Where to get cheap hawaiin bobtail squid

[frisbeefanatic]

I live along the upper east coast of the US in Rhode island and am interested in seeing just how inexpensive it is to obtain a good amount of these little critters

 

[NickA5582]

Welcome to Tonmo, FrisbeeFanatic.

It would be pretty difficult to obtain one since they are only found in Hawaii and aren't available on the market. The NRCC has them, but only will sell them for educational purposes. Plus they don't make that great of pets, they're nocturnal and only live for 3-11 months and about 90% of the time they'll be buried under the sand.

 

[marinebio_guy]

I have seen they once on the market and where going for $200 each and where marked as cuttlefish. I fell sorry for the person who purchased them, because they probably lived about a month or two before they died.

 

[frisbeefanatic]

Well thanks for the response. I was looking for them for eduaction purposes for RWU college and seeing if i could come up with a better deal than they were getting supplied with to study.

 

[marinebio_guy]

well I work for the nrcc and I not think you will be able to find them anywhere else unless you are lucky

 

[Cephkid]

Actually, if octomush is still around here somewhere, you might ask him... :?

BTW, the sepiolid your thinking of only live 3-8 months from egg...

 

[Kcks11_ideal]

well I work for the nrcc and I not think you will be able to find them anywhere else unless you are lucky

hey i would like to buy a few of these bobtail squids for my ornithology teacher,(he also teaches marine biology and has dozens of saltwater tanks) as a gift and was wondering where I could get some. He is saying how whenever he tries to get any kind of squid alive they always ink and kill themselves before they get to him. I would like to get maybe like 3 or 4 for him. If you could inform me on where to get these that'd be great thanks! these squids would of course be for his marine biology classes.!
here is my email if you are able to respond! [email protected]

 

[pkilian]

I would advise a word of caution before purchasing any ceph as a pet for someone else. They require a lot of work and your teacher may not have tanks set up and prepared to handle these squids. I would inquire with them beforehand to see if they have the means to house the squids and the live food that they will need to eat.

Bobtail squids are some of the more difficult squids to keep in captivity. I speak from personal experience. They are also quite expensive (typically upwards of $100+ per individual). So if you are okay with the price point and your teacher has the means to keep the animals alive, then you can try to search for them. I know the Marine Biology Lab in Woods Hole, MA has a few males left, and you may be able to purchase them, but they would be $250 per individual (I'm checking their pricing guide right now) and they wont have them for a long time (I know they are phasing out their e. scolopes breeding program).

There are also another sister species of bobtail squid from Japan called the euprymna berryi which are about twice the size as the e. scolopes and may be more readily available. I have previously purchased them from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, but I am unsure if they sell to hobbyists.

Another squid that might be interesting to you is the "Pajama squid" (sepioloidea lineolata) they are much more hardy and ship better than scolopes do. I think they might be available for purchase from MBL. They are $175 per adult but you may be able to find them cheaper online somewhere.

In general, squids are very hard to find for sale, and do not ship very well, so you may find your efforts best rewarded by purchasing a fish or an octopus for your teacher.

I will keep an eye out and if I do see any bobtail squids for sale, I'll let you know.

 

[Kcks11_ideal]

I would advise a word of caution before purchasing any ceph as a pet for someone else. They require a lot of work and your teacher may not have tanks set up and prepared to handle these squids. I would inquire with them beforehand to see if they have the means to house the squids and the live food that they will need to eat.

Bobtail squids are some of the more difficult squids to keep in captivity. I speak from personal experience. They are also quite expensive (typically upwards of $100+ per individual). So if you are okay with the price point and your teacher has the means to keep the animals alive, then you can try to search for them. I know the Marine Biology Lab in Woods Hole, MA has a few males left, and you may be able to purchase them, but they would be $250 per individual (I'm checking their pricing guide right now) and they wont have them for a long time (I know they are phasing out their e. scolopes breeding program).

There are also another sister species of bobtail squid from Japan called the euprymna berryi which are about twice the size as the e. scolopes and may be more readily available. I have previously purchased them from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, but I am unsure if they sell to hobbyists.

Another squid that might be interesting to you is the "Pajama squid" (sepioloidea lineolata) they are much more hardy and ship better than scolopes do. I think they might be available for purchase from MBL. They are $175 per adult but you may be able to find them cheaper online somewhere.

In general, squids are very hard to find for sale, and do not ship very well, so you may find your efforts best rewarded by purchasing a fish or an octopus for your teacher.

I will keep an eye out and if I do see any bobtail squids for sale, I'll let you know.

my teacher has many saltwater tanks and has quarantine areas for sick fish, he has filters and has many many difficult to take care of eels and fish like ribbon eels and seahorses, he has had experience with a few sharks but the shark wouldn't eat and eventually died, the longest living one lived for about 4 weeks-2 months I think, whenever a fish died from unknown reasons, old age or parasites I always suggest certain fish that i would enjoy and i know that he would enjoy as well, he also had a stingray,(it probably ate the shark) but everytime i suggest a new species to him he always shows interest in a few squids, he has told me that he has ordered a few cuttlefish, but whenever he does order a squid it always died before he receives it, it inks in its container, and dies.
My teacher often travels to other countries, (thanks to colleges sponsoring him) he travels to different countries for the protection of birds, and marine life, His name is Adam Blundell, pretty famous birder from where I live, very well known, in a few f his tanks he breeds certain types of saltwater fish (sometimes not intentionally) and he grows his own corals.
I would like to help him get his own squid, if he didn't have the means to do so I wouldn't show any interest of helping him, because I am only interested in the health of these animals and am helping him because he enjoys marine life as do I and would like to experience a squid being in his capable hands, I trust him, as do many many more people.
Not to brag or anything but I do often train some of these animals behind his back
recently I suggested to him that he get a squid, then he told me how he has tried to get them in the past, if it be possible I would want to buy him 1 or 2 squids but have the shipping come with a type of filter just in case the animal does ink it doesn't die.
I would very much appreciate your help trying to get him a squid of his own, he has many empty tanks that I feel sad when I look at because of his fish coming to him after shipping in poor health dying a few days after receiving them. I believe that he is more than capable to take care of squids.
One of the options I proposed to him was to buy fertile squid eggs.

 

[Kcks11_ideal]

I don't think Adam Blundell has a preference to what squid he gets but I do think that pajama squid would be best for him.
and could provide a link to the mbl site that sells the squids? I have looked and can't find it.

 

[tonmo]

To be clear, this thread was from 2004, and the NRCC has long since closed. Just want to be sure there is awareness!

and could provide a link to the mbl site that sells the squids? I have looked and can't find it.

They are not selling to consumers at this time, but that may change!