ID for this Cuttle/Squid

JxP · 05/04/2015, 10:47 AM

This one was collected in Oahu and I am pretty sure it is a bobtail squid, but I would like to confirm that if possible.

It is about 2" I think.

Thanks!

JxP · 05/04/2015, 01:17 PM

I am guessing this creature will kill a 2.5 inch skunk cleaner shrimp or maybe not if the shrimp is larger?

JxP · 05/07/2015, 11:44 AM

In case anyone was following. The species is euprymna scolopes. I have a few of them in a species tank. So in regards to my previous question about what is safe with them here is what I found so far:

Dropped in two 1.25" robust silverside fish (fast little guys). Gone without a trace within 16ish hours.

Dropped in a 2" hinged camel beak shrimp (closest size to the cleaner). This situation played out differently. Apparently the squids found the camel shrimp to be a threat and most them inked the shrimp whenever it got close. I removed the shrimp.

Tweezer feeding hasn't been super successful yet. I got one to take a few mysis shrimp and another tried some dried tubifex worms. Not very active feeding responses. They mostly swim around and inspect the tweezers with their tentacles.

I will add live feeder shrimp today and as they settle in I will continue to try to get them to eat prepared food.

EI Gringo · 05/09/2015, 11:48 AM

How long do bobtail squids actually live for, how big do they grow, how big a tank do they need? I have many questions about them :L I know cuttlefish don't last too long

JxP · 05/14/2015, 12:53 PM

They are supposed to live up to a year. I believe their max size is about 1.5 inches and they seem to do fine in small tanks. They don't really move around much unfortunately. Mine pretty just uncover their heads and wait for stuff to come by to grab at night. During the day they are pretty much invisible due to their ability to dig into the substrate and cover their heads.

The challenge I am having is that they refuse to eat anything except live food and feeding them ghost shrimp isn't a great option because three bobtails can wipe out 30-40 ghost shrimp in about 36 hours. I have been cleaning out the LFS supplies! So to keep them fed I have to buy/catch wild silversides or whatever other small fish I can for them.

So far I have tried feeding them: dried tubifex worms, frozen whole silversides, table shrimp, coral frenzy (first thing to refuse CF lol), and some other dead fish parts. None of these worked. They do love live silversides though, unfortunately I can't buy these from pet stores.

The last thing of note is that they don't seem to be super capable swimmers when they are out and about (which is rare). I lost one to a HOB Remora skimmer already

.

05/04/2015, 01:17 PM	#2
JxP Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Hawaii Posts: 91	I am guessing this creature will kill a 2.5 inch skunk cleaner shrimp or maybe not if the shrimp is larger?

05/07/2015, 11:44 AM	#3
JxP Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Hawaii Posts: 91	In case anyone was following. The species is euprymna scolopes. I have a few of them in a species tank. So in regards to my previous question about what is safe with them here is what I found so far: Dropped in two 1.25" robust silverside fish (fast little guys). Gone without a trace within 16ish hours. Dropped in a 2" hinged camel beak shrimp (closest size to the cleaner). This situation played out differently. Apparently the squids found the camel shrimp to be a threat and most them inked the shrimp whenever it got close. I removed the shrimp. Tweezer feeding hasn't been super successful yet. I got one to take a few mysis shrimp and another tried some dried tubifex worms. Not very active feeding responses. They mostly swim around and inspect the tweezers with their tentacles. I will add live feeder shrimp today and as they settle in I will continue to try to get them to eat prepared food.

05/09/2015, 11:48 AM	#4
EI Gringo Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Derbyshire, England Posts: 525	How long do bobtail squids actually live for, how big do they grow, how big a tank do they need? I have many questions about them :L I know cuttlefish don't last too long

05/14/2015, 12:53 PM	#5
JxP Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Hawaii Posts: 91	They are supposed to live up to a year. I believe their max size is about 1.5 inches and they seem to do fine in small tanks. They don't really move around much unfortunately. Mine pretty just uncover their heads and wait for stuff to come by to grab at night. During the day they are pretty much invisible due to their ability to dig into the substrate and cover their heads. The challenge I am having is that they refuse to eat anything except live food and feeding them ghost shrimp isn't a great option because three bobtails can wipe out 30-40 ghost shrimp in about 36 hours. I have been cleaning out the LFS supplies! So to keep them fed I have to buy/catch wild silversides or whatever other small fish I can for them. So far I have tried feeding them: dried tubifex worms, frozen whole silversides, table shrimp, coral frenzy (first thing to refuse CF lol), and some other dead fish parts. None of these worked. They do love live silversides though, unfortunately I can't buy these from pet stores. The last thing of note is that they don't seem to be super capable swimmers when they are out and about (which is rare). I lost one to a HOB Remora skimmer already .