Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 i think if your well educated on them and you have a tank for them that is designed around them and you can keep that tank stable w/ 0 trites, trates, and ammonia, and have a stable Ph and the right temp. i dont think you will have many problems.. but there are many variables that can affect your octopus.. like how it was collected.. and how it was shiped.. sometimes they die from the stress of shipping.. or they will be adults and lay eggs a week after you introduced them into the tank.. if my octopus were to lay eggs now. or soon.. and they were fertile. i would try my hand at raising them since i can get my hands on ALOT of tiny crustaceans (crabs, shrimps, amphipods etc.).. its the larger ones that are harder for me to get..... EDI**also.. he just went back into the rocks.. but he was out.. just watching me for a good 30 minutes (estimated..) and im 99.9% positive that he ate. EDIT AGAIN **well.. i tired feeding him again.. and he came out to the front.. grabed the feeding stick.. and took the shrimp.. then swam around a little.. and went back into his cave..i have to say he is extremely bold for such a new octopus... most are hiding in a cave with the 'door' shut closed w/ a shell or a rock when they are this new Link to comment
CF_18driver Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Ok time I weigh in on this. I have kept octos in the past. A cold water species octopus rubecins (Ruby). They are fascinating animals and will provide much entertainment and a good friend too. I will try to answer some of the questions posed in the past posts. 1st question food: They like to be stimulated; they are intelligent hunters (IQ of a 5 year old human for a mature GPO) so anything that moves is a good idea. Ruby loved to chase shore crabs as they provided much challenge. It was fascinating to watch her distract a crab with one tentacle and then pounce on it from behind a rock. You could see the poor crab squirming under the tent of octopus. Lighting: Low light is best. I found that as it was a specimen only tank natural light during the day was fine. I added a small red LED array at the top for viewing at night. She never seemed to mind this and it allowed me to watch her hunt. Nocturnal? Yep very much so. Infact the only thing I ever saw of her was an eye or sometimes a tentacle during the day. She would pretty much only come out at night. Some species are easier to acclimate to the day light hours I think the Bimac will come out during the day. Cuttel fish? Well ok if you have a huge long tank. They are very good swimmers and move around a lot. I know at woods hole they did some research with them and they had to keep them in a 300gal long tank. There is one species that you could keep but it is a cold water species from the pacific North West and likes to live on muddy bottoms. If you do not provide adequate swimming space they will bump into the walls constantly and probably get a terrible infection from all the injuries. Tank considerations? Well the accepted minimum size is a 55 gal. I had mine in a 113 tall and she used pretty much every inch of it. AS far as aquascaping try to glue all the rocks together. They like to redecorate to there liking. Under gravel filters seem to just be a trap for them. Lots of toys is a must too, mine played with the floating thermometer, Lego blocks, pipe scraps, cups, flower pots you name it she would play with it. As far as nano goes, there are no small octos suitable for a nano. I have seen pygmy octos once and a while. Problem is they are near the end of there lifespan and very secretive. You would never know you have one in there. Occasionally I have seen a blue ring octo for sale. These are small enough to be happy in a 10 gal but they don’t live very long and they are POISIONUS!!!! Yes the beautiful little octo has one of the most potent venoms in the world! A small bite is enough to kill you. It is a nice way to go though. You lose control of your motor functions till you cant feel anything and all you can do is see and hear but not respond a few minuets later your respitory system shuts down and it all gets black, not a bad way to go but not my cuppa tea. If you see one stay far away from it! If you see an octo with blue rings all over its body stay away from it! There are no false blue rings that are safe. As far as octo proofing goes, the smallest hole they can fit through is the size of there beak. Hold down the top of the tank with weights. They are suprisingly strong. Also cover all intakes with a fine nylon mesh. I finaly found a good use for all those pantyhoes that the girls left in my room. Aperently astro turf makes a good barrier, they dont like the feel of that stuff. Sorry to go on like that! If you are interested in keeping octos, go to Tonmo.com, lots of good info. Best of luck with yours! Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 FF, Do you have a protien skimmer? If not, I'd definately say GET ONE. LOL. Not only to help maintain excellent water quality, but also for oxygen. Puss' require extremely high levels of dissolved oxygen. I'm too lazy to re read the whole thread, so I just posted that. Link to comment
