octopus at my LFS

I seen a dwarf octopus at my LFS last night and wanted to buy it but I dont have a tank I can put him in. Just thought it was a neat little creature I put my finger close to the glass and he changed colors kinda neat.

What would it take to host one of these?

 

Escape proofing the aquarium is the main issue. If the hole is bigger than their beak, they can fit their whole body through it. Schackmel used a hamster exercise ball inside the aquarium for whenever she wasn't around as further escape insurance. You have to remember that they don't really care for bright lights. Additionally, they are scary smart. If you don't provide them with fun things to do, they will invent their own fun (which usually involves trying to find a way to escape). In spite of Schackmel's effort, she lost one octopus that got out and then climbed into her predator tank.

 

Oh wow that is great info thanks inwall. I have always heard they are smart but didnt know the beak thing.

 

If you have not seen this site, it is a very good one for all things Cephalopod. Octopi are a bigger comment than most people think, but wonderful animals if provide with a system designed around their needs specifically.

TONMO - The Octopus News Magazine Online

 

octopus are too smart of animal. It is amazing to watch, and I loved keeping one, but they are so very difficult to keep that i will not keep another one.

I had a 29g biocube with a lid. I bought astroturf and lined the entire top of the tank between the top of the water and the lid with the grass side towards the water (they hate that), got gutterguard and covered all openings in the tank (all filter openings etc) and then duct taped the lid onto the tank. If we were gone for a while he would go into the hamster ball in the tank. I went to a lot of different stores trying to find interactive toys for him and changed the toys everyday.

However one night, he escaped. They can live out of water for a while. In the same room as his tank, I had a large FOWLR tank that had a large golden puffer and a large scorpion fish. Well, the octopus decided he wanted to go fishing, somehow crawled out of his jail of the tank, got into the FOWLR tank, freaking out the scorpion causing him to jump out and my golden puffer ate him. Found a tentacle in that tank!

That was a bimac and then I decided to try a dwarf octopus and he died in a few weeks.

The other big problem with octopus is their life cycle. They live a maxiumum of 1 year in the wild, so generally less in captivity. So unless you get a known baby, you do not know how old they are when you get them. Plus they can develop demenita if you do not stimulate them and this develps quick and they die fast

 

Wow that is a crazy story thanks for sharing maybe I should just not get one lol and watch them at the LFS lol

 

males live 10 years from what i've heard but females live 1 year(they die after the eggs hatch i think)

 

Male my live longer but, only a couple years more than the females. My females usually lived anywhere from 9 months to 1.5 years. Water temperature seemed to contribute.

The Cephalopod Page - FAQ

 

Wow what a story. I have seen the type of octo that is poisonous for sale- think it was called a blue rim- from what I read it is one of the most poisonous critters on earth.

see here- Oceanpro Aquatics, Inc.

 

venomous not poisonous.;D