im the one who has the little guy, i think the difficulty is exaggerated, im no beginner, but as long as you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and <50 nitrate i dont see why you wont be successful, and just like any other animal, you need to aquire a healthy specimen from the lfs.
i have mine in a 20g tank with 25lbs lr and 20lbs ls, it has no skimmer, but an eclipse hood/filter as this is solid tight and only needs some minor fixing (plastic wrap and duct tape) where the cord comes out.
they cannot be kept with many tankmates, this guy is 1/5" head and 5" arms and has eaten blue leg hermits, turbo snails, and nassarious snails, aswell as snapped at a blenny and cleaner shrimp. It seems to be fine with my large black brittle starfish tho.
octopus have a lifespan of 12-18 months from birth so they WONT live much more than a year, average seems to be about 10-12 months from purchase.
after only a month, mine has began spending most of his time out during the day and even begs for food at the front glass (as pictured) and eats frozen foods from your hand.
they certainly should ONLY be purchased by those who are experienced enough to keep 100% perfect water quality, ANY ammonia or nitrite and anything but stable salinity WILL kill them quickly, altho nitrate seems to be tolerated, as far as inverts go anyways.
if you would like a website with message board complete with octo experts which also sells tank raised octos and cuttlefish email me at
jonathondoering@hotmail.com and i can hook you up.
disclaimer: DONT just go to ur lfs and buy an octo to throw into your community tank, you WILL fail, but if you have proven yourself by keeping fish and inverts and are willing to dedicate a tank (ive heard as low as 10g for a dwarf) and realize they only live for a year, i see no reason why you wont have a successful and enjoyable octopus experience!
hope that helps
Jon
