Should I buy this octo?

[Animal Mother]

Oh man, shame on you!

There should be instructions included. Usually comes with a clear plastic vial and a syringe, and color coded cards.. after adding drops of the test solution the water will change color, and you match it to the colors on the corresponding card. Tank water goes into the vial, and the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests should be done seperately each time with another batch of tank water. Don't dip the vial into your tank to get water into it though, use a seperate container or the syringe if your kit includes it. Putting the vial into the water could very likely pollute your tank with the chemicals from the test kit.

 

[408mike]

Ok good to know.

In other news, my octo is still healthy and eating a lot, but still VERY SHY. I mean WOW.

He/she also seems to be a very good digger, and has managed to dig underneath basically all of my live rock, and now wherever you look are passages under all the rock. So, basically, my octo can travel around the entire tank without being seen. Also coincidentaly it seems anything i put in there to feed it instinctively heads into these caves to escape light and POW i see a flurry of sand shoot out and broken limbs and carcasses get thrown out. I REALLY want to figure out how to see this darn thing, driving me up a wall here. I'm tempted to take all the live rock out or at least rearrange it in such a way that my octo cant hide so well. Thoughts?

 

[Animal Mother]

Well, unfortunately that's the nature of the dwarfs. I wouldn't go digging around and messing with the rocks. You might end up starting all over again, frightening it into hiding.

I had my mercatoris for 4 months and I only got to REALLY see it about 6 times. Otherwise I only saw its arms and eyes peeking out of the shell it lived in. Probably would have seen it more if I could have stayed up all night, but having a day job and all...

 

[408mike]

Yeah I hear you. It seems to be watching me when Im nearby, it chills in the dark under the live rock. I might re-arrange my live rock tomorrow, give him a spot to hide but not to where I can't see him. WIll he EVER eat in teh light? I mean would it starve to death?

 

[Animal Mother]

I doubt you'll ever get it to come out in the light. Their instincts have been "hard-wired" into their brains generation after generation for hundreds if not thousands of years. Red light at night is the way to go.

I've kept fish that hid until they starved to death because I introduced a potential threat to their tank. Then again, octos are smarter than fish. Would probably just figure out how to trick you. They are much more patient than we are.

 

[408mike]

Well after watching a video from tonmo it appears I have O. mercatoris

Are there any differences between these and dwarves?

 

[dreadhead119]

They are dwarves.

 

[Animal Mother]

Dreadhead is correct.