Cephalopod Q&A

[Gangsta Nemo]

Iv'e had a tank raised Bimaculoides for about two weeks now and he seems to be great. He is very active and loves live snails.
He moves about more in the day and a little more reserved at night. Veryyy... messy though I do a water change on his tank every week or less. I know they urinate after feedings but I was hoping someone could shed some insight on my acquisition???? Max size, life span, requirements etc...? Thanks in advance.

 

[FOSELONE]

is it a gangsta bimaculoides???

 

[Pea-brain]

Usually recommended that they get at least a 50 gallon. I personally look at them and could see them being comfortable in a 30 gallon assuming proper water quality is met, but I suppose that 50 gallons is tried and true.....A skimmer is usually recommended for extra air and to help remove waste and ink. Make sure to escape proof the tank. Tight top and mesh over all openings it could climb into. That is pretty much all I can think of right now that isn't obvious.....

Dan

 

[Thurge]

30 used to be what the experts on TONMO.com would recommend but they found that some of the Bimacs were out growing them so the uped the rec. to 50. This is one animal where bigger is definately better, as they do like to swim if given the room.
Life span will depend on when you got it. Cephalopods are notoriously short lived. Bimacs only live maybe 2 years if your lucky, but the warmer the water the shorter lived they are.
Max size will e some wher ein the order of 18" arm tip to arm tip, when they are spread out.

 

[Gangsta Nemo]

Thanks guys for the input. I have been running his tank temp
around 77 degrees. Should I lower it some more? Also Silversides soaked in celcon and snails seem to be his favorite. Any other foods I should try giving him that might keep him active? He seems to get a little bored now and then. I have many different colored artif. plants ,smooth beach stones, lots of live rock,PVC couplings and tubes and some urchin skeletons in there.
Anything you sugg. to keep him occupied? Thanks

 

[Pea-brain]

Try legos. They are aquarium safe, just make sure they are new or haven't been washed with soap/chemicals......

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

77 F is way too hot. Take a look at the water temperatures off Southern California where this species lives. I keep my Bimacs at 58-60 and the general recommendation is from 58-70. A stable temperature is best. If they are messy, perhaps you are over feeding. I feed mine only what they can and will eat If they are hesitant to feed or leave uneaten portions, they don't get anything until the next day.

Roy

 

[Gangsta Nemo]

Thank you again Roy I'm adding a small chiller. He seems to be very responsive and active so hopefully I didn't cause too much stress. I'll post back and let ya know how is doing. As far as messy he kinda spreads a lot of his kill. Seems to finishing everything well but a sloppy eater.

 

[Gangsta Nemo]

Well I am glad to report he is eating me out of house and home.
He is well worth it though ,he is very interactive and loves to play with the feeding stick and old urchin shells. I will post some pics very soon . I am looking for a male and was wondering if anyone knew how to introduce the couple. Mine has no hexacotilus." I think that is how it is spelled" Anyway thanks in advance.

 

[Animal Mother]

Don't add another. They are solitary creatures in their natural environment and the only time they get together is specifically to mate, and even then, they sometimes kill each other. If yours was a wild-caught specimen, it might very well lay fertilized eggs. They store sperm after mating until they are near the end of their life cycle.

If you add another you'll probably just end up with one dead and one very stressed and injured. Makes captive breeding dang near impossible. Sucks.

 

[Gangsta Nemo]

Mine was tank raised. I did fear that introducing a male would be fruitless. I just wanted to double check. She is very active and docile and I would never want to cause her harm. It wouldn't be worth the risk. I just upgraded her tank as that she grows so fast that it is hard to keep up with her appetite. Thanks