Originally posted by waterdog
Blue Ring octos are very poisonous, but it is very rare that you would die from them. If you are bit (their bite can go through a wet suit) you just need to keep the airway open. The have a neuro toxin that could eventually paralize you, including your respiratory muscles, but a human can metabolize it so fast it almost never results in total paralysis. But, your body would react to the toxin by swelling your throat first. Even off the Great Barrier Reef, their native habitat, very few people ever die.
So, my point is that blue rings, just like stonefish or venemous snakes, can be kept with almost no risk to the owner as long as they are careful. But, we all know how stupid some people can be 
You are all now informed
Hmm.. I'm not so sure about some of that info Waterdog:
"The victim might be saved if artificial respiration starts before marked cyanosis and hypotension develops. The blue-ringed octopus is the size of a golf ball but its poison is powerful enough to kill an adult human in minutes. There's no known antidote. The only treatment is hours of heart massage and artificial respiration until the poison has worked its way out of your system.
The venom contains tetrodotoxin, which blocks sodium channels and causes motor paralysis and occasionally respiratory failure. Though with fixed dilated pupils, the senses of the patients are often intact. The victims are aware but unable to respond" found on Barrierreefaustralia.com. (sorry mods for link, but it's for safety purposes).
I wouldn't try to keep Octopi in an aquarium at all. They are way too smart.
Not sure about the effects of venom, but I will say that the Blue ring octopus was specifically mentioned on my dive briefing when I was at the reef.
Aarone, I didn't realize you were in the DFW metroplex. Email me at
jdixon@pipeline.com with the name of the LFS. I'd love to give them a piece of my mind as well as being sure to never shop there again!
