Has anyone here ever owned Bobtail Squid?

[Octavarium]

Also not quite sure where to put this in forums, because they seem more like an benthic octopus than pelagic squid from what little I know. But there small size, cute looks and colors, and being a ceph definitely interested me..I just have never seen any around for sale. When I had my hummelincki girl years ago, I seem to remember someone on here having one? Is that person still here, and if so are they practical to keep if I set up a 40-60g tank JUST for cephs and maybe few coral? Not too much info on them in any books or internet I have seen, but would love to see some videos of them if any aquarist owns.

 

[robyn]

Hi! I have a lab at San Francisco State where we culture bobtails. I think you could keep a couple in a 40-60g tank pretty easily. Bear in mind they are extremely short-lived, with typical captive lifespans of around three months reported as standard. We've got a couple of elderly ladies in my lab here that are between 5 and 6 months, but that's still short, even by ceph standards. You could breed them though - they are one of the easier species to rear.
Send me PM and we can chat more about them if you like. I have a few pics here of our setup.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Octovarium,
Over the years, I think a couple of hobbyists have kept bobtail squid.
So good luck, Robyn will be a great help in finding out more about keeping them.

Nancy

 

[tonmo]

@Octavarium, here's a thread from 2008:
help for the bobs