youngspecialist
New member
has anyone successefully done this...It common in public aquarium to keep fish with giant octopus but what about with small species as common octopus...my tank consist of a of hybrid scopas and a tomini tang...compatable?
octopus and fish together
- Thread starter youngspecialist
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thelizardkin
New member
i was wonding the same thing like a dwarf octo and a tang
thelizardkin
New member
What there are so many dwarf octos in the hobby from all over the world some like it in the 50s others in the upper 70s
jmadden
New member
I've read of a guy putting four small octos, not sure of the species, kept in a fully stocked reef tank. When small they got along fine and didn't bother any of the fish or each other, but as they grew the larger octo picked off the smaller ones. Long story short, the octopus decimated the tank, killing every fish, if memory serves me correct 14 fish.
I believe that when certain species of octos, especially after feeding get harassed by fish or something else they will grab and kill what ever bothers them and just discard the item. Here's how I came to that conclusion: I would put five striped shoreline crabs in the tank, and my octopus would grab two or three and eat them up. He would finish them and spit out all the pieces of exoskeleton. The next day I would find the remaining crabs dead fully intact. I thought this was weird, so I decided to try an experiment. I fed my octo a raw shrimp that was too big to finish, so I would be sure that he would eat his fill. After about an hour I put a shoreline crab in the tank. He would push it away with his arms or use his siphon. After a couple attempts to push it away he grabbed it, held and killed it then released it once it died.
I believe that when certain species of octos, especially after feeding get harassed by fish or something else they will grab and kill what ever bothers them and just discard the item. Here's how I came to that conclusion: I would put five striped shoreline crabs in the tank, and my octopus would grab two or three and eat them up. He would finish them and spit out all the pieces of exoskeleton. The next day I would find the remaining crabs dead fully intact. I thought this was weird, so I decided to try an experiment. I fed my octo a raw shrimp that was too big to finish, so I would be sure that he would eat his fill. After about an hour I put a shoreline crab in the tank. He would push it away with his arms or use his siphon. After a couple attempts to push it away he grabbed it, held and killed it then released it once it died.
quick story, my daughter went to mexico for her sr. trip. While snorkeling she picked up an empty conch shell. She thought would look good in our aquarium at home. Said she had been carrying it around for about 30 minutes on the boat when an octopus crawled out. Needless to say, after much excitement the octopus and shell went directly back in the water...... Can't you just imagine an octopus crawing out with a boat load of high school grads, mostly girls.... 
thelizardkin
New member
they are fine with non stingng coral like sps zoos shrooms but not elegance or anenomes but all coral should be glued down
Thatgrimguy
New member
Don't forget the octopus may decide to redecorate a little for ya.. So nothing you would be heart broken if it got destroyed.
CephDude
New member
With my different octopuses, I have kept small fish with them... Sort of for entertainment for the octopus. Firefish and green chromis don't seem to bother them at all, and the octopus have never killed or attempted to kill (to my knowledge) their tankmates. This has been done with a bimac, wunderpuss, blue ringed and mimics. With larger species, I've never bothered to throw in any fish....
