Captive Squid?

[Keith]

I've heard that some small speicies of squid can be kept in captivity. What kinds? And do you need a special tank like the ones used for jellies? Is this something more suited for a lab or can it be successfully done in a home setting?

 

[monty]

Most squid species are a nightmare to keep in captivity, but I've heard of people having some success with bobtails (Euprymna sp.) most likely because they act more like cuttles than most squids. Sepioteuthis might similarly be cuttle-like enough that they'd have less problems, but I don't know that anyone's tried it without pro lab equipment, and the people who know this stuff don't seem to recommend it. The arrow squids Steve & co kept had to keep swimming all the time, needed a lot of room, and got sufficiently cannibalistic to eat each other until there was only one left...

 

[Keith]

Is there anyone on Tonmo that has kept bobtails? I think I read something about their care here.

 

[Animal Mother]

Someone was keeping a few a while back. Don't remember the members name, but it didn't end happily.

Someone else on RC is apparently keeping some Caribbean reef squids he found, hasn't kept the thread updated though.

 

[monty]

littlemarley is the one who was keeping them; most of the threads about hers have "the bobs" so google for

tonmo "the bobs" will get at least some of that. Euprymna scolopes has been used in laboratory research a lot, so there are some professional papers on husbandry for them. I'm not sure if people tend to use captive-bred or if they collect eggs in the wild, but they have certainly been used to study genetics and embryology, as well as symbiosis with the Vibrio bacteria they culture in their photophores.

I think Jean and maybe a few others have kept them in a professional capacity, too. I think the general impression is that they hide a lot, burying themselves in the sand.

 

[Keith]

huh. interesting. are squid kept in the same fashion as jellies (round tanks)? I'd think if they're swimming a lot they'd bump into walls fairly frequently. with fragile parts that might be a no go.

 

[Animal Mother]

I believe cylindrical tanks were suggested. The bobtails just need a sandbed to bury themselves in, not so much room to swim. I really wish that guy on RC would update his thread.

 

[DWhatley]

Speaking of RC, I keep a notification on my favorite thread there and noticed you and Greg popping in recently

 

[Animal Mother]

Speaking of RC, I keep a notification on my favorite thread there and noticed you and Greg popping in recently

Which one would that be?

Yeah, Greg's got my back!

 

[DWhatley]

Which one would that be?

Do you have to ask? I was watching that thread from before Buddy went on vacation so I viewed it real time and still recommend it as the best thread on the net.