---
name: "hydrostat"
section: "6"
platform: "linux"
package: "xscreensaver"
version: "6.15-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/hydrostat"
---

# hydrostat(6)

Wiggly squid or jellyfish with many tentacles.

## NAME

hydrostat - Wiggly squid or jellyfish with many tentacles.

## SYNOPSIS

**hydrostat** \[--display *host:display.screen*\] \[--visual *visual*\] \[--window\] \[--root\] \[--window-id *number*\] \[--delay *number*\] \[--speed *number*\] \[--count *number*\] \[--head-radius *number*\] \[--tentacles *number*\] \[--thickness *number*\] \[--length *number*\] \[--gravity *number*\] \[--current *number*\] \[--friction *number*\] \[--no-pulse\] \[--wireframe\] \[--fps\]

## DESCRIPTION

Wiggly squid or jellyfish with many tentacles.  A muscular hydrostat is a biological structure used to move its host about, consisting of muscles with no skeletal support. It performs its hydraulic movement without fluid in a separate compartment, as in a hydrostatic skeleton.

## OPTIONS

- **--visual *visual***

  Specify which visual to use.  Legal values are the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual.

- **--window**

  Draw on a newly-created window.  This is the default.

- **--root**

  Draw on the root window.

- **--window-id *number***

  Draw on the specified window.

- **--delay *number***

  Per-frame delay, in microseconds.  Default: 20000 (0.02 seconds).

- **--speed *number***

  Animation speed.  2.0 means twice as fast, 0.5 means half as fast.

- **--count *number***

  Number of squid.  1 - 100.  Default: 10.

- **--head-radius *number***

  Head size.  10 - 100.  Default: 60.

- **--tentacles *number***

  Number of tentacles.  3 - 100.  Default: 40.

- **--thickness *number***

  Thickness of tentacles.  3 - 40.  Default: 18.

- **--length *number***

  Length of tentacles.  10 - 150.  Default: 70.

- **--gravity *number***

  Strength of gravity.  0 - 10.0.  Default: 0.5.

- **--current *number***

  Strength of current.  0.0 - 10.0.  Default: 0.25.

- **--friction *number***

  Coefficient of friction.  0.0 - 0.1.  Default: 0.02.

- **--pulse \| --no-pulse**

  Whether the squid should pulse. Default true.

- **--wireframe \| --no-wireframe**

  Render in wireframe instead of solid.

- **--fps \| --no-fps**

  Whether to show a frames-per-second display at the bottom of the screen.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **DISPLAY**

  to get the default host and display number.

- **XENVIRONMENT**

  to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE\_MANAGER property.

- **XSCREENSAVER\_WINDOW**

  The window ID to use with *--root*.

## SEE ALSO

**X**(1), [**xscreensaver**(1)](/xscreensaver/1.md)

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2016 by Justin Windle and Jamie Zawinski.  Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation.  No representations are made about the suitability of this software for any purpose.  It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

## AUTHOR

Justin Windle and Jamie Zawinski.