sambo123 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 try fiddilers and sally lightfoot crabs they are pretty easy to get in florida How mant tanks do u have?lol also how much do you think the dwarf cuttlefish cost on average if you by it from someone at tomno? Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 good info there but i would like to add.. Sepia Bandensis (dwarf cuttlefish) is the most common in the US (commnly sold.. not in US waters.. there are no cuttlefish in US waters) and can be kept in a 30g. tank.... just anf FYI.. Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Sepia bandensis Fixed that for ya. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 FF, Do you have a protien skimmer? If not, I'd definately say GET ONE. LOL. Not only to help maintain excellent water quality, but also for oxygen. Puss' require extremely high levels of dissolved oxygen. I'm too lazy to re read the whole thread, so I just posted that. yup.. im gonna try and get a CSS 65 for X-mas but until then its water changes 2 times a week! lol try fiddilers and sally lightfoot crabs they are pretty easy to get in florida How mant tanks do u have?lol also how much do you think the dwarf cuttlefish cost on average if you by it from someone at tomno? good luck finding someone with one. i dont know of anyone w/ one...but there could be someone on tonmo.com yes.. fidlers are gonna be a staple part of there diet... i have a 90g. reef.. a 30g. cube reef/ Seahorse tank... a 20H holding tank [currently being broken down..] and a 10g. nano-reef.... oh and the 30g. octopus tank lol i think it comes out to like 160g. of water Link to comment
Clownfishcrazy1117 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Ok time I weigh in on this. I have kept octos in the past. A cold water species octopus rubecins (Ruby). They are fascinating animals and will provide much entertainment and a good friend too. I will try to answer some of the questions posed in the past posts. 1st question food: They like to be stimulated; they are intelligent hunters (IQ of a 5 year old human for a mature GPO) so anything that moves is a good idea. Ruby loved to chase shore crabs as they provided much challenge. It was fascinating to watch her distract a crab with one tentacle and then pounce on it from behind a rock. You could see the poor crab squirming under the tent of octopus. Lighting: Low light is best. I found that as it was a specimen only tank natural light during the day was fine. I added a small red LED array at the top for viewing at night. She never seemed to mind this and it allowed me to watch her hunt. Nocturnal? Yep very much so. Infact the only thing I ever saw of her was an eye or sometimes a tentacle during the day. She would pretty much only come out at night. Some species are easier to acclimate to the day light hours I think the Bimac will come out during the day. Cuttel fish? Well ok if you have a huge long tank. They are very good swimmers and move around a lot. I know at woods hole they did some research with them and they had to keep them in a 300gal long tank. There is one species that you could keep but it is a cold water species from the pacific North West and likes to live on muddy bottoms. If you do not provide adequate swimming space they will bump into the walls constantly and probably get a terrible infection from all the injuries. Tank considerations? Well the accepted minimum size is a 55 gal. I had mine in a 113 tall and she used pretty much every inch of it. AS far as aquascaping try to glue all the rocks together. They like to redecorate to there liking. Under gravel filters seem to just be a trap for them. Lots of toys is a must too, mine played with the floating thermometer, Lego blocks, pipe scraps, cups, flower pots you name it she would play with it. As far as nano goes, there are no small octos suitable for a nano. I have seen pygmy octos once and a while. Problem is they are near the end of there lifespan and very secretive. You would never know you have one in there. Occasionally I have seen a blue ring octo for sale. These are small enough to be happy in a 10 gal but they don’t live very long and they are POISIONUS!!!! Yes the beautiful little octo has one of the most potent venoms in the world! A small bite is enough to kill you. It is a nice way to go though. You lose control of your motor functions till you cant feel anything and all you can do is see and hear but not respond a few minuets later your respitory system shuts down and it all gets black, not a bad way to go but not my cuppa tea. If you see one stay far away from it! If you see an octo with blue rings all over its body stay away from it! There are no false blue rings that are safe. As far as octo proofing goes, the smallest hole they can fit through is the size of there beak. Hold down the top of the tank with weights. They are suprisingly strong. Also cover all intakes with a fine nylon mesh. I finaly found a good use for all those pantyhoes that the girls left in my room. Aperently astro turf makes a good barrier, they dont like the feel of that stuff. Sorry to go on like that! If you are interested in keeping octos, go to Tonmo.com, lots of good info. Best of luck with yours! Wows. I just want to add that I have read that they need very dim lighting and like to have lots of sheltar, like a broken pot or something. I also read that they require a 50 gallon and above (maybe that's only normal and not pygmies?) and that they can escape through any openings in your tank that are big enough for its beak to fit through like driver said. Link to comment
