30 min old tank + Octopus!!!

[Laeelin]

Anyone clicking here to yell at me: I know that I shouldn't get an octopus when I'm just starting, and I'm horrified at the idea of cycling with an octopus in the tank... but..

 

It was an hitchhiker!!!! =P

 

I am just starting, This is my first tank..

 

Today I drove back home from Tampa with some Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock to start my tank with and as I'm placing the rock in my tank I find a tiny octopus left the bag.

 

My first thought is that it's so small it might be sucked into the powerhead and also that I need to have it out of the tank till after the cycle anyway, so I moved it from the tank into a small 1.5 gallon tank with a few inches of water and a live rock in it.

 

It is a little larger than a pea when it curls it arms around it's body, and the "head" looks about the size of a pea when it's uncurled.

 

Currently it's in a small tank with about 4 inches of water and a small piece of live rock. I have a piece of saran wrap over the top of the tank in hopes of preventing escape. No bubbler or anything yet.

 

At this point I'm at a loss as to what is best to do, and till I get some sleep, I cant think any more.

 

1) Anything I should know about right away? (aka before i have time to reasearch this tomorrow)

 

2) Should I place him back in the tank after the LR cycles?

 

3) Is there any way to tell if he is a baby or a miniature octi?

 

 

 

Thanks

David

[Six-Line]

Sounds like a baby for sure. I used to see small brown octopus in the Keys right along the sea walls. I think you might as well return it, or just let it try to live through the cycle. He may die or he may live, but im almost positive he will die in 4" of water with no oxygen being pumped into the water. Also he will eat any inverts and fish you add to the tank. (When he grows up of course)

 

Good Luck~!

[xcajx]

make sure it isnt a poisonous one expecially a blue-ringed. probably not since they come australia, but just to be safe. I know they like mollusks to eat and other inverts. sounds like it is time to read up.

 

cool catch though...

[Laeelin]

but im almost positive he will die in 4" of water with no oxygen being pumped into the water.

 

Thats just till I get a airpump =P ..

 

Kind of hard to get one when it's midnight, and you live almost an hour away from wallmart.

[halmotors]

Originally posted by xcajx

make sure it isnt a poisonous one...

 

Aren't ALL octopus venomous? I mean, they need it to kill their prey, correct?

[tinyreef]

www.tonmo.com

 

you might want to think about trading it to a lfs. more chance of survival and you may get a decent trade-in value. or they may hold it for you until you're settled. (no guarantees probably) good luck!

[Laeelin]

*sniff* It's beautiful... just beautiful..

 

I'll post pictures later today.

 

Taking it to the pet store is probably a good idea, I'm thinking about it... but I would really like to keep if.. IF it will stay alive...,

 

Watching it jet around the tank and change colors 10 time in the blink of an eye is something. It's nothing like watching a lizard match it's background!!

 

I'm leaning to the idea of using the small 1.5 gallon tank it is already in and try to keep it happy.

 

Thanks

David

[nalbar]

because they have no skeleton they are expert escape artists. they can fit through the tiniest hole. they take specialized tanks or they carpet walk.

 

be prepared for him to be gone.

 

i am SOOO jealous!

 

 

nalbar

[anarchyman2099]

Originally posted by halmotors

Aren't ALL octopus venomous? I mean, they need it to kill their prey, correct?

 

uhh... no not ALL octopie (not octopus) are venomus...most just crack or crush the shells of crabs and other inverts with their beaks...(i watch discovery channel WAY to much)

[Undertheradar]

Although many octos have venom to halp capture their prey, only the blue-ring octo is a known man-killer. As long as the octo doesnt have any of the tell-tale glowing blue circles over its body you should be fine.

 

FWIW, I have a tank that would be perfect for rearing an octo that size. It is a 5gallon that was intended for a mantis...but an octo that size would be awesome (It happens to be octo proof as well as being blumbed into a larger tank for stability). Laeelin, if you would at all consider shipping it, I would be glad to pay....that is unless you want to take a stab at keeping it...but I wouldnt press your luck.

