Octopus

chandler04

chandler04

Active Member
Anyone know where I can buy an octopus small enough to fit in a 30 gallon? Ive heard of small ones, but I cant find em anywhere. That would be really neat, having a nice little octopus right next to my favorite sitting spot. This tank is literally RIGHT next to me where I watch the tube and hang out with my friends. Its pretty neat. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
They are cool, but will escape. As you know, they can squeeze through anything their tenacles can fit in. My LFS has one that is in a critter cage inside the tank.
 
pufferman

pufferman

Member
The majority of octopuses/octopi do get big (>15" in most cases). It might be quite hard to find dwarf species. It should not be kept in 30 not just because of its large size but because of their "ink squirting" behavior, which, by the way, can kill itself pretty quickly in a small tank once it happens. They are easily spooked by the presence of people walking by...etc. Since your tank is located where you hang out with friends, it might not be the best idea. A large tank is a must in order to dilute ink in some way. This explains why you also need an extremely efficient filtration system. They are short-lived in captivity anyway no matter how much care you dedicate to it...I'd say it isn't worth a try.
 
moto757

moto757

Member
i know a place but they say min tank size is a 50 so i don't know if it would be to good since everyone says no my buddy had one for a while it did pretty good in his 55 he eventually got rid of it and did a reef.
 
chandler04

chandler04

Active Member
I have a 55 gallon that I could put it in with great filtration AND water, and YES, there are species out there that do stay small, not all octopus are huge like you think they are. They stay relatively small, I just dont know where to find em, which is why I asked. Well, could you tell me where yer friend got this octopus please? I could put it in my 55 I guess. Leave the 30 as a goby tank...
 
mattiej

mattiej

Member
I would highly reccomend staying away from Blue ringed Octopus. These guys are extremely posionious and do not do well in captivity. Unfortunately I see them for sale on all too frequent occasions. There are quite a few species that stay very small and are rarely seen in the hobby. The most common you will see is the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, this type can get fairly big and does fair in captivity. The only problem is that they have a natural life span of only three years. Unlike fish that may kive longer in captivity due to lack of competition and ease of food, the octopus will not and most only live about a year at most. If you can a provide an esacpe-proof tank that is as clean as a reef then you can house one as long as you are prepared to only have it for a little over a year and not have anything else in its tank. They feed on far too many animals and far too many feed on them. I am not trying to discourage you only point out what you will be facing with these remarkable animals.
 
innsmouth

innsmouth

Member
Do a search for octopus joubini or pygmy octopus. This species does well in a smaller system if proper water paramters are maintained. They're pretty tough to find but I have read of many people that are keeping them successfully in less than 30 gallon tanks. Also search for TONMO. It's a cephalopod message board.
 
clowny123

clowny123

Member
I know where u can get one but i dont know if it is a pygmy but this one dosent grow big and it is tank raised so if u give me your email i tell u
 
caulareef4

caulareef4

Member
Well if you're looking for a cool little critter that is fascinating, I would suggest you get a Mantis shimp. Theyb are really cool, make their own homes. Some can get fairly large. 30g would be very sufficient for the most popular and strongest mantis, the Peacock Mantis shrimp(Odontodactylus Scylarrus).
 
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