Species diferences????

[fishteacher73]

I just got my octo today!!! Unfortunatly it was called a bron Octopus, I believe its O. vulgaris, but not really sure if it is, it doesnt look like any of the photo's of the "dwarf" (usually misnamed as joublii from what I've heard) but is quite small, and I'm not sure if it is really a vulgaris or not....HELP? Any one know id. characteristics of these two to discern a dwarf froma juv. vulgaris??

 

[cephalopoder]

Hi
Its almost impossible to tell with out certin iformation.
A few good pictures, knowing where the octo was captured..ie what ocean and location... There are tons of species out there and ordering off the web is any bodys guess. Where did you get it from? O. vulgaris is a atlantic species, O.bimaculoides is a pacific species and are the two most common octos in the trade. O. bimaculoides has two false eye spots on its webbing that makes it easy to ID. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[fishteacher73]

I believe it was from the Caribbean, or at least thats the best they could tell me(Sea Dwelling Creatures). On a side note, I wish I could post some photo's...I Dropped the little guy into the tank and he went straight into some holes in the Marshal rock. I see him reach out a little and have seen him shift about in his spot. Is it normal for them to hide that much at first? I know they tend to shun full light and be a bit more active at night, but I havnt seen him out and about even checking on him for about three hours with slight light(a small lamp across the room) and total dark...Still no roaming about....The H20 chem is great, so i dont think this is a problem...Do they normally take a few days to settle in a bit better? He's been in my tank now for about 72 hrs..Thanks again for all the help and expertise...Have been wanting this guy for about 20 years and just now finally got him, I dont want to mess him up.

 

[cephalopoder]

It will take a little while before the little guy settles in. A lot of the pygmy octos are very shy and seldom seen because they hide most of the time. You can try feeding raw shrimp from a wooden shish ker bob skewer to help tame him. After a few weeks he might be less shy. A lot of octos are only active at night as well. I had a macropus species that would only come out a few hours at night a few times a week. He was a very cool octo though and was well worth the little time we got to interact with each other. If your looking for a action see all the time pet, a fish is better suited. Or a O.bimaculoides is your best choice for your next octo. Give this little one time though, with patience you find you have a very cool pet.