Hawaiian Bobtail Squid

[Reef Geek]

I'll be sure to check when the time comes. I'll have to work around my kids because my son doesn't handle it very well when our friends leave us.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Its not dead, its sleeping. Lol

 

[neurobadger]

Are you saying that the tips stick to anything they touch even in a dead animal? If so, can you see anything (or possible look when the second one passes if you did not look at this one under a magnifying glass/microscope) different than normal suckers at the tips, something more velco like perhaps?.

I can vouch that this happens in Dosidicus gigas.

 

[OB]

Or even severed feeding tentacles on Architeuthis, ask

 

[bathypol]

Aren't they also lacking any kind of internal shell?

They have a very short gladius similar to squid (at least the species I work on - Rossia spp.)

 

[Supernoob]

Yo! I live in oahu. I've been lurking till now but I'm really interested in starting up my own Ceph collection. I'm an avid spearfisherman and have seen many interesting cephs out here, but I don't know of anyone that keeps them as pets. Folks out here usually just eat them or use them for bait. Maybe I could collect some of those Bobtails for you. I've never been out spearing at night but i've been wanting to anyway so...You would have to explain to me how to ship them and I would have to get a fish collecting liscense and find out the legal stuff, but I'm sure we figure it out.

 

[OB]

supernoob. I am quite sure most of us here would prefer you observing or occasionally capturing bobtails to spearing them. Shipping these creatures is a skill of its own, please don't take it too lighthearted. Do you ever take pictures of your dives?

 

[Supernoob]

Thank You OB. I do not spear bobtails or octopus, I have merely observed them while hunting, and am interested in them as pets. I know shipping cephs is extremely difficult based on what i have read here, and I won't even attempt it unless i am certain I can do it safely. I am just starting to gather the equipment for a ceph tank so it will be quite a while before I have the experience to confidently ship them, but if that time comes I promise not to take it lightly. No. I haven't taken any pictures on my dives, but I am considering getting a GoPro camera to video them. Quick question. Does anyone have experience with the Hawaiian Day Octopus?

 

[DWhatley]

O. cyanea is so large and difficult to come by that we don't see many. MarineBio_guy caught some for the aquarium/lab? in Hilo and you might PM him for info on their needs. Neogonodactylus (Professor Roy Caldwell) answered a lot of keeping questions in a prior post but he is out of the country at the moment.

 

[iAlex]

How large are we talking D? Like a Vulgaris? Or bigger?

 

[DWhatley]

Look at the links in the post #39 (I have not kept one so Roy and MarineBio_Guy are the best sources). The link to MarineBio_Guy's thread has actual photos in a cooler and Roy's post (the second in the linked thread) gives a lot of nice detail. My impression is thicker than vulgaris but roughly the same mantle and arm lengths. IMO, cyanea would be the holy grail of octopuses but the Marginatus might be close.

 

[Supernoob]

Wow, thanks for the links DWhatley. I see them all the time when diving, I just didnt realize that they are big compared to other common octopus species. I guess my 55 gallon hex tank is a no go then? I could just use it for bob-tails and get a larger tank for cyanea. There is a 250 gallon all included acrylic on craigslist over here for a grand. Good deal you think? http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/grd/2552886769.html.

 

[Supernoob]

I'll keep you guys posted on how everything pans out. I think I may have secured myself a 250 gallon acrylic tank. Think that will do?

 

[DWhatley]

That sounds ideal + but you will likely want some kind of sump for the hardware (particularly the skimmer but it will also help with O2 exchange) inspite of the nice water volume that monster gives. You could partition off one end though, depending on your concerns for esthetics. Be sure to start a tank build out thread if you get it.

I'm jealous but I would not want to clean it!

 

[Supernoob]

The tank has a false back with an included filtration system. I'm hoping it can be octoproofed without to much problem. It used to be on display at some fancy sushi bar in honolulu. Do you think I'll have to modify the filtration much? It looks like a giant TRUVU.