New Octopus

Thanks for all the kind words!, he is still hanging out in his den but thats normal for a new octo. I really hope he takes care of my damsel problem...heh heh.....and no I didn't buy him in ga but that would of been cool.

 

You need to feed him live shrimp, clams and crab. To bad you didnt research this before. The octopus is one of if not the most intelligent creatures in the sea. With a life span of 2 years in the wild your likely to kill it quickly.

 

Very cool. I don't know what the black thing is behind him, but take precautions so he doesn't get stuck in it (i.e a net or screen.)

It's not that bad if you have SW experience and know a couple basic things.

For anyone interested in cephs, you really should join Tonmo- TONMO.com: The Octopus News Magazine Online.

I hope all goes well!

 

Wow I love the enthusiasm. Orrrr you could say something like:
Hope you've done your research, cephs are extremely hard to keep so keep an open mind and make sure to keep researching even if it looks okay. There's a thread on here about a bimac that someone had and lost the first try but tried again and... well I can't find the thread. It was called Mac2... the Bimac or something along those lines. I'll have to come check it out sometime. Is it the one from AT?

 

Yeah, Its the one from AT, I acctually got it from a guy who bought it a week ago and then sold it too me because he found out he was moving to france for like 2 years. On another note, I have done a deal of reasearch on octos and have bought the only book they make for keeping octos in the home aquarium I am also a member on the TONMO site. I've been reading up on these guys for a long time and have a good feeling I will do good with him. As far as the food rejection, thats typical of a new octo in the home aquarium. Yes, you do need to feed them live food initially but they can be conditioned to accept frozen krill, etc. Also, their lifespans greatly differ from species to species, so saying they live for 2 years is a very broad generalization.

 

That is one sweet looking octo man. What species is it?

 

I think it looks like a Bimac but it could be a O. Hummelinki. I would recommend posting pictures of him outside of his den with a good shot of his tentacles and such on TONMO so they can tell you which one for sure. I thought I had a Bimac but found out that it was a linki!

Do you know by chance where he was caught from...that will help ID better. Reason why you need to know is because temp differences. Bimacs need their tank to be constant at 72 or so and Linkis require warmer temps (reef level temps)

They are hard to keep but if you have done your research and have kept a reef tank then it is likely they will do just fine. And from all the research I have done...be prepared...octopus live only on average 13 months (in captivity or in the wild) It is a sad process that they go through when they age...they go through a period of somnelence where they develop "octopus alzheimers" Also they die usually shortly after they lay eggs (can still be fertilized even if you have had them for many many months)

The do eat crabs, live shrimp and snails. I have a seperate tank for my food which consisits of emerald crabs (THEY LOVE IT!) and fiddler crabs. I have fed Mac some shrimp but he was not as interested. I have also tossed in some snails and hermits for him to go after (which he has demolished) I have placed a damsel in the tank thinking he MIGHT eat it but he hasnt.....

I have advanced Mac to alternating live food with frozen (silversides and krill) soaked in HUFA's and vitamens (I am using AminoOmega) He goes after that with a Passion! :

They are VERY VERY intelegent creatures and do need constant stimulation. I have a variety of toys that I put in the tank for him to play with. I have tried to place a crab in a plastic bubble for him to work at opening however he did not figure that out and the crab died in the bubble overnight.

It is scary to have an animal that is MORE SMART THEN YOU ARE! They are constantly trying to figure out their enviroment and escaping. I have baby links, balls, and baby keys in his tank right now. I alternate his toys around and am looking for a cheap checker board to place on the outside glass so he can color morph.

I had to mod my tank completely and seal up EVERY little opening with gutter guard. They can escape very easily. I am not sure a rock holding down your lid is enough...I have stuff sitting on my top and duct taped the lid completely closed, making sure ANY opening is sealed. An octopus can lift over 40 lbs so he can lift the tank lid off with a rock!

He is very cool looking, and hope you enjoy him as much as I enjoy Mac! He is soo cool to watch, esp during feeding time. You drop the crab in the water and he shoots out of his den and color morphs and grabs the crab in a blink of an eye! Mac is out exploring the tank all day! He is constantly on the sides or playing with his toys!

It is funny though....when I first fed him frozen I hand fed him...he got a hold of me with his tentacles and I SCREAMED LIKE THE little girl that I am!:

 

+1 on both!
He can escape into the little openings down there (I did not see that at first) all drains and siphon plates MUST be covered with gutter guard as they will go into that! You may think he is too big but they have no bones and can squeeze through the TINIEST opening!

TONMO is a great site!

 

That is a pretty awesome pick up. I have seen them alot at the LFS here in Fort Lauderdale lately. Pretty cheap too. $25-50. I was amazed thoiught they would be more.

 

They're not all that hard to keep, assuming they don't get out of the tank. Different species will favor different foods, but mine would try anything once. He would eat shrimp only if he was starving. He ate one piece of dead fish, and never touched it again. He ate a couple of snails, then killed all the others snails a few days later without eating them, apparently just for entertainment. He wanted crabs. Only crabs. Couldn't trick him, anything else he'd consider/examine, then push it away. You will learn a lot by keeping this one, they're fascinating animals.

You can read the story of my Octopus cyanea killing all my cone snails here, just scroll down to the 12 October 2002 message:

What's New in 2002

Cheers,



Don