Looking for an Octopus

[JwAllen]

Been trying to find a small specimen of a large species of octopus. No pet stores in the area have them available to mey knowledge so I have been looking in the bay around st. Pete and Annamaria. I have my fishing license? Anyone know where I might have better luck finding one?

 

[nathan1986]

http://www.tbsaltwater.com/ordering/pricelist.html

He has 2 kinds.

 

[sirrealism]

I have kept all the local species many times. You have the dwarf which stays under 6" then the Caribbean reef octopuses, Octopus briareus . This is most likely what you will find. It is a nocturnal species but can be taught to come out during the day. The easy way to tell if its a briareus is it will have a slight blue hue to its skin and right around the eyes. It gets 16-18" arms but its head stays kind of small. The Vulgaris is the largest one local but ever since the oil spill they have been very few and far between. The stone crab guys have hated the vulgaris because they eat the stone crabs right in the traps. I do know someone with a baby briareus if he still has it. PM me if you want his info.

 

[nathan1986]

If he has them in stock, i dunno.

 

[sirrealism]

Also if you really want to know about Octopus I suggest you go to Tonmo.

 

[JwAllen]

Thanks for the help! Richard at TBS is has been out for awhile. Can Briareus be found throughout the bay?

 

[sirrealism]

Yes they can but most that you will find will be in senonce "spelled wrong" its kind of like dementia. They get brave and comeout of hiding about a month before they die. The briareus or any other octo for that matter have a very short life span. 18 months for the briareus birth to death. Vulgaris is about 24 months and the dwarf is under 1 year. They are so good at camo you would most likely never see them.

 

[nathan1986]

Sounds like an interesting animal. Sucks their lifespan is so short tho

 

[sirrealism]

Yes it does but still wicked cool to have. very smart and they get to know you and will come to you when you come into the room. i keep a tank running and ready for my next one. Here is a vid of my last briareus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rMUgC7JuVw

 

[nathan1986]

That is pretty damn cool

 

[JwAllen]

Very cool video. Did you feed him during the day in order for him to be out an about?

 

[sirrealism]

Thanks. Do you see my avitar? Thats a special one I had. I have vid of that one 2 but since this thread is about local species i did not post it

 

[sirrealism]

Yes that is the way to get them to come out during the day. but it takes some time. When you first get one it will come out or do different things for the first couple weeks but then they will go into hiding. I have had 12 different octos over the years. Just amazing creatures.

 

[darsh]

Aquatic Visions in New Port Richey always has a couple. Check them out.

 

[sirrealism]

Diane does not have any at the moment. I was there yesterday plus she calls me when she gets them in. plus its always dwarfs.

 

[Mrs Postal]

They are escape artists too so make sure you are prepared for that or their life span could be significantly shorter.

 

[JwAllen]

So today I went collecting in hopes of finding an octopus. I hit up Fort DeSoto, Sand Key and Courtney Campell Causeway. Long story short I came home without an octopus (it was a long shot) but not empty handed. I caught some blennies, pinfish, filefish, porcelain crabs, lots of shrimp, sea hares, hermits, and a flounder. I only kept the blennies and filefish. There is one filefish in particular that I can't indentify. It swims head down just like a shrimp fish and it's tail is almost as long as entire body.

 

[JwAllen]

 

[bimini_bread]

Looks like it might be the orange filefish Aluterus schoepfi.

 

[sirrealism]

I did a quick check on FL Fish and wild life and did not find this fish. Kind of reminds me of a look down even I know its not. Its def some kind of file. I have seen that fish wile diving. Looking forward to learning what it is.