Let me see your Octpuses

[Lmecher]

Thanks, Diablo is amazing, she is like a little wet monkey. She is unlike any i have kept in the past. She actually seeks attention and is very interactive. I just found out my Diablo is not O. briareus but is O. vulgaris will get larger than I anticipated. Setting up a larger tank, she is growing.

No octopus should be kept in a reef community. Fish and inverts aside from brittle/serpent stars, cucumbers and urchins would end up as octopus food. Most low sting soft corals are alright.

 

[CaptFish]

Nice octopus!

 

[CaptFish]

Ok here are mine:

This Legs, she died back in April after I had her just over a year. I caught her in one of my stone crab traps here in Miami. She grew to have spread just over 4'.

This is Penelope. She currently lives in my 125 gallon tank. We are not sure of exactly what she is We thought she was a Hummelincki at first but she had no false eye spots so for now we are calling her Vulgaris, but that is very general. There is chance she is a Insularis.

I also currently have an Indonesian A.Aculeatus, named Waldo. He lives in my 55 gallon tank.

And then last but not least I have my Mercatoris Izzy. I had two but one of them didn't make it, it is suspected she was post brood.

I about 20 videos on youtube of my beatsies.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CaptHolliday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30c9ws_u3LU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKfg6C_p8U

 

[Goodwin9]

A video of mine trying to get the crab.

 

[dread240]

are there any smaller species of octopus that could be kept in a nano tank?

 

[Lmecher]

Back at ya Captfish :wavehand:
I have to say, O. briareus wins the beauty contest with it's lovley blue/green sheen.

Here is a video from the other day of Diablo with an enormous blue crab. It is alive (from the Asian market) I think it was stunned being dropped in the tank.

 

[reef master jon]

Octo

Octo

hello i am looking into getting an octopus (dWarlf) .. im located in Nor CAl and i cant seem to find any.. can anyone direct me to a website or place where i can purchase one.. thanks

 

[Goodwin9]

Clyde & the feeding stick.

 

[PghFishNerd]

Clyde & the feeding stick.

His color changes were amazing!

 

[bradleym]

His color changes were amazing!

+1!

I've never seen an octo do that before it was awesome! What kind is Clyde?

 

[fraggleRocks]

My new O. briareus, purchased on April 27

That video was so cool. The interaction was really incredible

 

[808Rob]

How do you all keep the octos from climbing out of your tank?

 

[Lmecher]

I have a secure cover with screw down lid.

 

[Mr T-reefer]

I have a few questions as well:

1) Are there any good websites to buy an octo? Most I've seen will only sell one type if any at all. Trying to find or get one at my LFS is more trouble than it should be.

2) What are the life expectancies of these guys?

3) What is the best type of setup for them such as the size of the tank, light intensity, light color (white vs more blue), lots of rock vs only enough to create a cave, water flow, etc etc. Will these guys go after snails such as nerite and cerith?

and lastly 4) What does your octopus diet consist of and how often do you feed it?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

 

[NoBigDeal]

This thread is sooo cool. These creatures are so bizarre and so intelligent.

 

[808Rob]

Is it hard to keep cuttlefish? What kind of parameters does one need?
I think that's very cool.

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Is it hard to keep cuttlefish? What kind of parameters does one need?
I think that's very cool.

depends on how you look at it...

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/sepia-bandensis.php

 

[Mr T-reefer]

I decided not to go with one of these guys since they can go after snails (I have a large investment in snails since they were the most safe things to keep with an eel). But, from those of you who have had experience with both cuttlefish and octopi, which one seems to be easier or better to keep (personality, more active, hardier) in your experience? Just curious.

 

[Animal Mother]

I decided not to go with one of these guys since they can go after snails (I have a large investment in snails since they were the most safe things to keep with an eel). But, from those of you who have had experience with both cuttlefish and octopi, which one seems to be easier or better to keep (personality, more active, hardier) in your experience? Just curious.

Octopuses are easier and cheaper. If you get cuttles, you will have to buy them very young or as eggs. If you hatch out eggs, you have to have a ridiculous amount of live MYSIS shrimp. Brine won't work as a substitute.

I've never had an octopus refuse frozen raw shrimp from the supermarket. Very cheap to feed.

If you look around enough you will find a few online shops that sell octopuses.
LiveAquaria and Saltwaterfish.com and TomsCaribbean.com all sell some. LiveAquaria has had O. luteus and Abdopus aculeatus frequently. Salwaterfish.com and Toms both usually sell O. briareus although you may end up with an O. hummelinki. Tom also sells O. mercatoris (dwarfs).

Most LFS's can't tell you where the octopus came from, much less the species their suppliers send. The same can be said for most online retailers. Cephalopods are still fresh territory in the marine aquarium hobby.

All of these are fine in a 55-75 gallon tank. The bigger the tank, the funner the activity you'll see. More room to roam, more textures and surfaces to blend to the better.

In my experience the dwarfs are pretty boring, unless you want to wait up til 1AM with a red light to watch them hunt in darkness.