Squids

[Dorkhedeos]

does anybody here have a squid? how big do they get?

 

[gatorman543]

It really depends on the type while Scuba Diving in St. Thomas i saw many under 4 inchs, but i am pretty sure that they get big fast. Some can easily reach over 5 feet. Cuttlefish (which look like squid can also get big)

 

[SirMinion]

All cephalopods are extraordinarily difficult to keep in captivity except in commercial sized or public aquaria.

 

[Teelie]

Only the octopus is able to be kept in captivity with some extraordinary expenses and set ups required to do it, then they die on you two or three years later. Short life spans.

 

[Opcn]

You have been here long enought to know that there is a section devoted to such things, saltwater invertabrits.

There are 5 classes of cephalopod, nautoloids octopi squids, cuttlefish, and then there is a fifth whos name I cannot remember, however, this fifth is the best group to keep in captivity as they are bottom bwellers who live in very shallow water and grow to only about 4 inches or so, very similar to cuttlefish.

 

[Def]

Somebody here has a captive octopus. I don't know who, use the search function. I distinctly remember them posting about it, getting shot down, getting it anyway and keeping it alive with no problems. They also posted a video of it in their tank.

 

[SirMinion]

Somebody here has a captive octopus. I don't know who, use the search function. I distinctly remember them posting about it, getting shot down, getting it anyway and keeping it alive with no problems. They also posted a video of it in their tank.

[snapback]864819[/snapback]​

This guy here
The last time he posted he'd had his octo for four months, a third of it's entire 12 month adult lifespan.

He stopped posting in January though, so there's been no updates.

For further octo keeping info, read this

 

[Stonker]

I distinctly remember them posting about it, getting shot down, getting it anyway and keeping it alive with no problems.

Really? You surprise me.

 

[Def]

Guess you were never a boy Scout then.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

anybody know what the smallest species of squid is? my dad said the biggest one he caught was 1 foot long.

 

[Dragonscales]

Octopi are NOT the only type of ceph you can keep in a home aquarium and their cost of setup as well as upkeep are comparable to most sw fish in the hobby.

Armed with the proper information most cephs (exceptions naturally apply to huge species, deep water species, etc) can also be kept quite easily in a home aquarium, a public or commercial aquarium is not needed. Many people keep cephs very successfully in their homes as well as breed them, squid included.

I don't know where some of you have gotten your info on cephs but alot of it is wrong, the fact that people have been breeding alot of species is testimony to that.

I have been looking into keeping cephs for a while now and found www.tonmo.com to be an invaluable source of info. I'm sure they could help you alot better with cephs dorkhedeos.

 

[Ed4567]

If you are considering keeping one then it may well be worth contacting the starter of this thread:
http/www.ultimatereef.net/forums/index.p...opic=45849&st=0

 

[steelhealr]

I think the main issue here is responsible fish keeping (or should I say cepahalopodia). There are so many species of aquatic life available now, thanks to the advent of FedEx and overnight shipping. The question comes down to the philosophy of what does one consider to be one's responsibility to reef systems in general, preserving endangered species or providing a market for animals that have shorter lifespand in captivity. Or..if the animal is already captured, will it have a better life in our own home aquariums?

-Should we keep cephalopods in a home aquarium?
-We could go on to sea stars, feather dusters, anemones...animals that, in most hands, will survive a few months or even a year but slowly starve to death?
-how about the start of the 'jellies' post....having backing from an aquarium specialist?

I'm not sure what the right ethical answers are. Perhaps we are better off looking at squid or octopi in a 4000 gallon tank at our local aquarium? Perhaps a few home jellyfish ain't bad? Food for thought. SH

 

[Dragonscales]

I totally agree steelhealr, as fishkeepers we should be 110% ready to take on a responsible attitude as well as actions in regards to the animals we keep. I would love nothing better than to see all wild caught species in the hobby be replaced by captive bred species, especially with rarer specimens. Fortunantly these days more and more people are successfully keeping and breeding cephs (much like seahorses but still not to that level) so one day soon we might see a dramatic decrease (and hopefully even an extinction) in the amount of wild caught specimens sold.

I also believe that knowledge is a key component in being able to care for any animal, that is why I always try to point people in the direction of specialist forums when a little known about species is mentioned on this forum. There is alot of info on the more bread and butter species in the hobby here, but when it comes to some of the more exotic fish out there alot of members here are often as uninformed as the people asking questions. I know it is agains the forum's rules to post other fish forum addresses here but I believe in these cases it is justified, both for the sake of the fish as well as the fact that I only post to specialised forums/websites, not ones that cater to fishkeeping in general like this one (thus eliminating any chance of lost members, etc).

All in all though, I believe myself to be as responsible with my hobby as I possibly can be. I plan to open an lfs one day to increase what I can actually do hands on for the hobby as well. I plan to breed as much of my own stock as I can as well as buying off local fish breeders to cut back on the amount of impact that is done on wild stocks, keeping accurate fact and care sheets on all species I keep which I will be placing with the fish upon purchase as well as declining service to people I know to be irresponsible fishkeepers. That is only a handfull of ideas I have for the shop when I finally open it, but you get the idea lol

 

[steelhealr]

Too bad you won't have a franchise here in NY. Lol SH