I'm looking at going to Florida around Destin some time after xmas, where can I catch small octos that has'nt been hit by a hurricane? What would you recomend to catch them with and, where would you you put the traps? One other thing I'm not shure about is how to aclimate them to the new tank.
catching octos
- Thread starter smasher
- Start date
cephalopoder
Premium Member
Your best bet is to go collecting in the tide pools in the early morning. hours around dawn at low tide. You could also try at night in tide pools at low tide. Im not sure of the collecting regulations and if you need a permit but I would check into that as well. A clay pot with a small opening or dark bottle left out ovemight might work as well.
For small species you can look in shells and collect a bunch and set them out of the water and see what crawls out. In another months or so you will start to get gravid females that will lay eggs in your tank. O briareus and O.mercators are large egg species and can be reared with the right set up and food.
When I collected octopuses in Costa Rica I found them at night moving about in low tide areas under overhangs and flushed them out with freshwater or gaterade in a bottle squirted in the hole. During the day we snorkled and looked into rock dens with flash lights. You can often tell a den by the midden pile left out front that consists of bits of shell or crab parts around the entrance. When you squirt fresh water in the hole get out of sight behind the den and when the octopus no longer sees you it will crawl out on top of the rock to let the den flush out and you can grab it. They will not come out if they can see you.
Acclimate slowly by drip and do so for a bout 20-30 minutes. I have done it alot quicker before almost just dumping them right in with out ever a problem as long as my salinity, tenmp and ph were ok.
Full strength seawater is a must and ph around 8.0-8.2.
For small species you can look in shells and collect a bunch and set them out of the water and see what crawls out. In another months or so you will start to get gravid females that will lay eggs in your tank. O briareus and O.mercators are large egg species and can be reared with the right set up and food.
When I collected octopuses in Costa Rica I found them at night moving about in low tide areas under overhangs and flushed them out with freshwater or gaterade in a bottle squirted in the hole. During the day we snorkled and looked into rock dens with flash lights. You can often tell a den by the midden pile left out front that consists of bits of shell or crab parts around the entrance. When you squirt fresh water in the hole get out of sight behind the den and when the octopus no longer sees you it will crawl out on top of the rock to let the den flush out and you can grab it. They will not come out if they can see you.
Acclimate slowly by drip and do so for a bout 20-30 minutes. I have done it alot quicker before almost just dumping them right in with out ever a problem as long as my salinity, tenmp and ph were ok.
Full strength seawater is a must and ph around 8.0-8.2.
