O. Briareus!!

S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Ok! Someone in my local reef club has baby Octos!! She is offering them up for anyone who wants to try to raise them. I talked to her and am going to get 4 or more of these little cuties on Sunday. That leaves me tomorrow to get set-up!
What I know:
They are O. Briareus, which are large egg layers and are benthic at birth! (this is a plus)
Lowered water level should be sufficient for now, however when/if they get larger, they need a secure top!
Brine is no good!
good foods are:
mysid shrimp, amphipods, crustacean larvae, crustacean appendages, little kids (not
), and small crabs.
Food should be from 1/3 to 2 times the mantle length.
They are currently the size of a pushpin(the kind with a ball on top) and can double their weight every week under the right conditions. So, I need ALOT of food.
Also, they are known to be cannibilistic, so I will have to seperate them somehow!
What I need to know:
Everything else! lol
I know there are a few on here who keep Octos! Help me out, please!! Thanks, Amy
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
How cool, I hope you post some pics when you get them. It sounds like they get big pretty fast something like 75% of full size in about 14 weeks (phew). They are very intelligent and like to have rocky lairs to live in. Have been known to be canibalistic...suh-weet! :p
Are you going to try an Octo Only Tank for now? How big? I want one! lol
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Well, I'm not planning too far ahead as even the "octo experts" don't seem to have success raisng these. I am hoping for some dumb luck. lol
So far, I'm thinking:
one in a 1 qallon goldfish bowl with circulating airline(what I do with my Clown larva)add some live rock/pvc for hiding
one or two in bare bottom 10g(seperated somehow) live rock and pvc for hiding
and I am debating on putting one in my fuge(if I can stop it from being sucked into tank) probably not a good idea, but figure there should be lots of food in there (just a thought)
I also have a 20g that I can put a divider in(or something) it has been setup for a few months and contains a few marine feeder shrimp.
Anyway, I'm still trying to figure it out! If I am successful with even one, it will be a miracle!
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Best of luck, they sound pretty high maintenance. Maybe you could share your Octo diary with us so we can see how it goes.
And, yes...an octo in a fuge for some reason just sounds like trouble lol.
From what I read, shrimp and crabs seem the way to go.
Pretty agressive so best kept seperated.
Nocturnal and very shy, especially under light untill they get acclimated (which can take a while).
Can grow to 75% of their full size within 14 weeks? Whew!
Very intelligent.
It sounds like there are some folks out there who are having some success.
You can do it, Shrimpy!
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Pics of the little cuties and tank set up! I will try to get more pics, but I think I gave them too many places to hide!
Stupid thumbnails!




 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Well the good thing is...within a few weeks they shouldn't have too many places to hide.
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
True that! But if they don't come out soon, I am going to start pulling things out! Can't stand not knowing if they are still alive in there or what!!
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
I added the live rock more for bacteria than for them to hide! Now I am afraid to pull it out for fear that one might be in a hole somewhere! lol
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
I got 4. Had this idea about seperating one. That's why there is a fish bowl in the tank in pic. Only a couple of peeps have successfully raised these, so I am trying a couple of ideas.
Anyway, I guess the 1g was a bad idea, cause I lost that one! Poop!
Hopefully, I still have 3 in the 10g tank, but time will tell!
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3275353
Hey, Shrimpy! How are the Octo's doing?
I wish I knew! Unfortunately, either the little guys are invisible/hiding or dead and gone! I hope they are invisible!
I have tested ammonia daily and it has not gone above 0. I am thinking if they died there would be at least a small spike in ammonia.
Also, I have loaded the heck out of this tank with pods from my fuge. I stare into it constantly and I haven't seen even one pod. I am hoping that means that I have at least one little octo in there. I have a thread on that other board you told me about. (same user name) If you want to check it out.
I have been told that a lady on there had a baby octopus in a tank and thought it was dead and gone. She didn't even feed the tank and 4 months later she noticed some movement in the tank! It was the octopus, still alive!
So, I continue to hope and watch. (also, I am feeding, everything I can think of)
Maybe I will get a glimpse sooner or later! Or maybe I have the best fed pods in the hobby!
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Cool...found it!
I'm thinking positive. Those pods have to be going somewhere, maybe the octos are just coming out in the middle of the night while you're sleepin. And hopefully you won't have to wait 4 months to get a glimps of them. Sooner or later you're bound to know something. With all that food in the tank surely they will outgrow their hidding spots before too long. :)
Hey, congrats on the clowns btw.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Oh, yeah...what ever happened here, Shrimpy. The last time I checked the other site you hand't made any posts in a while. Did any of them make it?
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Haven't been able to post. I will try again.
 
Didn't see any baby octopus(inklets) for over 2 months. I finally decided they were gone. So, I broke down the tank, and moved the live rock into my 125g.
 
Now that you mention it, I have lost a couple of shrimp lately.........hmmmmm. lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top