Pygmy Octo question

[InvertLover]

Hey, I'm looking for general info about pygmy octos. Mainly compatibility(fish and inverts), and what kind of food to provide. Also, do they have problems with bright light like cuttlefish? thanks!

 

[blackangler]

First off, ill tell you what you can have with them, starfish, cucumbers, very fast shrimp, tube worms, macro algea and thats about it.

give them hermit crabs, snails, fiddler crabs, or live clams.

they arnt as active in the light so the brighter the light the less active, although many species are nocturnal.

btw, some species of cuttles dont have proublems with bright light(sepia bandensis)

 

[InvertLover]

Thanks! This is about what I anticipated. The question is for my roomie, who wants to do a preditor tank. (I have a ~3 year old reef tank, mostly LPS and a few softies and leather) I don't know much about preditor tanks, although I know that for octos and cuttlefish water quality is very important, and they can be messy eaters. Would a 30 gal dedicated tank be large enough for a pygmy? I don't think he can afford to set up anything much larger, and if that is too small, I may attempt to convince him to do a mantis tank instead. Thanks again for the very informative reply!

 

[DHyslop]

I would recommend a mantis, just because pygmys are notoriously difficult. When you order one it is often wild-caught for you. This means that a) it probably will have trouble transitioning to a captive environment and almost certainly won't take frozen food, and b) its probably an adult with a couple weeks or months to live. And most pygmys are nocturnal.

A pygmy cuttle would be an option, but right now they're really only available from eggs, meaning you'd have to start culturing your own rotifers...

Dan

 

[blackangler]

i know of a place that is currently selling baby dewarf cuttles, if you are interested email me willtyson14@aol.com