So I decided I needed to build a squid farm to get a good supply of black ink. I looked around, found the correct spawn info, watched a few you tube videos and then started digging. I chose an area far away from the ocean (in a desert biome) in order to make sure all possible squid spawned only in my pools.
I built two pools, using two "different" designs, light and large, small and dark. Honestly the first "dark" one was kinda hacked together and was really built to make sure the squid would spawn as expected. After I was sure it would spawn squid, I started on the second, larger one lit with glowstone. And here is where the results were unexpected. Nothing ever spawns in the second pond. It is at least twice the size, so I would expect they would spawn there more often than never.
Anybody have any ideas? Any help or input on squid spawn rates or techniques would be awesome. I tried leaving the area (which I had to do to "activate" the first one but that made no difference in which pool they show up in.)
The first image below shows the two pools. The "first" pool (on the right) is dark and only 8x8 in width, with strong down currents. The "second" pool is on the left, is calm and lit by glowstone, but more than twice the size.
This image is of the non-working pool before it was filled with water.
And also, I'm honestly not surprised that your second pool doesn't spawn squid. I've always believed they spawn with darker light levels ever since I had this one experience on a world of mine.
I found a huge series of lava pools underground. Next to the entrance I had mined for the lava pools, and quite a ways away from the lava, both vertically and horizontally was some running water that pooled with some more water source blocks/springs. When I first lit up the place there were two squid there. When I decided I was going to build a blast proof house out of obsidian, I returned to the cave and released some of the water and guided it to the lava pools. When I ferried resources back and forth near the underground pool, it was really a common sight to see a squid, even though the pool was about 3 x 4 x 1. So I wouldn't be surprised if squid are more likely to spawn in your first pool.
Squids have a cap of 5 in your active area (15 x 15 chunks around you it says somewhere.. ), so i'd suggest using a x-ray machine and try to verify you really have not more than 4 squids around currently .. ( think of underground water caves).
The wiki tell another interesting thing, "the spawning block must be between level 45 and 62, inclusive" .. when squids spawn always on the "ground" then maybe they can't spawn if your pond is below level 45 .. but this is just a guess.
However, there are numerous posts of people having problems with squid spawning, they seem to behave strange
Light at least should have no influence .. there are people claiming that squids spawned in their garden ponds, even of 1x1x1 size ..
Squids still spawn in the first "dark" pond on a regular basis.
I followed the elevation mentioned in the wiki. The dark pond is 67-50 and the light is 69-51, although in the process of re-measuring I found the light pond is only 7 wide (vs 8 on the dark pond). Funny thing is, I have seen them spawn on the edge, one-block-deep water around the pond at the surface of the dark pond. Even accounting for head height, that would be above the supposed limit.
I'm trying not to have to remove all the glowstone, but I think that's the only other thing I can try?
this is very interesting, id try darkness. since light i defused by water ,you lighting it so brightly might be affecting them some how. also i wouldnt make it so deep...
i actually have a funny story about squids, while building my colesium i came across a spring, only about 3x4 it ended up flowing into my structure as i blastd room, it was pretty dark there and squid would consistantly spawn ontop in the spring and find there way down the waterfall. they would then start swimming around my floor.... there was no water. i was tempted to utalize this in my colesium but decided against it.... its kind of interesting people saying only squid can spawn near you... i counted 8 once in my colesium,. but then again it was a huge structure and i could very well have been outside of the range of the spawner at the top of the waterfall.... you may try something like this for your squid farm, they are much easier to kill out of the water.
note: that i had a similar experience while building underwater, and if you hit an out of water squid near its source water.. assuming that this is affectd by proximity and the size of the body of water.. it will then shoot back into its spawning area, usually far away from you.
Squids still spawn in the first "dark" pond on a regular basis.
I followed the elevation mentioned in the wiki. The dark pond is 67-50 and the light is 69-51, although in the process of re-measuring I found the light pond is only 7 wide (vs 8 on the dark pond). Funny thing is, I have seen them spawn on the edge, one-block-deep water around the pond at the surface of the dark pond. Even accounting for head height, that would be above the supposed limit.
