SQUIDCAM

[Steve O'Shea]

Big gamble today; increased the temp in the main tank by 2°C, so it's currently running at 22°C (I don't think I'll increase it that much more). Also, trialling a new food in there right now; there are abundant mysid shrimp (still), the majority at the bottom of the tank, but hiding away at the very surface are ~ 10 very scared juvenile yellow-eyed mullet. Have seen one get nailed already (by one of the smaller squid).

A few pics of the other tank follow....

 

[Octomush]

WOW COOL! I have a couple of questions...
1: Arent squid sposed to be canibals? Why arent they like all gone? I mean in a small enclosr like that I thought if there were that many they would go into like a frenzy...
2: I had the squidcam all to myself a little while ago and I got a pretty good look! It was really cool. But why were the squid schooling together?
3: Can the squid see the camera, because I could have sworn they were running from it. And one was just hovering there looking directly at it!
Thx!

 

[Steve O'Shea]

3: Can the squid see the camera, because I could have sworn they were running from it. And one was just hovering there looking directly at it!
Thx!

It is so funny that you should say this Octomush, because I have sworn that they were doing the very same thing to me on many an occasion.

The tank is in its own room, under lock and key, and nobody goes in (other than me). So, the squid are disturbed in no way whatsoever!!!

The transparent acryllic tank has black card around 3/4 of its diameter, leaving the window there for the camera to peer through. The camera is sitting on a bucket quite low down. When you pan the thing up, down, left, right ... it does move, but it is such a small thing and the movement is quite subtle. Mind you, it is one of the only things in their environment that does move that is not under their control, so they probably are aware of it.

Cannibalism ... well, they actually did eat the baby squid I put in there (2 days into it), but the larger squid show no aggression towards each other. Squid naturally shoal/school, so their behaviour is quite normal.

 

[Scouse]

That is brilliant Steve!!!

How am I meant to get work done now?!?!?!?

 

[Steve O'Shea]

One of the other things we noticed recently was that squid are very sensitive to magnetic field. I placed several weak magnets around a smaller tank with other baby squid in it and the squid IMMEDIATELY became quite disoriented and began spinning.

I've long thought many of these larger squid migrate to and from various locals for breeding. Looks like they're quite capable of navigation by magnetic field.

I tried this experiment because I noticed squid in one long and narrow (round-ended tank) always swam back and forth across the short axis (rather than long), facing one way in the morn and the other in the eve, instead of swimming the length of the tank. It turns out that the tank was oriented North/South, and perhaps East/West would have been a better orientation (for the squid); being several thousand litres and fixed to the floor (a show tank at Kelly Tarlton's .... couldn't really move it) I simply removed the squid from the tank and placed them elsewhere.

Be rather careful what you have around a tank that will release any serious magnetic field.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Interesting observation (I'm sure that Phil could have a field day with this!!). Of all the egg masses that we had, regardless of current flow in the tank, the one that faired the best was one that has a camouflaged crab cohabiting the mass (a species of Notomithrax - family Majiidae).

It just dawned on me that this crab's movement through the egg mass prevented the build up of bacterial scum - it probably cleaned the egg mass. Next time we do this I'll ensure there's at least one crab per bunch of eggs (as an alternative to cutting and ligating individual strands, then suspending them on some gauze).

 

[atticus_finch]

i think this is simply awesome.
i also think that lifetrance's suggestion
to allow paypal optional donations is a good one.

JMO... a.f. (the new Larval Mass)

Mr. O'Shea: cool images.

Tonmo: you forgot to say i'm the one in the middle (below)

 

[tonmo]

Still looking good!

 

[Colin]

One of the other things we noticed recently was that squid are very sensitive to magnetic field. I placed several weak magnets around a smaller tank with other baby squid in it and the squid IMMEDIATELY became quite disoriented and began spinning.

Hi steve,

Thats also worth noting for people keeping cephalopods in the home environment. Make sure that your tanks are not too close to the TV, PC, Stereo speakers or other appliances that may give off a magnetic field.

Very interesting about the Notomithrax crab. Do you think there is any more to this crab being there amongst the eggs than just hiding in there?

Cheers
Colin

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Do you think there is any more to this crab being there amongst the eggs than just hiding in there?

I'd like to say so, but I really should do a little more field work to look at the frequency of crab/egg-mass habitation. It's one of those things that could easily make its way into a doco/become pupularised, but with a little research might prove to be on the rare side, fortuitous for us and not planned by either crab or squid.

When we collect the eggs we always bring a bit of weed back with us; the crab could have been on the weed and moved to the eggs, or could have been in the eggs all along. There is nothing else in the tank for the crab to hold on to, so by default he went to the eggs.

Still, I think it's a great idea for the future - to use a biological cleaner - as long as it doesn't feast on the eggs (there wasn't any sign of this).
Cheers
O

 

[Steve O'Shea]

3: Can the squid see the camera, because I could have sworn they were running from it. And one was just hovering there looking directly at it!
Thx!

It is so funny that you should say this Octomush, because I have sworn that they were doing the very same thing to me on many an occasion.

That's also worth noting for people keeping cephalopods in the home environment. Make sure that your tanks are not too close to the TV, PC, Stereo speakers or other appliances that may give off a magnetic field.

Hmmmmmmm. I wonder if there's something in this Colin?

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Most bizarre; was really getting worried as the squid wouldn't take any of the fish I was feeding them. The alternative today, a last-ditch, was to feed them baby flounder (the things that can turn around and eat the very squid).

Two of them pounced and consumed ... and there are a couple of other rogue flounder swimming around in the tank. Touch wood nothing horrible happens!

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Finally they're taking Gambusia!!! This has been an uphill battle.

Each actually has a fish in its arms

 

[Steve O'Shea]

They're really ripping into the fish now; no problems with feed any longer. Must take some pics from above the tank - there are some sensational colour displays going on (that you cannot see with the webcam), and will also try and get the camera moved (and reprogramed) so that you can see the squid 99.9% of the time (instead of getting frustrated, as I do, when they're out of frame up top).

 

[Steve O'Shea]

.... and just a few more (must also get those scratches off the tank)