I received an O. briareus December 9th. He inhabited the same cave for a long time but I haven't seen him at all in three weeks and its beginning to make me anxious. The cave does have a back door.
I know I've made at least one big mistake: the acclimation process was too bright because I was excited and wanted to see him. After giving him a week of darkness then decreasing the light hours/brighteness I would still periodically shine a light to find him.
I know I have made those mistakes. I also think I made some other ones.
I had a ton of crabs, amphipods, snails and shrimp so he still has a lot to hunt in there. I find shells and next to no crabs. Could be he's got so much food there's no reason to not hide from the huge animal shining lights trying to find him. There's still at least 15 snails and two crabs plus an amphipod population nurtured for almost a year.
There was a small gap in the lid for awhile that allowed an escape but security camera footage didn't pick it up and I have yet to find a mess on the floor or smell something. The gap was by the highest flow area of the tank.
There are 5 peppermint shrimp that might be bothering him with their movements. When I first acclimated the octopus the shrimp were definitely annoying him and he pushed them away but made no attempt to strike.
The security camera picks up the shrimp but not the octopus on the rocks. The only time I can see him is when he is off of them.
When aquascaping I did give him a little courtyard out of sight in case he needed more privacy. Thought it would be an occasional thing but he does have a place to go where I can't see him.
I spend all my time at home either watching the tank or the tv next to the tank. I have never seen a large cluster of detritivores that would devour a corpse. It's a studio apartment and the tank is 10 feet from my bed and three feet away from the chair where I spend my recreational time.
If anyone could offer any advice I would deeply appreciate it.
I know I've made at least one big mistake: the acclimation process was too bright because I was excited and wanted to see him. After giving him a week of darkness then decreasing the light hours/brighteness I would still periodically shine a light to find him.
I know I have made those mistakes. I also think I made some other ones.
I had a ton of crabs, amphipods, snails and shrimp so he still has a lot to hunt in there. I find shells and next to no crabs. Could be he's got so much food there's no reason to not hide from the huge animal shining lights trying to find him. There's still at least 15 snails and two crabs plus an amphipod population nurtured for almost a year.
There was a small gap in the lid for awhile that allowed an escape but security camera footage didn't pick it up and I have yet to find a mess on the floor or smell something. The gap was by the highest flow area of the tank.
There are 5 peppermint shrimp that might be bothering him with their movements. When I first acclimated the octopus the shrimp were definitely annoying him and he pushed them away but made no attempt to strike.
The security camera picks up the shrimp but not the octopus on the rocks. The only time I can see him is when he is off of them.
When aquascaping I did give him a little courtyard out of sight in case he needed more privacy. Thought it would be an occasional thing but he does have a place to go where I can't see him.
I spend all my time at home either watching the tank or the tv next to the tank. I have never seen a large cluster of detritivores that would devour a corpse. It's a studio apartment and the tank is 10 feet from my bed and three feet away from the chair where I spend my recreational time.
If anyone could offer any advice I would deeply appreciate it.