octopus?
- Thread starter fditty
- Start date
supercichlid
Member
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It will eat any and all fish etc. you put in. Their ink is a harmless smokescreen........not poisonous.
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You sure? I was told when an octopus 'squirts its ink' a large water change is needed. Or did you mean in the wild?
It will eat any and all fish etc. you put in. Their ink is a harmless smokescreen........not poisonous.
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You sure? I was told when an octopus 'squirts its ink' a large water change is needed. Or did you mean in the wild?
T
tucker3940
Guest
Yeah, apparently the only hard piece of their entire bodies is their beak, so if they can fit it through then the rest of their bodies can get through too. I saw on the discovery channel where a ~2 ft octopus got itself into a coke bottle.
pmauro
Member
The octopus is the oceans escape artist, they will squeeze through almost any size hole and are limited only by the size of their beak. so if yo get a small one it may be impossible to keep it in the tank if it decides to wander. they are also very clever ( as mentioned in an earlier post, and will move lids and covers to gain their escape. Not worth it IMO
superman
Member
I hate to play devils advocate at the risk of being "shunned", but sammy the ink from an octopus is harmful to the animal if it is not removed. I have been cycling a 20 gal for about 1 1/2 months now specifically for the use of keeping an atlantic brown octopus. So while the tank has been cycling i have been doing 1 1/2 months of research. Im not sure which issue but i think it was aquarium usa magazine did an entire article on keeping octopoda. And it does state that in a confined area like an aquarium the ink can be harmful to the animal. Now maybe I am wrong, but other resources that I have read all say the same thing.
As far as keeping one, know the facts:
1.) any fish kept with it, depending on size will either kill or be killed by the octopus
2.) just as stated above they will escape the smallest crack at the top whether it be where the filter is, or even pushing up the tank lid. Make sure the tank is sealed!
3.) they will rearange rock work. Make sure to place rock so that it wont break anything if it falls.
4.) have plenty of rocks. An octopus needs places to hide.
5.) make sure you have a really good skimmer. Water quality must be perfect.
6.) make sure you know what to feed it and how. The most common misused food is gold fish they do not get the nutrition they need from them. Among other things they like shrimp, SW fish, and crayfish. And as far as how to feed them, do it carefully if your finger is in the tank he can bite it, and it is said to be very painful.
7.) do not keep them with other octopus.
8.) find a young specimen their life span is only about 2 years.
Those are just some of the basics, and I know i left things out because it's 1 o' clock in the morning. Your best bet is research, research, and more research. Oh yeah and don't tap on the glass, it's like someone knocking on your door just to see how you'll react. It gets annoying after while.
As far as keeping one, know the facts:
1.) any fish kept with it, depending on size will either kill or be killed by the octopus
2.) just as stated above they will escape the smallest crack at the top whether it be where the filter is, or even pushing up the tank lid. Make sure the tank is sealed!
3.) they will rearange rock work. Make sure to place rock so that it wont break anything if it falls.
4.) have plenty of rocks. An octopus needs places to hide.
5.) make sure you have a really good skimmer. Water quality must be perfect.
6.) make sure you know what to feed it and how. The most common misused food is gold fish they do not get the nutrition they need from them. Among other things they like shrimp, SW fish, and crayfish. And as far as how to feed them, do it carefully if your finger is in the tank he can bite it, and it is said to be very painful.
7.) do not keep them with other octopus.
8.) find a young specimen their life span is only about 2 years.
Those are just some of the basics, and I know i left things out because it's 1 o' clock in the morning. Your best bet is research, research, and more research. Oh yeah and don't tap on the glass, it's like someone knocking on your door just to see how you'll react. It gets annoying after while.
superman
Member
Sammy I would like to apologize and ammend my statement on the toxicity of octo ink. Upon further research from a much more reliable source and another look at that aquarium usa issue, all the ink does is "act like a toxin" in that it restricts breathing. Although it is not an actual toxin. But hey we all learn from eachother. BTW did you happen to read an essay on keeping octopus. A lot of what you said sounds like it came right out of that essay. But I can't remember who wrote it.
hairtrigger
Active Member
Oh my gosh... octopus are freakin escape artists. You need to have a tank so sealed that air can't even get out. I mean, these things have no bones, so they can fit through extraordinarily small spaces. I have heard of them slipping out of tanks at LFS'... going into other tanks where they ate the fish.... and then going back to their original tank.
I hear they don't live very long either. I don't know much about em, just going on what I have heard. So, don't base your decision on my 2 cents. They are cool to look at though. I have only seen them in clear "critter cages" because they can't slip through the vents.
I hear they don't live very long either. I don't know much about em, just going on what I have heard. So, don't base your decision on my 2 cents. They are cool to look at though. I have only seen them in clear "critter cages" because they can't slip through the vents.
hairtrigger
Active Member
Yeah, ok, so I didnt read everyone elses posts all the way through. So I didnt see others say they were great escape artists. Crucify me why don't you?
Everyone's a comedian on here.
I see an HBO special in the works.
Everyone's a comedian on here.
I see an HBO special in the works.
hairtrigger
Active Member
Be careful getting an octopus. They are great escape artists. I heard that they can....
I couldn't resist either. I am such a jacka$$ after working a long overnight shift.
I couldn't resist either. I am such a jacka$$ after working a long overnight shift.
fishtanker
Member
so let me get this straight, octopus' are great escape artists
jim672
Member
FDitty,
I was just at the PP in Q-town last Friday. Looks like they're finally stocking some sw stuff again. I didn't see any octopi, though......darn! I did buy a nice all yellow dottyback. Very pretty fish. He looks good in my Q tank.
I've been to the Hidden Reef a number of times with mixed success. Last time I was there he had alot of fish but at least one in every tank was sick/dead. I bought a nice frogspawn frag. I think his prices are high.....especially on coral but he has a great selection of "dry goods".
Jim
I was just at the PP in Q-town last Friday. Looks like they're finally stocking some sw stuff again. I didn't see any octopi, though......darn! I did buy a nice all yellow dottyback. Very pretty fish. He looks good in my Q tank.
I've been to the Hidden Reef a number of times with mixed success. Last time I was there he had alot of fish but at least one in every tank was sick/dead. I bought a nice frogspawn frag. I think his prices are high.....especially on coral but he has a great selection of "dry goods".
Jim