Octos?

caz2022

caz2022

Member
If theres room in your tank you can submerge a habitrail maze. I had one in Sla'neesh's tank for a while. It was fun watching him work his way through it(they have a clear top). The mazes are cool because you can change the tubes that attach to it so its always a little diffrent. Its amazing just how smart these critters really are. +1 on the tug-o-war! Tex does yours cheat and grab a rock with his back arms?
 
dustyboy316

dustyboy316

Member
I'm definetely going ot have to get one when I get more experience.
Cuttlefish creep me out though. Those guys can read minds.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
o haha that sounds like something fun to do. what do you feed them besides silversides and clams? or thats all they reely need
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Originally Posted by runn3rb3an
http:///forum/post/2864576
o haha that sounds like something fun to do. what do you feed them besides silversides and clams? or thats all they reely need
Primarily I feed raw shrimp from the supermarket. Krill, silversides, clams, live fiddler crabs, and shore shrimp for variation in diet. The live critters make for good enrichment, stimulate the octopus, make it use its natural hunting skills and keeps it from getting too bored.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
hey tex. i was looking around at different lfs for octos and i came across one place that sold bimacs. ive looked them up on tonmo and google but havent found much except basic octo info.
how is the bimac compared to the O. hummelincki or O. briareus, or Abdopus aculeatus? do you have any experience with them?
they also had o. vulgaris, which i heard can get pretty big. if you know anything about these id appreciate the info too.
thanks again for all the help haha
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
I'll bet you it's an O. hummelincki. They have very similar eye-spots like a bimac, and unlike bimacs, they are legal to collect and sell. Bimacs can't legally be collected from California waters unless you have a special license, and even then, they can't be collected for trade, only their captive-raised babies, and no one is offering any Captive-raised/captive-bred bimacs right now.
O. hummelincki is a tropical species, usually imported from Haiti, but they can be collected in lots of places in the tropical western regions of the Atlantic. Very day-active, typically very interactive. They make good pets. The only downside is they are a small-egg species.
You should ask the LFS people where the "Bimac" was shipped from.
O. vulgaris do grow pretty big. Most people suggest a 200 gallon or so. The bigger the better.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
Hey tex. Sorry to keep bothering u with all these questions but I'm finding almost no info on them online haha. Would you happen to know the sizes a abdopus aculeatus, briareus, and hummelincki get? Thanks again
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Not bothering me at all. Nothing I'd rather talk about. :)
Abdopus aculeatus is relatively small, gets to about 12" armspan, about 1.5-2 inch mantle.
Octopus hummelincki is a bit bigger, reaching about 14" armspan.
Octopus briareus is much larger, potentially reaching about 48" armspan. My O. briareus is about 40" armspan.
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
haha same with me!
I was looking into a briareus just because I thought that I would be able to see it more often if it was in a slightly larger tank. does this sound like good logic? or do you think something like the hummelinki would be better because it would have more room to swim around and would be seen in that way more? haha I relize they often are hiding, but at this point Im basically looking for the most interactive and friendly species that can be seen most often too. haha im 50/50 about these two right now and just looking for some advice to push me tworads one or another.
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Either one makes a fun pet, can be interactive. O. briareus is naturally nocturnal, hummelincki is diurnal. Either one will probably adapt to your schedule (or the food schedule anyway).
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
Ok thanks. Is one more likely to be seen than the other as far as size goes? And their not really compatible with gobies or blennies or anything else right?
 
runn3rb3an

runn3rb3an

Active Member
I mean for example is one better with tankmates such as those and also with a clean up crew? Haha have you kept both species?
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Myself and a few others have kept Abdopus aculeatus with peaceful fish tankmates and never observed any aggression toward tankmates, including some peppermint shrimp. I wouldn't suggest it with hummelincki or briareus though. I put a chromis in my briareus' tank and it disappeared over night.
Both briareus and hummelincki are large enough to be seen from across the room. Once your eyes become familiar with their colors and textures they aren't that hard to spot. O. briareus being light blue/green most of the time is usually obvious. O. hummelincki's have much more complex camo, and can blend in with just about any color or shape so you may have to search quite a bit more for it. I think that's half the fun of them though.
No matter what kind you finally end up with, I suggest trying to hand or stick feed it raw shrimp or silversides during acclimation so it learns to identify you as the food provider more quickly. Use a critter keeper (plastic bug cage) to house it during acclimation. Place it in the tank, inside the critter keeper and open the lid so it can come out when it's ready. That way when it finally enters the tank, it isn't thinking "escape" so much as "explore".
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I do believe this is the most interesting thread I have read. Thank you all for you questions, knowledge and just general enjoyment in something to learn about.
 
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