Octopus laied eggs...now what???

[05Xrunner]

Well I was lookin in the tank and saw something in the upper corner looked like mucus. I looked and they are eggs.
Yet she doesnt stay with them and roams around the tank normally. I always thought they stayed with the eggs and protected them. I dont know what to think now if she will die since she layed them. I always thought they died from starvation and being soo tired of not eating in so long and protecting.

 

[Gonodactylus]

What happens now depends on the species. Some species lay all of their eggs in one burst, others lay them over several days. If the latter, she may come back and deposit more eggs before she starts to brood them. Death through senescence does not occur through starvation. It is an entire physiological syndrome controlled by the female's endocrine system. That syndrome has started and will run its course in a month or so - unless you have one of the rare species that reproduce multiple times.

Roy

 

[05Xrunner]

its a bipedal octopus

 

[Gonodactylus]

That's Abdopus aculeatus. They lay eggs over several days, often up on the tank wall. I have had them eventually settle down with the clutch and brood for about three weeks. During this time you will notice a loss of color and texture. The female always dies shortly after the eggs hatch.

Roy

 

[05Xrunner]

boy this sucks..This is the 4th octo i have had and never had any lay eggs before..I usually had bimacs. The worst part is I paid $50 and only had this octo for about a week and a half only..

 

[Gonodactylus]

Yeah, A. aculeatus live fast and die young. When you buy a mature animal, they rarely last more that a couple of months at the most. Males that have not mated may last a bit longer, but many will have already mated in the wild.

We really don't have good data on how long they live in the wild, but I received a juvenile female (1.5 cm mantle length) late last summer. She is not nearly full grown and has mated a few times in the lab, so I'm expecting eggs any time. That would put the life span at under a year (with lots of food and sex).

This is a great species to keep - hardy, day active, lots of color and texture - but they almost always are collected and sold as mature adults. Too bad they can't be cultured. Then people could buy juveniles and get their money's worth.

Roy

 

[dawnskaybug]

Might go good with a slab of bacon

 

[05Xrunner]

yea she was pretty active...Always roaming around the tank and everything. Really does suck these animals that are soo neat and smart get the shaft on living..When something like a stupid damsel gets to live like 10years.

 

[pdavies]

So, is there anything that can be done with the hatchlings in a month? We must had a local caribbean species lay eggs in long strand like strings of pearls and would like to try to help keep the hatchlings when they appear. Is there anythig we can do?

 

[Gonodactylus]

If it is a small egg species, they will probably starve to death within 3 days after hatching. Except for a couple of marine labs, people have not been able to rear small paralarvae.

Roy

 

[Aliie]

Wow, I hate to hear that you will loose you oct and it's hatchlings. If you happen to be around when they hatch and can catch some pics...... there would be alot of interest in the pics I'm sure.

Really wish we had the ability to raise them and have them survive like the wonderful ocean does.