<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10208434#post10208434 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KhawMengLee
My local fish supplier just got 4 of them. Two have died but the other two are alive and kicking.
I hope they inform all of their potential buyers of the toxicity of this animal and the care that is needed to keep it alive. Keeping an octopus is different than keeping a fish, as most people know. Some people probably wonder why everyone makes such a big deal out of the blue ring being venomous when poisonous fish like lionfish and rabbitfish are sold almost without warning.
First of all, this animal can KILL a human in a matter of minutes. There is no antidote for the venom and probably the only way you would have a chance to survive a bite from a blue ring octopus is by cutting off all blood flow in or out of the bit area or by amputation. Octopuses are sneaky, tricky, smart animals and if you make one angry by accident while moving stuff around, installing a new pump, or while doing maintenance there is a chance he will sneak up and attack you, blending in with rocks and sand on his way, making you octopus food.
Secondly, octopuses take a great deal of care to maintain and keep alive. Most of them will not ever take dead food and they must be watched closely to make sure they are happy and healthy. Before you get an octopus you need to be prepared to devote several hours a day to your pet in case you need to. Carcasses of shrimp, crabs, and snails usually have to be cleaned up after the octopus feeds. This puts your hand in the tank at least once a day and it gives your octopus another chance to bite you.
Lastly, I believe blue rings should only be kept by scientists in dedicated labs, or by public aquariums that fully know the risks of keeping them. Anyone fish store that carries them should be frowned upon. These beautiful octopuses should be left in the wild, in public aquariums or in the labratory. They are too dangerous for home aquaria and the only way they should be released to be kept as pets is if the venom is taken out of the octopus. Blue rings are wonderful creatures that I could stare at for days but they are not suitable for anyone to keep at home.
*End rant*
On a side note, flamboyant cuttlefish are rare and don't live long. If you find one they will be in the $200s if you are lucky and they will most likely be adults with not long to live. Also I don't believe we know their numbers in the wild, so they are best not collected or requested now or anytime in the near future.
If you are looking for a ceph as a pet, just go with a tank friendly species. Commonly kept octopus species are Bimaculoides, Mercatoris, Joubini, Vulgaris, and Aculeatus. Commonly kept cuttlefish are Bandensis and Officialis (in a large tank only). There may be a couple other cuttles that are kept regularly, but I don't know them; I'm more familier with octopuses.