FryedFish Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 yup.. im gonna try and get a CSS 65 for X-mas but until then its water changes 2 times a week! Wow fishfreak i never noticed you were so young, texx and I think we need younger reefers haha I know what You mean by wait for xmas, you should think about getting a part time job, thats what I did at 14. Anyways good luck w/ur octopuss, ive always wanted one! Link to comment
Cesar Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I can't believe I missed this thread. Awesome try dude. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 lol thanks^ also.. i just fed him another peice of krill! so he has eaten 3 peices so far!!! this is very encouraging b/c last night i was bumed that he didnt eat anything Link to comment
sambo123 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 sometimes you can find a pretty new css on reefcentrals classifieds for 40$ also do you know how much the cuttlefish cost? Link to comment
MagElvs Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 You don't have a skimmer!! What are you going to do if it inks..that'll be a MASSIVE water change/scary thing. Link to comment
FryedFish Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Seacrop is selling cuttfish fish eggs rite now! 60$ for a cluster! god I love seacrop, mary rules! Not sure on the adult/juvi price thou, sorry lol Totally OT btw, lol Link to comment
sambo123 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I know but what if they all died! I would like to buy a young one that is already hatched you could just take the skimmer off one of the other tanks you have for the time being Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 sometimes you can find a pretty new css on reefcentrals classifieds for 40$ also do you know how much the cuttlefish cost? thank you.. but i'd rather get a new one for $71.00 on bigalsonline.com its the cheapest i have seen them and after shipping it'll be like $80.00 or something like that.... You don't have a skimmer!! What are you going to do if it inks..that'll be a MASSIVE water change/scary thing. im praying.. got my fingers crossed and i have extra saltwater on hand... Seacrop is selling cuttfish fish eggs rite now! 60$ for a cluster! god I love seacrop, mary rules! Not sure on the adult/juvi price thou, sorry lol Totally OT btw, lol yup.. the $60 price tag kinda scared me away b/c sometimes even experienced ceph. owners have problems w/ the young...if they werent $60 i would deff. buy them (well.. if i didnt have the octo.. cause there is no other room for them) Link to comment
FryedFish Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 you could just take the skimmer off one of the other tanks you have for the time being Yea really, or make a DIY skimmer, DIY would be better then anything (unless you sux at it!) Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 I know but what if they all died! I would like to buy a young one that is already hatched you could just take the skimmer off one of the other tanks you have for the time being i am pretty sure tonmo members sell the eggs cheaper and eggs ship MUCH better... Yea really, or make a DIY skimmer, DIY would be better then anything (unless you sux at it!) lol.. my family isnt really DIY oriented.. lol.. actually we suck at DIY and my dad has this mindset of "i can paysomeone else to do it and have it come out alot better.... you get what you pay for" kinda mentality to him... Link to comment
FryedFish Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 lol.. my family isnt really DIY oriented.. lol.. actually we suck at DIY and my dad has this mindset of "i can paysomeone else to do it and have it come out alot better.... you get what you pay for" kinda mentality to him... Haha I would wish for my dad to be like that! he thinks ''this isnn't that big of a job I can do it!" 5 min. later we have no running water (true story) lol, but luckly I got my g-pas DIY skills (blessed ik, lol) yea...lol Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 lol^ if he's out today i'll get more pics for you guys... Link to comment
travisurfer Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 great pics. i only have 2 tanks. Link to comment
Charlie97L Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 good info there but i would like to add.. Sepia Bandensis (dwarf cuttlefish)is the most common in the US (commnly sold.. not in US waters.. there are no cuttlefish in US waters) and can be kept in a 30g. tank.... just anf FYI.. that's true... they have some at the national zoo i believe.. but they're all cold water species, so you'll need a chiller. that's key. they're not tropical. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 hmmm... i never heard that.. ill have to look that up.. i was almost positve that Sepia Bandensis was warm water.. maybe i was wrong.... Link to comment
MJD Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 havent been on in a while but its good to come back to a nice effort like this. Keep it up MJD Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 thank you very much for the support^ that's true... they have some at the national zoo i believe.. but they're all cold water species, so you'll need a chiller. that's key. they're not tropical. nope. here is a quote from an article called "keeping and breeding the dwarf cuttlefish (sepia bandensis)" "Heater – S. bandensis come from at least the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and seem to do just fine between 78 and 80 degrees. " Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.