique and hard to get cuttlefish.

 

[PupChow]

Wow, just got a bunch of CelphList emails regarding that cuttle, cool Too bad I don't have money to spare right now, otherwise I would most defintely pick him up! Hrmm... maybe I should work there for a discount...

WILL WORK FOR CUTTLES!

 

[jamesbwood]

Right, $199, sigh. At that price Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m not getting any either unless I somehow get sponsored or can get a grant to try and breed them. Anyway, that isnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t a Sepia officinalis they have for that price. They are selling Metasepia, at least that is what there picture was when I last looked. Look that name up in Mark Normandââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s book (or similiar) and you will understand what all the drooling is about!

Dr. James B. Wood