[TheCurriculum]

EDIT

I had to go to a meeting and when I came back I posted.. now that I look at the thread, I see a ton of info before mine... sorry about the needless post. TheCurriculum

End EDIT

 

halmotors said

Aren't ALL octopus venomous? I mean, they need it to kill their prey, correct?

 

Nope. Most of them are not, some really cool shows lately on discovery covering them plus the nature channel has had a couple programs. (rather watch those channels then HBO or skin'a'Max yada yada yada) I found this tidbit of information odd did you know that each leg (tentacle or which ever term you like) works independently of the others. Plus they work independently of the main brain, how’s that for the left hand not knowing what the other left hand is doing.. ? umm right hand thingy

 

They kill most of their pray just using the beak. They grab on then crunch :woot:

 

If you want to see a cool color changer in the octi family do a few searches on cuttle fish " I may have the spelling wrong " They were on display @ an aquarium it was crazy to watch this tank pulse together.. crazy ... some place in Japan has a whole section dedicated to them..

[Dolfan0925]

Since we're gonna get anal about it....

 

"Although many medical and scientific names tend to be Latin, for which the “i” ending is the correct plural (e.g., bronchus and bronchi), the name octopus comes from Greek roots (oktÇ = eight, and pous = foot), and should not be pluralized in the same way. Technically, the proper pluralization of the “-us” ending for a Greek-root word such as octopus should be the suffix “-odes”, but octopodes is generally considered a bit of a mouthful, and in both the Oxford Dictionary and among the scientific community, the most common pluralization of octopus is simply “octopuses.” "

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jul...2003/invert.htm

[anarchyman2099]

...uh...buddy?...seriously...im just saying what i was tought. who says "octopodes" anyways? lol not insulting you or anything but it would be extremely odd to hear "hey man did you see any Octopodes on your diving trip?" lol

[palaegic]

So all of your LR came from TBS? Very cool. I have yet to see any hardcore negatives about TBS cultured rock.

Don't put the octopus in your mouth, or let the cats near it.

[Korbin]

Some people have all the luck.

[Laeelin]

Update: I'm going to be sending him to Undertheradar.. I'm really worried about him surivieing till the cycle is finished, so as hard as it is, i'm going to need to let him go to someone that can take care of him.

[tinyreef]

hey! how come radar gets him/it?

[jgreen1025]

I thought LR from TBS was supposed to be very high quality and already cycled. If that's the case, I thought the cycle in the new tank would be very minimal. Shouldn't the octopus be able to survive that?

[Farrah]

What ever happened to this little guy?

[Rene]

If all the LR in the tank is from TBS, and all TBS rock is from Gulf of Mexico, it's not a blue-ring. They live around Australia

[surfy]

Probably bimac.

[matt the fiddler]

"I thought LR from TBS was supposed to be very high quality and already cycled"

 

only if it never left water from them to you.. yes- it will be cycled. during shipping thought garanteed there will be die off, that in turn will have to cure then re-cycle...

 

 

radar- i am waiting for pictures :-)

[Laeelin]

only if it never left water from them to you.. yes- it will be cycled.  

 

TBS rock DOESN'T leave the water from them to you =P (well not counting < 1 min transfers from one container to another)

 

It's shipped just like creatures are normally shipped.. in water =)

 

That's why people love this rock so much... In my case I waited for them to unload the morning shipment, transferred directly from the holding tanks to the plastic bags and then placed directly into my tank never leavening the water for more than a couple min.

 

Not many people can say "This piece of live rock was in the gulf this morning, and this afternoon it's in my tank!"

 

Some things do die though... and you still will have a cycle, just a much smaller one.

 

-David

 

ps: They even let me pick through the "rubble" left after they unloaded the LR... Very nice people.

[matt the fiddler]

:-)

 

it isn't a complete submerged job- but does a good job...

but you still get some cycle..

[jgreen1025]

Originally posted by matt the fiddler

:-)

 

it isn't a complete submerged job-   but does a good job...

but you still get some cycle..

 

But wouldn't that cycle be minimal enough that the octopus ought to be able to survive inside the new tank? Unless, of course, something really goes wrong.