Brief Squid (Lolliguncula brevis)

[RoFlores]

Hellow folks, while fishing in the intercoastal waters of north Myrtle Beach I found some squid no more than 3 feet from me in les than 2 feet of water !!! I was not prepared to collect any but will return tonight. I got one out of the water in a jar to examine it. The mantle was about 2 inches long and the arms about 1 to 1.5 inches long. I saw a dozen or so and all where around the same size but one that was almost twice that. I think they are brief squid. I'll take some pics tonight and get my equipment ready to try and bring some back home alive. Has any one ever captured or housed this species? They would be perfect being so small and tolerate different salinities.

Ro

 

[skywindsurfer]

Squid are extremely difficult to transport and even more difficult to keep alive in captivity. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing some pictures. By the way, what do you plan on keeping them in at home and how do you plan on transporting them? Also how far are you from the collection site?

 

[RoFlores]

I have a 120 gl. tank at home waiting for whatever I get. I have had a great success in transporting just about anything in 5gl buckets with an air pump attached to them. We are staying in a condo in north Myrtle Beach and the place I saw them is just 5 minutes from here but then there would be a 7 hour drive home... I'll post pics as soon as I get them. I have a new underwater camera I want to try but it's kind of murky so we will see if it works.

 

[neurobadger]

ceph's The Cephalopod Page has more information on squid keeping. It is not for the squeamish or the money-skint.

I would not attempt it unless you have a very large cylindrical tank which has a continuous current.

Short answer: Don't.

 

[neurobadger]

In my experience I've found most beachside establishments to be almost hilariously underinformed regarding the care of their animals.

I reported one to the ASPCA once.

 

[skywindsurfer]

O7hrs is a long drive to transport squid in a 5g bucket with an airstone. Your best bet would be to get a large round tub(30+ gallons) with some way to circulate the water around the tub to keep the squid in the center. A thin layer of sand on the bottom and some sargassum floating on the top may help to keep the animals calm. I know its risky, but its best to wait right until you are ready to leave to collect them and set up the transportation bucket. Squid are extreme predators and consume roughly 60% of their body weight daily, so be prepared to fork up the cash to feed them. They also will probably only accept live food. Like neurobadger said, a large cylinder with continuos circular flow is a must, otherwise they will slam into the walls and die.

 

[skywindsurfer]

neurobadger-

How large of a cylinder or what dimensions would you say is a good size for a small group (1-5) squid?

 

[neurobadger]

Don't ask me. I'd direct your questions to Dr. James Wood (ceph), who's got experience keeping these.

I know Dr. Steve O' Shea's set records keeping some squid in captivity.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thanks.

 

[neurobadger]

To get an idea of how big the suggested tank is, here's a short abstract with tank sizes:

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200405/000020040504A0057065.php

 

[RoFlores]

Thanks for the info, these squid are found in the intercoastal water, lots of marsh, sedge and turtle grass, and lots of oyster shells. They are not in the open ocean. I will catch lots of ghost shrimp to keep them entertained while on the trip home. I can't wait for it to be dark.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Regardless of where they are found, the will still need a large tank(preferably cylindrical) to keep them suspended in the water column and away from the walls. Most intertidal squid(from what I've read) only live in these marshy areas for a short while until they reach a larger stage in their life cycle where they move to deeper and deeper water. It also has to do with the sex of the animal as well. I read somewhere that one sex frequents shallow waters as adults while the other stays primarily in deep water. Never the less these areas cover vast distance whether it is three feet deep or three houndred feet deep. So these animals have the freedom of moving horizontally as far as they want with no restrictions. Squid are neutrally bouyant so they must continuously swim. Some may rest for short periods, but for the most part you will have this miny torpedo hovering around your tank. They are also very easily scared. I'm not trying to discourage you from trying, I just want you to have the facts and be prepared. You need to be very carefull with putting prey items in the transportation bucket. Some animals when overwhelmed with prey animals can stress out easily. If the prey animals are too large they can potentially damage the squid. I would say it wouldn't hurt to have some in that 5 gallon bucket with an air stone and every so often drop in a few as you travel.

 

[neurobadger]

I'm going to be the forum butthead and say that you ought to deposit the little buggers back where they came from. Lolliguncula brevis is pelagic, but clusters around the mouths of rivers and in brackish areas because it can tolerate low salinity - only because there's a bunch of stuff to munch on.

 

[OB]

It's a bit like trying to keep Black Marlin in a home aquarium...

 

[RoFlores]

Well, last night we got to where I had seen them the night before, and to my horror there are 2 or 3 guys with cast nets catching bait !!! and to further my horror what they where catching was nothing more than squid !!! I had a real hard time finding any when they finally left. One of the fishermen stuck around to see what the heck was I doing wading in the dark in the marsh grass ( no doubt waiting for me to be eaten by something) after 1 hour of not finding any he said "here try my cast net." I tried to explain that the monofilament of the cast net would hurt the squid and I wanted them alive. Again, zoooom right over his head, he said "I'm done fishin if you want what I have left in my bucket" so I took the last 3 back home. This morning I went back to the same spot, and to culminate my horror, I found 5 or 6 squid dry on the ground that had been missed when the cast net was brought onto shore.

I arranged the 3 I took with a filter and an air stone in a large tub, and gave them some ghost shrimp. They all made it thru the night. I understand the concern about me taking some of them with me. But the very very few I will take are no comparison with the hundreds that are used for bait every day. I almost exclusively keep what I can catch, I made an exception after years of looking for an octopus and not being able to find one. So crucify me if you must but this 3 are coming home with me.

Ro