Just like anyone else...a few questions

[artman230]

I am looking at trying to get an octo eventually for a 55 gallon tank. I would have the tank setup just for him. I was wondering what you can feed an octo. are they picky eaters, or can I go buy seafood from safeway ( previously frozen)? I also wanted to know how do you guys clean up after them. do you keep a clean up crew in the tank, or is all the cleaning done by hand? Im sure you have ansered these questions before so thanks for the help...

 

[Opcn]

They are not generally picky eaters, they will generally eat shrimps, crabs, snails, fish, clams, limpets, cockles and little boys who ask too many questions. Thye will generally eat frozen meat as well, although they will generally do best on live inverts.

 

[artman230]

what about general maintenance (thank cleaning), and also if they do better eating live foods where can I pick up some cheap inverts for food???

 

[Jojoyojimbi]

where can I pick up some cheap inverts for food??? [/B]

the ocean, or the baitshop

 

[Opcn]

Crey fish are used for feeding marine inverts too, but I have heard concerns about freshwater food sources as primary food sourcesfor marine animals. The ocean is a scant 120 or so miles from you as the crow flies, sounds to me like a good reason to go on a road trip with a few big coolers(I wouldn't recommend gettinganything from near seattle if you can avoid it, polution can be a problem for predators like octopus)

 

[Dwarf Seahorses]

Octos will eat the clean up crew, so rely on an algae magnet and frequent siphoning of the sand for clean up.

 

[dawnskaybug]

IMHO
An octo alone in a tank is an empty fish tank
Mines only out when its dinner time
He only eats crabs and LOVES firefish and once in awhile a clownfish

He loves them hermit crabs though or any crab.. He has eaten crabs 2x the size of him although he didnt eat it all and it ended up stinking up my tank..

 

[artman230]

well sounds good I got a few options, bye the way has anyone in the western washington area kept an octo from the sound, a friend of mine told me I can get a live octo cheap from any asian food store that sells octo for dinner...can anyone confirm this???

 

[Faviaphile]

I don't live in WA but I wanted to add to your matinence question. Octos luckily like dim lighting so at least there is usually less algae and less need for cleanup crew aka appetizers. Octos do however, excrete urine with large amounts of ammonia and nitrogenous compounds after they feed and as they need their water very clean and oxygenated I would recommend doing a small water change after a large feeding.
Hope you find your octo soon!

 

[artman230]

thanks for the info I always try to do a bi weekly water change on my nano so I would most likely be keeping the octo tank water changed at least every other week.

 

[Dwarf Seahorses]

About the Puget Sound octopus,

You can't keep them unless you devote a large chiller and insulated acrylic aquarium (1" thick acrylic panes). You need to keep the temperature between 40-50 degrees.

That being said, O. rubenses (spelling?) from the Puget Sound makes an excellent pet so long as you get the big chiller and insulated tank.