I'm trying not to have to remove all the glowstone, but I think that's the only other thing I can try?
nah bro, if they are spawning in the 8x8 pool, just make it wider, it will save you a lot of work. ive seen them spawn consistantly in water only 1 block deep as well, aslo. check the nearest sea to you for its height. mostly out of curiosity.
I've cleared out all the glowstone (which took a ton of time - should have switched to peaceful and saved myself some drowning time). I've been playing in the world for a while now, checking the traps every once in a while. The first dark pond is still working fine, there is nothing ever in the other.
I double checked the ocean level, and it is the same as the pond that is spawning (67) and the one that is not starts one block higher.
Next step is to try getting it wider, unless anyone else has other solutions?
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I built two pools, using two "different" designs, light and large, small and dark. Honestly the first "dark" one was kinda hacked together and was really built to make sure the squid would spawn as expected. After I was sure it would spawn squid, I started on the second, larger one lit with glowstone. And here is where the results were unexpected. Nothing ever spawns in the second pond. It is at least twice the size, so I would expect they would spawn there more often than never.
Anybody have any ideas? Any help or input on squid spawn rates or techniques would be awesome. I tried leaving the area (which I had to do to "activate" the first one but that made no difference in which pool they show up in.)
The first image below shows the two pools. The "first" pool (on the right) is dark and only 8x8 in width, with strong down currents. The "second" pool is on the left, is calm and lit by glowstone, but more than twice the size.
This.
And also, I'm honestly not surprised that your second pool doesn't spawn squid. I've always believed they spawn with darker light levels ever since I had this one experience on a world of mine.
I found a huge series of lava pools underground. Next to the entrance I had mined for the lava pools, and quite a ways away from the lava, both vertically and horizontally was some running water that pooled with some more water source blocks/springs. When I first lit up the place there were two squid there. When I decided I was going to build a blast proof house out of obsidian, I returned to the cave and released some of the water and guided it to the lava pools. When I ferried resources back and forth near the underground pool, it was really a common sight to see a squid, even though the pool was about 3 x 4 x 1. So I wouldn't be surprised if squid are more likely to spawn in your first pool.
Squids still spawn in the first "dark" pond on a regular basis.
I followed the elevation mentioned in the wiki. The dark pond is 67-50 and the light is 69-51, although in the process of re-measuring I found the light pond is only 7 wide (vs 8 on the dark pond). Funny thing is, I have seen them spawn on the edge, one-block-deep water around the pond at the surface of the dark pond. Even accounting for head height, that would be above the supposed limit.
I'm trying not to have to remove all the glowstone, but I think that's the only other thing I can try?
i actually have a funny story about squids, while building my colesium i came across a spring, only about 3x4 it ended up flowing into my structure as i blastd room, it was pretty dark there and squid would consistantly spawn ontop in the spring and find there way down the waterfall. they would then start swimming around my floor.... there was no water. i was tempted to utalize this in my colesium but decided against it.... its kind of interesting people saying only squid can spawn near you... i counted 8 once in my colesium,. but then again it was a huge structure and i could very well have been outside of the range of the spawner at the top of the waterfall.... you may try something like this for your squid farm, they are much easier to kill out of the water.
note: that i had a similar experience while building underwater, and if you hit an out of water squid near its source water.. assuming that this is affectd by proximity and the size of the body of water.. it will then shoot back into its spawning area, usually far away from you.
nah bro, if they are spawning in the 8x8 pool, just make it wider, it will save you a lot of work. ive seen them spawn consistantly in water only 1 block deep as well, aslo. check the nearest sea to you for its height. mostly out of curiosity.
I've cleared out all the glowstone (which took a ton of time - should have switched to peaceful and saved myself some drowning time). I've been playing in the world for a while now, checking the traps every once in a while. The first dark pond is still working fine, there is nothing ever in the other.
I double checked the ocean level, and it is the same as the pond that is spawning (67) and the one that is not starts one block higher.
Next step is to try getting it wider, unless anyone else has other solutions?