Octopus in The Package - part 1

[AlexAndCoral]

We just ordered the package from Tampa Bay Saltwater for our 135 gallon reef tank. We received the first shipment yesterday and set about acclimating the tank and starting to cycle it. They're pretty famous for having interesting hitchhikers turn up, and today we found an octopus on our glass.

Pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/AFBWasserman/Octopus

Can anyone give us a hand in how to care for and grow a baby octopus? It's a very tiny invert in a big, but largely predator free tank. I'm planning on getting a refugium at some point, perhaps now would be the time to speed that plan up a bit. He certainly didn't seem to like the wavebox much.

Food, care, etc? Any clues?

Also, thanks to Richard for an exiciting weekend of discovery. We've had a tiny fish, an octopus, several snails and crabs, and the odd brittle-star, all before we were supposed to have any animals at all. Our other tank - 24g nanocube - which has been running for a year has nothing like the like on the rocks of this tank which has been running for a day or two.

Thanks,

Alex and Coral

ps. Coral is actually a fortuitously named girl who is now my going to be my wife. I'm not quite addicted enough to post with my tank corals.

 

[Untamed12]

That is unbelievably cool. I wish I could help you more.

At a glance, all I could find you was this link.

http://www.tonmo.com

Octopuses are reputed to be escape artists, every octopus tank I've ever seen has mesh over every inlet and outlet, as well as lids over the tank.

Very difficult to keep in captivity, in general. Good luck!

There's a popular story of a large pacific octopus kept at the Vancouver aquarium. This particular octopus figured out a way to leave his tank, get into a nearby tank, eat the occupants of that tank and return to his own tank in the middle of the night. It took them a long time to figure out what was happening!

 

[Untamed12]

OMG...just reread your message and this is your FIRST shipment. Your tank is likely to go through cycle. If you want that little guy to survive, I would suggest you get him out of that tank into his own tank where you can watch him closely.

If you can't do that, seek out some other local aquarium person to try to save him.

 

[liverock]

octo

octo

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9461821#post9461821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Untamed12
OMG...just reread your message and this is your FIRST shipment. Your tank is likely to go through cycle. If you want that little guy to survive, I would suggest you get him out of that tank into his own tank where you can watch him closely.

If you can't do that, seek out some other local aquarium person to try to save him.

Just let him roam, you will not experience enough of a cycle in a 135 to bother him...this happens all the time and the octos do well...he will find food in the rocks i sent you!
Richard TBS

 

[Amyandlars]

That's awesome that you found him so quickly! I've heard of people that had them in their tank for a couple of months before they saw them. The Cephalopods forum on this website is really good.