Octopuses

Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
I have been keeping reef tanks for...well a long tme. My journey has evolved and changed over the years. I have an obsessive fascination with octopuses, you could say it was love at first sight. I have kept some very special ones in the past, unfortunately it always has a bittersweet ending. Some have been more social than others but I can appreciate them all for their unique personalities. Due to their short lifespan and age when collected. My tank occupants are always changing. Right now I have 2, a young O. briareus in my 120. and an O, hummelincki in my 50.
I will share them with you :)

O. briareus




O. hummelincki
(vodeo, click on it)
 
EyeReef

EyeReef

Active member
Those octopus are cool looking. How long do they normally live for? What are you feeding them? Any other special requirements?
 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
Special requirements, a sealed tank to guard against escape but basically reef parameters. They eat live crabs, fiddlers are a favorite. I alternate between live and frozen. Frozen, I feed shrimp, scallops, mussels and little neck clams. Most will live about a year.

You may enjoy this...My O.vulgaris, El Diablo was the most interactive, my favorite so far. He was enormous, I fed him blue crabs. (I lost him several months agos) I have many videos of him, he did some fun tricks and played with toys. Here is him attacking a blue crab. (crab is near 5" across)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvftRAFbOfc
 
EyeReef

EyeReef

Active member
Lmecher said:
Special requirements, a sealed tank to guard against escape but basically reef parameters. They eat live crabs, fiddlers are a favorite. I alternate between live and frozen. Frozen, I feed shrimp, scallops, mussels and little neck clams. Most will live about a year.

You may enjoy this...My O.vulgaris, El Diablo was the most interactive, my favorite so far. He was enormous, I fed him blue crabs. (I lost him several months agos) I have many videos of him, he did some fun tricks and played with toys. Here is him attacking a blue crab. (crab is near 5" across)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvftRAFbOfc
Click to expand...
wow thanks for sharing. That crab was hanging on for dear life, and for a good reason for that matter. Yea I heard octopus are one of the most intelligent inverts, too bad their life span is so short
 
mr_z

mr_z

New member
i didnt know they lived so short in captivity i heard you have to keep them entertained. is that true?
 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
El Diablo was very playful. I kept plenty of toys in his tank. Here are some of my favorites. He was so special, looking back makes me sad but I love sharing my experiences.

A young Diablo (note how small he is compared to the crab video) I was just beginning to make contact with him. Here are 4 videos.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptTkeY8p2nQ







 
imbuggin

imbuggin

Member
mr_z said:
i didnt know they lived so short in captivity i heard you have to keep them entertained. is that true?
Click to expand...
That is not just in captivity. The natural lifespan of the species we keep in tanks is about 1.5 years give or take. I think some of the larger atlatic ones live longer. Like the one who picks superbowl winners :D But even than I don't think it is very long. Someone who knows for sure feel free to chime in.

I have not kept one since the late 80's but loved them. At that time I was one of the few crazy enough to even try. Had to make all the filter myself.
 
mr_z

mr_z

New member
i didnt know that i thought you could keep one longer. what about the ones at the shed aquarium do you guys think they live a short life also and just get replaced?
 
imbuggin

imbuggin

Member
It is a large cold water Atlantic not the same. Next time you are there touch the glass, it is full of condensation and I think they keep it around 55 degrees
 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
imbuggin said:
That is not just in captivity. The natural lifespan of the species we keep in tanks is about 1.5 years give or take. I think some of the larger atlatic ones live longer. Like the one who picks superbowl winners :D But even than I don't think it is very long. Someone who knows for sure feel free to chime in.

I have not kept one since the late 80's but loved them. At that time I was one of the few crazy enough to even try. Had to make all the filter myself.
Click to expand...
Paul the world cup octopus was the same species as El Diablo, O. vulgaris.

The GPO's lifespan is 3 to 5 years. I believe this species is the longest lived.

Most of the octopuses kept are wild caught, there is no source for captive bred at this time. It is rare to find a nice young specimen. When ordering one, it is a crap shoot, never know what you'll get. Unfortunately many arrive that are at the end of their natural life and some will brood right away just from the stress of shipping. Usually I am happy to get 6 months with one. Keeping them has it's drawbacks but the benefits out-weigh these 100 fold.

Scotty-
The female lays her eggs and devotes herself totally to them. She protects and aerates them by blowing on them with her siphon to keep algae from growing on them. During this time she never leaves the den and does not eat. Several weeks later they hatch. Soon afterwards she emerges weak and unable to fend off predators and dies.
As far as procreating, depending on the species, they lay from hundreds to thousands of eggs increasing their chance for survival.
 
X

xhhn30

New member
How is your tank sealed. What can you do to keep the tops on. After see your video I am interested in one now.
 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
I have a photo of the top we fabricated for my 50 gallon. It is made of lexan, stronger and thicker than plexiglas and dose not warp. It fits tightly so the octopus cannot push it up. We made an access door w/screw down lock. The entire top needs to be sealed, they can squeeze out through small spaces. The cartilage between the eyes is what dictates how small of an opening they cab fit through. (not the beak)
I have covers on the 120 that are similar except the center support divides it into 2. and they have no access doors, I remove the entire cover.

This is an old photo, I have replaced this light fixture.

 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
mr_z said:
i didnt know that i thought you could keep one longer. what about the ones at the shed aquarium do you guys think they live a short life also and just get replaced?
Click to expand...
The Monterrey Bay aquarium regularly replaces their resident GPO. They have a live feed webcam you can view online. I am not familiar with the Shedd Aquarium's octopus display. I should go and check it out.
 
Lmecher

Lmecher

New member
There is an open chamber towards the back where overflow is. The protein skimmer adds enough oxygen and top is not air tight. I had considered drilling holes in the top but we are doing fine without them. When I say sealed, I mean closed off so the octopus cannot squeeze out through openings.
 
imbuggin

imbuggin

Member
Lmecher said:
Paul the world cup octopus was the same species as El Diablo, O. vulgaris.

The GPO's lifespan is 3 to 5 years. I believe this species is the longest lived.

Most of the octopuses kept are wild caught, there is no source for captive bred at this time. .
Click to expand...
I thought there were a few breeders for Bimaculoides online? Are they no longer around? and are they still considered the best and easiet to keep in cativity? I know they are one of the few captive or at least were.
 
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